David Parmley - Cardinal Tradition (Now & Then)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLbGVllQ7EktgsoVS9IBBvcxMaWGBpsbxH&v=P_s5FTZfkS8

Old Blind Gentleman

Bluegrass Top-Male Vocalist

DAVID PARMLEY

Releases Cardinals’ Tribute Album

Cardinal Tradition (Now & Then)

50 Year Anniversary of Bluegrass Cardinals’ Debut Album in 1976

Contains #1 Bluegrass Gospel Song

and newly released single “Turning Acres Into Rows”

On 615 Hideaway Records

NASHVILLE, TN (March 23, 2026) – Bluegrass top male vocalist, David Parmley began his musical career at age 15 and by the time he turned 17, he began his full-time career as a member of the legendary Bluegrass Cardinals. That band featured his father, Don Parmley, and David’s lead and baritone voice was the backbone to the Bluegrass Cardinal sound.  During a 25-year period The Bluegrass Cardinals recorded 18 albums, and the material is considered the finest to come out of the 70’s and 80’s Bluegrass era. 

Stream the full album Here: https://sc.lnk.to/dp-CT.nt

David Parmley felt a tribute album would be appropriate to commemorate the 50 Year Anniversary of Bluegrass Cardinals’ Debut self-titled album released on March 23, 1976.  So, 50 years later to the exact date David Parmley is releasing Cardinal Tradition (Now & Then) tribute album on The 615 Hideaway Records.

“I’ve been thinking about doing a Cardinals tribute album for a long time and when the Bluegrass Cardinals were inducted into the IBMA Hall of Fame last year I thought this would be the perfect time to do the tribute album especially since it’s the 50^th Anniversary of the Cardinals debut album released in 1976.  Right from the beginning the Cardinals always wanted to have their own sound identity, even if we did a traditional song, we wanted to make it our own with the Cardinals’ style and sound.  The tribute album, Cardinal Tradition (Now & Then) certainly accomplishes this on all of the new original and fan favorite songs” – David Parmley

The ten-song tribute album contains five new original songs written by today’s top Bluegrass songwriters and performed in the Cardinal Tradition style.  “No Empty Chairs In Heaven” already released from the album written by Rick Lang and Jack Shannon went #1 on the Bluegrass Today Gospel Weekly Airplay Chart.   Just released is another new original song titled “Turning Acres Into Rows” written by Mark “Brink” Brinkman and David Stewart.  The tribute album also includes fan favorite songs performed in the same Cardinal tradition including “You Took All The Ramblin’ Out Of Me”, “Rolling Away”, Mountain Laurel”, “Wonder Where You Are Tonight” and “Back Away”.

Cardinal Tradition (Now & Then) is produced by David Parmley and Scott Vestal and was recorded at Digital Underground Recording Studio, Greenbrier, TN.  Performances on the album include David Parmley, Del McCoury, Larry Stevenson, Don Rigsby, Becky Issacs Bowman, Sonya Issacs, Rob McCoury, Ron McCoury, Jason Carter, Tim Crouch, Scott Vestal, Rob Ickes, Cody Kilby and many more.

TRACKS:

1. Turning Acres Into Rows

2. Wonder Where You Are Tonight

3. Old Blind Gentleman

4. Back Away

5. No Empty Chairs In Heaven

6. Mountain Music, Mountain Girls, Mountain Dew

7. Mountain Laurel

8. You Might Be The Only Bible

9. Rolling Away

10. You Took All The Ramblin’ Out Of Me

Cardinal Tradition (Now & Then) commercial digital album will be available on March 23^rd wherever digital downloads and streaming are available including iTunes and Amazon and streaming on Spotify, Pandora and more.  

Parmley was honored last fall at the IBMA Convention as co-founding member of the legendary Bluegrass group the Bluegrass Cardinals as they were inducted into to the IBMA “Hall of Fame” 

David Parmley was the featured cover story in the 2023 January issue of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine and is now touring throughout the United States on his Cardinals Tradition (Now & Then) Tour – 2026.

BIOGRAPHY:

Ask any bluegrass fan to list their top 5 singers and rhythm guitar players, and there’s a very strong likelihood David Parmley’s name will be on it. He is a masterful, nuanced, vocalist and interpreter of both traditional and contemporary bluegrass, and an industry mainstay over many decades. 

David was born in southern California, February 1^st, 1959, and raised on a musical diet of first-generation bluegrass. He developed an early interest in the artform and was singing perfect harmony parts by the age of 8. Under the guidance and encouragement of his father, journeyman banjoist, Don Parmley, David honed his skills, and co-founded his first professional band, the Bluegrass Cardinals, who released its first commercial recording, all before he was old enough to hold a valid driver’s license. By 1976 the Bluegrass Cardinals were well on their way to establishing their mark as a top-tier act and David’s emotive voice was attracting international acclaim. In their legendary career, the Bluegrass Cardinals released 18 full-length recordings considered the finest to come out of the 70’s and 80’s Bluegrass era and David collaborated on 2 successful solo projects. 

Musical talent in the extreme is often restless, needing room to grow, and so too was it for David. In the early 90’s David left the Cardinals to seek a new direction with wider commercial appeal yet retaining his musical heritage and roots. It took a couple of years to find the right combination, but when he did, David moved quickly to form Continental Divide, whose decidedly more contemporary debut project received rave reviews the moment it was released. During its successful 17-year run, Continental Divide released 8 additional projects, maintained a rigorous touring schedule, and acquired a legion of loyal fans. 

However, in 2012, David felt it was time to take some extended time off to scale back, take a long look at changes within the industry and maybe, just maybe rechart a new course. To keep his chops up and scratch his musical itch, he formed David Parmley & Cardinal Tradition that toured more for fun than career. The covid pandemic put an abrupt end to that endeavor, as it did for everyone. The good news is that it gave David more time to reflect on where, or if he wanted his career to go when the shutdown ended. 

In 2022 David was drawn back to the music he loves so much and signed with The 615 Hideaway Records label in Nashville Tennessee.  So, it was very appropriate that David Parmley’s new album was aptly titled, So, What’d I Miss?  Parmley hit the ground running with two back-to-back #1 hit singles “All Dressed Up” and “West Virginia” on the Bluegrass Today Weekly Airplay Chart.  In addition, four more charted hit singles were released and all six were bluegrass radio favorites including “Goodbye To The Blues, “What Makes You Think”, “I’ll Be here In The Morning”, “If You Can’t Feel It”.