Charlie Parr

Born in 1967 in Austin, Minnesota, guitarist and singer Charlie Parr has developed an acoustic blues rooted in the American rural tradition and the Duluth folk scene, where he later settled. Working within a country-blues and folk idiom, Parr relies on fingerpicking and slide guitar, often performing solo, for songs that mix original compositions with versions of older standards; his lyrics focus on everyday life, society’s margins and the landscapes of the Midwest. Active on record since the early 2000s, he has built a steady, coherent discography that has gradually moved from small independent releases to labels specializing in roots music. Albums such as “Stumpjumper” (2015), “Dog” (2017), “Charlie Parr” (2019), “Last of the Better Days Ahead” (2021) and “Little Sun” (2024) place him in a register where traditional blues, contemporary folk and a very stripped-down recording approach respond to one another. On stage, Parr favors intimate formats — clubs or small venues — sometimes accompanied by a minimal rhythm section, and performs across folk and blues networks and festivals dedicated to independent American music.