Jim Parker likes Madison’s ‘scrappy’ resilience
MADISON – “Madison has afforded my family a quality, bountiful living and educational opportunities for the boys, who both graduated from Bob Jones,” Jim Parker said. “I wouldn’t have wanted to raise my children in other cities where I’ve lived.”
Jim grew up in Amarillo, Texas. In 1966, he chased his musical dreams to Los Angeles, a great music scene “but smog-ridden with bottleneck traffic.”
In 1972, he moved to San Mateo, Calif. to live with his sister’s family. San Mateo was, by far, better than LA with more of a folk scene.
“I finally got my solo chops together. I went on my rock ‘n’ roll journey as a singer/songwriter/soloist,” Jim said. He moved to Nashville in 1975 and toured with Dave and Sugar.
Jim and wife Lysa and their two sons relocated to Madison in 1985. He started his own real estate company and worked for Lysa’s uncle in his new development, Heatherwood.
“There was nothing but red mud and drainage tiles,” Jim said. “Population was about 6,000, and now we’re nearing 50,000. This is the sweet spot in my life, and life is good!”
In 1985, “Huntsville wanted to annex us (Madison). We had a part-time mayor and (worked) to survive. I love my ‘scrappy’ little town. Now look at where we are with some of the state’s best schools with approximately 50 percent of residents having higher degrees of education,” Jim said. “That’s impressive!”
His namesake event, Jim Parker’s Songwriters Series, “is a work of passion. After 14 years of bringing premium performers, singers and hit songwriters to the Von Braun Center, we still haven’t saturated the Huntsville market.”
“The series is considered a downtown institution. I’m humbled to keep it going with my partner, Steve Maples with VBC,” he said. Jim often plays at benefits for St. Jude, Musicians Against Childhood Cancer and hurricane/tornado survivors.
Their older son Jesse works as a photographer on Redstone Arsenal. Son Jamison works at Polaris. “My daughter from a previous marriage lives in Houston. We’re blessed with a step-daughter in San Antonio, twin grandsons in Houston and a four-year-old granddaughter and a four-month-old grandson here,” Jim said. Jim has worked at Averbuch Realty for five years.
Recently, Jim worked with Billy and Ronnie Bowman to write “Better With Time,” a bluegrass song performed by Billy Droze that hit no 1 for eight weeks.
Jim’s friends have written songs for celebrities ranging from Garth Brooks to Barbara Streisand. Artists who record his friend’s songs are his favorites.
The Parkers like Sakura, Asian City and Buena Vista. “I’m still waiting on a good meat-and-three out here,” Jim said.
