Big Dog owes his big brother for giving him his start with the guitar but stubbornly refuses to return that old piece of junk to this day. A longtime “closet guitarist”, Bryan sang and played mostly solo acoustic guitar in small coffee shop venues and for anyone who would lend an ear.

That all changed in 1985 when Bryan had an opportunity to hear the one and only Stevie Ray Vaughn live and in concert at McKale Center in Tucson. Stevie was the opening act for Don Henley and absolutely blew the roof off the house. From that time Bryan began pursuing the blues and after practicing his trade has finally come out of the closet(in a manner of speaking).

In 2002, while attending the National Guitar Workshop in Connecticut, Bryan had the honor of sharing the stage with the members of Blue Oyster Cult. “I played three songs with them and have never been so scared in my entire life.” Bryan played in a gospel band “Higher Ground” and also played in several local jam circuits before joining the short lived “Hogs Breath Blues Band.”

Bryan then teamed with his long lost brother and Hogs Breath bassist, Mark “Cadillac” Parker, and fellow blues jammer, Al “A Train” Parker. The Brothers then added John “Harpo” Parker, who plays a mean blues harmonica, and finally, Chuck "Keys" Parker, who can make a keyboard sing. Bryan’s musical influences include Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, B.B. King, Robben Ford, Coco Montoya, Duke Robillard and Tab Benoit. Bryan currently makes his home in Parker, Colorado. In his spare time he flies big jets for a large well known formerly bankrupt airline and is based here in Denver, Colorado.
 

"Wolf" Parker

Wolf Parker was born and raised in one of the most scenic and culturally rich places in the world; the suburbs of Toledo, Ohio. Well, at least it was in the shadow of Motown and provided a large amount of interesting musical influences and characters to permeate a young soul. Having discovered the piano at a very early age, it wasn't too much longer that Wolf also discovered that playing the piano beat working for a living. At age 18, Wolf left all this " beauty and culture" in his '69 Chevelle for Coral Gables, Fl, where he studied Studio Music and Jazz Arranging at the University of Miami. Being a quick study, it again wasn't long until he realized that you really don't learn much about music in music school, and was spending most of his time performing with South Florida funk and soul acts.

It was after all the 70's, and no better place for a young Mid-Western musician.  After a few years however, the road lost it's luster, and Wolf pursued a more "normal" lifestyle in the business world in his native Ohio, but always maintained a steady playing schedule as well. In the late 80's, the quick study thing kicked in again, and Florida became home for the second time. Wolf performed and recorded with such diverse talents as jazz legend Ira Sullivan, Florida "folk-scene" guru Don Oja-Dunaway, and the always present Southern Rock band "The Small Town Boys". In the mid 90's, a career in radio and media production took hold, again adding to the "it beats working for a living" philosophy. It was a great addition to Wolf's musical pursuits, especially when you can promo your performances on your own radio show!

Then one day Wolf was sitting on the beach, contemplating his good fortunes, and probably having a cold one when a message came through as if by some cosmic force. He had brothers in Colorado that he didn't even know----and they were searching for him! So just like that, it was good-bye beach, radio, and Southern lifestyle to move to the high country and find those souls.  OK, that's not exactly how it went down, but it makes for a far better story than the actual facts. And with all the brothers now in place, far better stories are sure to be made in the future.

Al "A-Train" Parker

Having been born on the A Train in Brooklyn, Al’s friends always called him “A-Train”. Ever since he was a young child, he was fascinated by the world’s naturally occurring rhythms. As he rode the subway, he enjoyed tapping out his own rhythms against the “clanking” rhythm created by the train’s wheels as they rolled down the tracks. When driving, he constantly tapped out rhythms to complement those created by the wiper blades and the turn signal. A bit nuts, but dems da facts! When A-train hit his teens, he was constantly taping out rhythms on everything he touched which drove everyone around him crazy. It was obvious; A-train was destined to be a drummer.

Skipping to the present, A-train moved to Colorado. He was pleased to discover he has three brothers, all living in Parker. The brothers all love to play music so they formed a band, The Parker Brothers Band. When they aren’t playing music, they gather around, drink some beer, and enjoy hearing Al’s stories about the A-train in Brooklyn. Those stories got the band to thinking, that maybe someday they’ll create a tune titled, “Take the A Train”.

Mark "Cadillac" Parker 
Born in San Francisco. At age 15, Cadillac sold door to door to earn the money for his first bass. and his first band "BC". Cadillac's High School bands featured musicians who would go on to play for Huey Lewis and Chicago. A part of the 60's San Francisco music scene, Cadillac once lost a girlfriend to the Grateful Dead commune. "Darn, she ended up on the cover of their second album. How could I compete with that?"

Cadillac worked his way though college playing the numerous dives in New Bedford, Massachusetts. "Now there was a town that could drink. Those fisherman would roll in after being out at sea for three weeks working 18 hours a day. Hell, they would warn up on a case of beer before they got down to serious drinking."

In New Bedford, Cadillac's band "Orion" was a regular at Peaches Cafe. "Peaches would pay us $50 and all we could drink. She should have paid us $100 and made us pay for her own drinks. She would have gotten it all back."

Andy's at Horseneck Beach was another regular gig. "Andy's always had a fight going on. You had to hold on to your guitar and beer because you never knew when someone was going to get tossed onto the stage. Sometimes a guy, sometimes a girl, sometimes both."

So what's the thrill about the low pay and the hard work of being a musician. "It's about a room full of people having a great time because you are there."