Charlie Parr is a signature folk (and blues) musician, typical of many who have risen up in the Minneapolis folks scene. Parr’s music is simple, straight forward, and tells a story worth telling.
A longtime fixture in the Twin Cities music scene, Parr counts “Spider” John Koerner (1938-2024) among his influences. Koerner, along with Dave “Snaker” Ray and Tony “Little Sun” Glover, began playing country blues around Dinkytown, just off the University of Minnesota campus, in 1962 and enjoyed some national recognition for their downhome blues releases, Blues, Rags and Hollers (1963) and Lots More Blues, Rags and Hollers (1964), becoming among the first white musicians to gain traction in a traditionally African American form. The Ex-Marine Koerner and his bandmates even gained recognition from Bob Dylan and John Lennon, among others, with their simple, acoustic interpretations.
Parr has released many previous records, many of them self-released or released on really small labels, and his independent do-it-yourself spirit reminds me of another Dinkytown mainstay from an earlier era – Jerry Rau. Rau, who died in 2021, a busker often scene about town, who released several small label albums, including the surprisingly good Minnesota Minstrel (1978) (with one of the best covers of Ralph McTell’s “Streets of London” you’ll ever hear), was called the “heartbeat and conscience of the Minnesota Folk Music Scene” by the local paper.
Parr’s Rooming House is being released by Smithsonian Folkways – an upgrade from most of Parr’s previous labels. It tells stories inspired by the people Parr met while trying to eek out a living playing music. The stories talk about day-to-day challenges, like paying for health insurance, which are quite relevant today. Though only seven songs, the longer, uniquely instrumented “Lilliput Park 2026” brings the play time to 35 minutes.
About the author: Bill Wilcox is a roots music enthusiast recently relocated from the Washington, DC area to Philadelphia, PA and back again.