Charlie Parr Back on the Road After Breaking Shoulder Skateboarding
The gray bearded and bespectacled Charlie Parr is not exactly the person you would envision tearing up city parks on a skateboard like some stoner kid in Vans. Instead of sliding down hand rails in front of office buildings, Charlie Parr’s usually caught out in the wild performing as one of the most world-class slide and fingerpicking dobro resonator players in existence. Nonetheless, when performing his other job as a world-class dad by precariously perching himself on a board with four tiny wheels in August, he waxed out, breaking his right shoulder, and badly.
At first the concern was Charlie Parr may never play again. His shoulder was broken in three separate places. But after waiting for the swelling to go down, Charlie had surgery to install a bionic shoulder—a.k.a a metal plate and eight long screws drilled into his bone. The surgery was a success, and after a 10-week recovery, Parr is now ready to hit the road again.
“I was spending time with my kids. No regrets,” Parr says.
In November and December the Duluth, Minnesota-based will be touring with Willie Watson and The Ghost of Paul Revere through the Northeast, Midwest, and the out to the West Coast. He’s releases some 13 albums in his career, including 2017’s Dog, which was well-praised by Saving Country Music. His upcoming tour dates can be seen below.
11.01 | Philadelphia, PA – Boot & Saddle *
11.02 | Washington, DC – Black Cat *
11.03 | Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg *
11.04 | Hamden, CT – Space Ballroom *
11.06 | Lancaster, PA – Chameleon Club *
11.07 | State College, PA – Barrel 21 Distillery
11.08 | Pittsburgh, PA – Club Cafe *
11.09 | Albany, NY – The Hollow
11.10 | Burlington, VT – Higher Ground *
11.11 | Syracuse, NY – The Westcott Theater *
11.13 | Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark *
11.14 | Columbus, OH – Woodlands *
11.15 | Urbana, IL – Blackbird Urbana *
11.16 | Milwaukee, WI – Colectivo *
11.17 | Saint Paul, MN – Palace Theatre *
11.27 | Bozeman, MT – Rialto ^
11.28 | Missoula, MT – The Top Hat ^
11.29 | Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern ^
11.30 | Grants Pass, OR – Rogue Theatre ^
12.01 | Eugene, OR – HiFi Music Hall ^
12.02 | Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios ^
12.04 | San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall ^
12.06 | Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour ^
12.08 | Laporte, CO – Swing Station
12.09 | Denver, CO – The Bluebird Theater ^
* w/ The Ghost of Paul Revere
^ w/ Willie Watson
October 30, 2018 @ 9:52 am
“….not exactly the person you would envision tearing up city parks on a skateboard like some stoner kid in Vans.”
Right.. because he wears converse:
https://www.google.com/search?q=charlie+parr&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=vni&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjV2braz67eAhWvHzQIHT-HCKEQ_AUIFCgD&biw=1112&bih=732#imgrc=HoXUdMOh4__rrM&imgdii=WK8kPh8pr7rNAM
October 30, 2018 @ 10:06 am
I think an investigation is warranted to settle this footwear question. In truth, he could have been wearing Skechers or Soaps as well. I think we can safely rule out Wheelies, but then again that type of shoe could have been why he couldn’t stay on the board. Maybe his kid was up to some mischief and told him Wheelies would enhance the boarding experience? Trig, you should really look into this…
October 30, 2018 @ 10:34 am
#stonershoegate…we need a fancy grad student dissertation on the evils of that assumption .
October 30, 2018 @ 11:24 am
I’ve played a few shows with Charlie and he is also known to be sportin’ PF Flyers highs on occasion. Kind of a sneaker tramp.
November 1, 2018 @ 7:40 pm
If I can see one show a year I’ll take Charlie Parr every day of the week and twice on Tuesday.
January 5, 2019 @ 4:29 am
Whatever shoes he was wearing, he’s a stronger man than I! Takes a while to heal a broken shoulder, this speed-recovery sounds almost fantastical, esp with surgery. Wow. Hope he is doing ok.