Special Thanks It has been quite a privilege to meet so many nice people at all of the places that I have been allowed to perform over the last few years. What a gift it is to have met so many new friends. Also a very special thank you to all of the folks throughout the country who have purchased my CD’s. They have shared so many kind words regarding my music and what it has brought to them. I am truly honored. About J If you like authentic Cowboy and old time Country music then J Parson is the man. He grew up in Bakersfield , CA. and has worked in the ranching business for most of his life. At various times he has run cattle from the Carrizzo Plains to the Mojave Desert . He also raises quality ranch horses and has been involved in the farming business in the San Joaquin Valley. J splits his time now between his ranch in California and his farm in southeast Kansas . Growing up in Bakersfield with the radio playing the likes of Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Marty Robbins, and Waylon Jennings, J had little choice but to develop a lifelong love for both Western and Country Music. He draws on both his own experiences of life on the ranch and his deep respect of the all time greats to create a sound that has been widely appreciated throughout the West. Whether he is performing traditional Cowboy standards, good old honky tonk tunes, or songs that are all his own, his listeners not only hear the music, they feel it. J likes to say, "I may not play strictly Cowboy Music, but I play music that Cowboys like to listen to." For many years J played music occasionally at small gatherings, family functions, after brandings, or with a few friends. Somewhere along the line his friends and family convinced him that he should start playing to larger audiences and everyone is sure glad that he has. J has been a featured performer at many events throughout the country including the prestigious Cowboy Gathering in Elko , NV , the Salinas Rodeo, and the Cowpoke Festival in Loomis , CA . His performances have taken him to many states including Texas , Tennessee , Kansas , New Mexico , Wyoming , and many others. J can be seen each week on the RFD TV network program "Cowboy Flavor" where he provides the music while his friends Billy and Sue Ruiz prepare fantastic cowboy meals. He has also appeared at several events with his good friend nationally recognized horseman Chris Cox. Cattleman, horseman, and musician J not only sings about the west he lives it. Whether you hear him perform in person or listen to him on his CD's one thing is for sure you will find his music easy to appreciate. "It's the real thing and I plan on keeping that way." J Parson - Cattleman Finds New Role as Voice of the West J Parson draws on a life time of experience when he writes a song.  He has farmed in the San Joaquin Valley of California, and run cattle from the Carizzo Plains to the Mojave Desert.  He has made a living in ranching and farming and draws on his real life experiences to craft his music.  J still runs a sizable commercial cow herd and also raises a number of ranch horses in California and splits his time between there and his farm near Girard, Kansas.  While the ranching business continues J has found that through his music he has been able to communicate his experiences to new audiences.  "I have surprised quite a few old friends with my singing.  They had no idea that I could sing and that folks would actually like it.  It's always fun to watch their expression of total surprise when they watch me perform." J was like a lot of other would be musicians back a few years ago.  There were a few people who had heard him sing a song at maybe a wedding, after a branding, or possibly at some small gathering of friends and family and told him he really ought to do something with that talent.  But ever the practical rancher J kept his focus on his business.  "Now a question that I hear a lot is where in the world did you learn to sing like that?  And I tell them holding on to the steering wheel of my pickup and singing along with the radio."   Growing up in Bakersfield , California provided a great setting for a young person to have a built in country music background.  "Buck Owens and Merle Haggard hit it big in the sixties when I was just a kid and at the time I never thought about how important that really was.  But even now wherever I perform when people hear that I'm from Bakersfield folks of all ages always say how much they like those guys and the Bakersfield sound.  Buck and Merle aren't exactly what you would think of as cowboy singers but the stories they tell in their songs and the passion that can be heard have a great similarity to what is important in a good cowboy song."  Other big influences on J were Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Bobby Bare, and of course Marty Robbins.  "I don't think anybody has ever done a cowboy song any better than Marty Robbins." Songwriting as well as performing has become a real passion for J in recent years.  With his cowboy lifestyle coupled with the old country sound, he creates songs that reflect his own stories as well as the experiences of others.  "I like to say I don't just sing cowboy songs but I sing songs cowboys like to listen to.  Most of what I write is about real life situations that are part of the current time in which we live because that's what I know.  To qualify as a cowboy song doesn't mean that the topic of the song has to be about something that happened a hundred years ago.  Those old songs were written about current events that happened at that time.  I love those old songs and I sing them all the time but there are a ton of folks out there that are living the cowboy life right now.  They have important things that are happening to them right now.  It's only natural that their stories be recorded in song."       Although J started rather late in life when it comes to performing for audiences he is making up for lost time in a big hurry.  He has performed throughout the west including California, Washington, Wyoming, Nevada, New Mexico, Kansas, Texas, and recently at the big Road to the Horse Competition in Tennessee.  He was a featured performer at the 2007 Cowboy Gathering in Elko, Nevada and received great reviews.  He can be seen each week performing music on the RFD TV network show "Cowboy Flavor" while his friends Billy and Sue Ruiz demonstrate their outdoor cooking expertise.  He was also recently featured by his good friend Chris Cox on his RFD show.  He has appeared at several of Chris' horsemanship tour stops around the country.  "These people are my friends and the opportunity that they have given me is unbelievable.  I will forever be thankful for their generosity and proud of their friendship." "There is nothing else that I have found that is as gratifying as watching an audience respond to the music that I have to offer while I am performing.  To watch their faces and their eyes and see that I am having a positive impact is so rewarding I don't know how I got along without it for so long.  Recently a fellow who had obviously been around came up to me after a performance and told me 'You are the voice of the west.'  That is such a fine compliment and I'd like to think for just a while he was right."                      Promotional Photographs Click photo below to download hi-resolution version.

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