A Conversation with Gretsch School of Music Visiting Artist, Parker Hastings.

Making the most of his God-given talents for music, music leadership, and how divine intervention led to his debut on The Grand Ole Opry stage . . .

By Guest Contributor, Ron Denny.

Understanding why some people are born with certain skills and talents (and others are clearly not) remains one of those great mysteries of life. Especially when it comes to musical abilities.

I’ve interviewed dozens of professional musicians over the years, and some could quickly point to genetics–one or both of their parents, a grandparent, an aunt, an uncle, or whomever from their family tree, luckily passed down the family’s musical gene to them. But just as many musicians I’ve interviewed haven’t a clue. They hadn’t come from a “musical family” per se, so many just shrug and say it must just be a God-given talent. Something they were lucky enough to be born with.

The word “charism” is broadly described as a gift from God for the betterment of the church and the world. Music and teaching are two identified charisms, and Parker Hastings, a young musician featured several times on this website, possesses both. Parker was recently invited to Savannah, Georgia by Fred and Dinah Gretsch to talk about his God-given talents and to share them as a visiting artist at the Gretsch School of Music at Georgia Southern University.

I was able to catch the busy musician between tour dates to discuss his approach to his musical gifts, his passion for teaching, and how one of the finest thumbpicker guitarists and singers around came to be an integral member of a touring Celtic Folk and Rock band (as Parker says, “I didn’t see that next part of my musical journey coming!”).

He also shares a most interesting story of how divine intervention led to his somewhat miraculous debut on the stage of The Grand Ole Opry.

Enjoy!

From a career standpoint, it sounds like 2024 was a whirlwind year for you.

I’ll say. Last year was the craziest year of my life. Being on the road and touring with multiple acts and getting to travel coast-to-coast to see some really incredible places. Last year was awesome, for sure, and this year is shaping up to be as good, if not better.  I totaled it up and I did over 165 paid gigs last year. From touring with T. Graham Brown, to solo gigs, and 85 dates with Gaelic Storm, a Celtic rock and folk band. I’m really proud of what I accomplished last year.

You recently visited with Fred and Dinah Gretsch to talk about your God-given gift for music and music leadership, and to speak and perform at the Gretsch School of Music. How was that?

Parker at the Gretsch Headquarters in Pooler, Georgia, with Fred and Dinah Gretsch and their daughter Lena Thomas.

Oh, I had a wonderful visit to Savannah and spent a lot of time with Mr. and Mrs. Gretsch. They couldn’t have been more hospitable. They really rolled out the red carpet for me, which I honestly don’t deserve. But, actually, I think quite a bit about my charism–my gift of music from the good Lord above. To me, it’s not about being the loudest or flashiest person in the room, it’s about being genuine. And I try to let my love for the music that I play show through in everything I do, whether it’s performing live, or in my recorded music, or in my presence on social media. I just want people to feel that I’m fully passionate about what I’m doing and that I’m being real and genuine and authentic. I think the more you know and learn who you are, your purpose, your values, and you hone into those, and what kind of musical experience you want to create for people, the more your natural charism comes through, and people see that.

Being genuine and authentic in the music business is easier said than done.

Amen to that. It’s not something that can be put on or faked, it has to be 100 percent authentic. Being the most authentic version of myself stays true to who I am. I mean, I’m spending a lot of my time playing in a Celtic rock band on the road these days. I couldn’t have imagined that a year ago. But I haven’t let it morph me into something I’m not. I’m still Parker up there onstage.

Even though you’re only 24, you seem to have a gift for teaching and influencing musicians younger than you.

Thanks, I really enjoy teaching and sharing. I’ve been a part of Tommy Emmanuel’s Guitar Camp for four years and help with the Young Thumbs group of teenage thumbpickers with Tommy as well as John Knowles. I also give private lessons, which can get tricky being on the road, but I squeeze them in when I’m home. But I love teaching, and it’s a topic that Mr. Gretsch and I have frequently talked about because he and Dinah are really focused on the generation of musicians behind me. That’s why I was invited to be a visiting artist at the Gretsch School of Music at Georgia Southern.

What was it like performing and talking to students just a few years younger than you?

It was fantastic and my first time of doing something like that at a university. I was able to interject my experiences as a young working musician and felt right away that the students were very open to what I had to say. I think we connected because I’m close to their age and can share more of what their journey in today’s music industry will probably be like. I’m just a few steps ahead of them.

How was your first visiting artist day spent? What did you do?

I sat in on a couple of different classes and then, at the end of the day, I got to do my spiel. For an hour or so, I was playing, talking, and answering questions. It was just a great day. So much so, that they invited me back the next day for some one-on-one, up-close lessons with students. It was great to hear their perspectives. They played me some of their music if they were artists, or if they were producers, they played either live or recordings for me. I left there saying, wow, there’s a lot of talented folks in that program.

Parker after his performance and Q&A session with students from the Fred and Dinah Gretsch School of Music at Georgia Southern University.

