GIBSON ANNOUNCES WORLD PREMIERE OF NEW ‘CUSTOM SHOP LEE ROY PARNELL ‘59 LES PAUL STANDARD’
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 11, 2019) — Gibson, the legitimate leader in professional instruments proudly presents the Custom Shop Lee Roy Parnell Signature 1959 Les Paul Standard in Abilene Sunset Burst. The Lee Roy Parnell ’59 Les Paul Standard marks the second collaboration between the legendary country/blues artist and the iconic guitar-maker and is available worldwide at Authorized Gibson Dealers. For more information, visit www.gibson.com.
Lee Roy Parnell’s immense talent and soulful approach has made him a legend in the music world, but his discriminating taste and emphasis on tone has made him equally renowned in the guitar community. His ’57 Goldtop signature from Gibson Custom Shop became an instant classic for this reason, and it continues to be sought-after by collectors and guitarists worldwide. Parnell and the talented luthiers at Gibson Custom Shoptook notice, and so began the process of creating a new version based on a flametop ’59 Burstinstead of a ’57 Goldtop. The construction elements remain the same, from the contoured cutaway edge to the revised pickup routes, which Parnell prefers in order to capture more character from the wood. Each features a hand-picked figured maple top accented by an “Abilene Sunset Fade” burst, inspired by Lee Roy’s hometown in Texas, as he describes the color here. Under the hood, each guitar features an underwound ’57 Classic humbucker in the neck, an underwound ’57 Classic Plusin the bridge, and the all-new Vintage Tone Circuit which uses paper-in-oil capacitors and vintage taper potentiometers. Every element on this guitar has been given Parnell’s seal of approval.
“Our job as artists is to mine what lives in us, and you don’t want something fighting you along the way, you want something helping you,” explains Parnell. “This guitar plays like an extension of myself and makes you want to play more of what you naturally do well.”
“Lee Roy is a unique guitarist and songwriter who has had an impact across music genres and inspired generations of musicians to follow in his footsteps,” explains Cesar Gueikian, Chief Merchant Officer, Gibson. “I’ve had the privilege of spending time with Lee Roy, watching him play slide and create amazing sound with his Les Paul’s and all of us at Gibson are excited to see this collaboration come to life as we bring the new Custom Shop Lee Roy Parnell Signature 1959 Les Paul Standard to the market for fans around the world.”
Watch Parnell describe the specs on his new Lee Roy Parnell 1959 Les Paul Standard, here.
Tour Dates:
June 15 – Hopewell, Va. – Beacon Theatre – A Tribute To The Allman Brothers w/ SKYDOG
June 22 – Franklin, Tenn. – BlackBerry Jam
June 25 – Austin, Texas – Private Event
July 19 – Nashville, Ind. – Brown County Playhouse
July 20 – Waynesville, Ohio – The Keepin’ It Country Farm
Aug. 2 – Rocky Mount, Va. – Harvester Performance Center
Aug. 3 – Shelby, N.C. – Don Gibson Theatre
Aug. 11 – Copper Mountain, Colo. – 15th Annual Guitar Town Festival (Guitar Army feat. John Jorgenson, Lee Roy Parnell, Joe Robinson)
Aug. 18 – Alamosa, Colo. – Fir Amphitheatre – Mountain Rails Live Concert Series
Aug. 31 – Calumet, Mich. – Calumet Theatre
Sept. 5 – Bremen, Ga. – Mill Town Music Hall
Sept. 6 – Tomball, Texas – Main Street Crossing
Sept. 20 – Austin, Texas – Private Event
Oct. 18-200 – Luverne, Minn. – Tall Grass Guitar Class Guitar Camp
Jan. 11-18, 2020 – Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – Delbert McClinton & Friends Sandy Beaches Cruise XXVI
About Lee Roy Parnell
After earning a regular spot at the famed Bluebird Café and a publishing contract, Lee Roy Parnell launched his solo career on Arista Records, which produced many country hits, including “A Little Bit Of You,” “What Kind of Fool Do You Think I Am” and “Tender Moment,”, and four other Top 10 hits – “Love Without Mercy,” “On The Road,” “I’m Holding My Own,” and “Heart’s Desire.” Parnell has earned two GRAMMY® Award nominations for his instrumental tracks, “Cat Walk” (with Flaco Jiménez) and “Mama, Screw Your Wig On Tight,” and was nominated for CMA Vocal Event of the Year on “John the Revelator” (with The Fairfield Four). During his storied career, Parnell has toured and collaborated with many music legends including The Allman Brothers Band, Merle Haggard, Delbert McClinton, and Bonnie Raitt. In 2011, Parnell was presented with his most cherished honor: being inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters’ Hall of Fame, joining the likes of such talented composers as Kris Kristofferson, Rodney Crowell, JD Souther, Willie Nelson, Guy Clark and others. In 2017, Parnell released his first new album in over a decade — the highly-anticipated and critically-acclaimed Midnight Believer — on Vector Recordings/BFD. Parnell produced the album and co-wrote all 10 songs with award-winning songwriter Greg Barnhill, including the moving “Sunny Days,” which features a special guest appearance by The Fairfield Four. Keep up with Lee Roy on his website at leeroyparnell.com.
About Gibson
Gibson Brands, the world’s most iconic guitar brand, has shaped the sounds of generations of musicians and music lovers across genres for more than 100 years. Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Nashville, TN, Gibson Brands has a legacy of world-class craftsmanship, legendary music partnerships and progressive product evolution that is unrivaled among musical instrument companies. The Gibson Brands portfolio includes Gibson, the number one guitar brand, as well as many of the most beloved and recognizable music brands, including Epiphone, Kramer, Steinberger and Gibson Pro Audio division brands Cerwin Vega, KRK Systems and Stanton. Gibson Brands is dedicated to quality, innovation and sound excellence so that music lovers for generations to come will continue to experience music shaped by Gibson Brands. Learn more at www.gibson.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
# # #