So, what words of wisdom did you share with the students?

I let them know right off the bat that being in the music business as an artist, a manager, a producer, or whatever, is not for the faint of heart. You really have to love it to be in it, because it’s not going to be easy. There are some misconceptions out there, thanks to social media and stuff, that can lead a person to believe that, oh, if that girl or guy can just stumble into the music business and be a success, then I can too. That’s not the real world. I kept reiterating to them that I, by no means, know it all. I’ve still got a lot to learn and I’m still learning every day. I had to be almost burned a few times to learn some of the most valuable lessons. But it gets easier the more you do it. You just have to go out there and do it. But I must say how much I was impressed by all the talented folks in the Gretsch School of Music program. Believe me, the future of the music industry is in good hands.

How did one of the best thumbpickers in the business get involved with a Celtic rock band?

Parker’s adding some of his “youthful energy” to a Gaelic Storm live performance.

Well, another thing I told the students was about the importance of networking, building relationships, and having a good reputation, because that’s how I ended up in Gaelic Storm. I played with Dailey & Vincent on their 2023 Christmas Show tour and a few months later, their manager and Gaelic Storm’s manager, who are friends, were having coffee. Gaelic Storm’s manager shared how they desperately needed an acoustic guitar player who could also sing because, unfortunately, their guitarist had suffered a stroke two weeks before the band was set to start their biggest tour of 2024–27 shows in 31 days. So, Dailey & Vincent’s manager shared my number, and I got a call out of the blue from Gaelic Storm’s manager inviting me to join the band.

How familiar were you with Irish folk and rock music?

I wasn’t, but I looked at it as a baptism by fire opportunity. I didn’t know the band, I didn’t know their music, which is all original, but I took a deep breath and reminded myself that this is what I’m made for, and I’m being tested here, so I needed to just strap on my boots and said let’s do this. I had to learn forty new songs in two weeks, but I worked really hard and did it.

What did the band think of you when you showed up with forty of their songs under your belt?

The first time I met the band was at a rehearsal in Nashville the day before the tour started. Patrick Murphy, the front man and the only true Irish person in the band, looked at me carrying in a guitar case and thought I was carrying it in for my dad. He thought that my dad was joining the group, not this kid who looked twelve years old. But halfway through, Patrick looked at me and asked me how I had learned all those songs in just two weeks. And I said, well, that’s what I do, and he was very impressed. And the band was taken aback, too, that I had put all this time into it.

Gaelic Storm at the Egyptian Theater in Dekalb, Illinois.

You seem to be having a good time performing with this band. What makes it fun?

I’m having a blast. I get to sing and kind of shine through with my own voice on some songs. A lot of the show is spontaneity back and forth and the playfulness onstage between Patrick and me is a lot of fun. With his years of experience and jokes and storytelling, and the young energy I bring, it is something audiences as well as the band are enjoying. Of the bands and groups that I’ve been a part of so far, this is the most that I’ve gotten to be myself, to be Parker Hastings. This band, Gaelic Storm, has allowed me to do that, so I’m very appreciative of that and very grateful for this opportunity.

How you ended up playing the Grand Ole Opry for the first time is a cool story. Sounds like you had some help from above.

I did, I really did. Talk about divine intervention, I had taken a job with Circle, the TV network that broadcasts The Grand Ole Opry. It was a 9-to-5 job that paid the bills and gave me time to pour every ounce of energy I could into making my music on nights and weekends. Part of the orientation included going to the Tuesday night Opry Show and standing on the side of the stage to watch the show. I saw somebody make their Grand Ole Opry debut and I took a picture from the side of the stage and sent it to my mom and dad. I told them that this is pretty neat to see, but the next time I have this view, I’m going to have a guitar in my hand, ready to walk out there onstage for the very first time.

And a short time later, your dream came true. How did that all happen?

Well, in May of 2023, my job was eliminated at Circle and it really forced me to reflect on what I wanted to do next. I had an epiphany of sorts and realized that I didn’t need a 9-to-5 corporate office job to do what I love doing, which is making music. So, I put my head down and decided this is it, this is what I’m going to do, and I’m going to find a way to make it work. Fast forward eight months and thanks to my buddy, Pat Bergeson, I was able to audition and be in the band for the Dailey & Vincent Christmas Show tour. And when we played the Grand Ole Opry in December of 2023–not once, but twice in the same week–I really had to pinch myself. Talk about God closing one door and opening another! My dad and mom were really proud and reminded me of the photo and the Grand Ole Opry promise that I had made to myself just a few months earlier. It was the most “God Moment” I had ever had in my life. I’ve had many, but none that big. I like to share that story with folks about the importance of having faith and trust. Not only in yourself, but in a higher power as well.

Be sure to visit Parker’s website and follow him on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

And check out Parker’s well-made, behind-the-scenes video of Gaelic Storm opening for the Zac Brown Band at The Pinnacle in Nashville.

Playing onstage with Zac Brown at the 2024 Dublin Irish Festival.