A Bassist Seeks Birdies
A Bassist Seeks Birdies
Barry Knox of the award-winning country music band Parmalee on his love for disc golf
When he's not on stage with his bass guitar, musician Barry Knox (left) of Parmalee can be found out on the disc golf course. Photo: Parmalee Music.
Let’s face it: Even with disc golf’s rapid growth over the past decade and all of the new sponsorship deals and increased tournament purses that have come with it, most disc golfers need to keep some sort of day job. These run the gamut from pizza delivery driver to emergency room doctor and everything in-between and, as we've recently come to find out, there are even some bonafide celebrities among our ranks. Fans of the sport were thrilled when Game of Thrones co-stars Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson and Kristofer Hijvu began challenging each other — not for the Iron Throne, but for disc golf supremacy. And, more recently, tennis legend Andre Agassi made waves when he was spotted throwing discs around Peccole Ranch DGC in Las Vegas.
In addition to stars who have gotten into the sport, there is a small, but notable, group of disc golfers that have gone on to become stars themselves off the course. Included here are the likes of Ben Askren, who finished second in the 2012 United States Amateur Disc Golf Championships and enjoyed a successful career in mixed martial arts.
Barry Knox also belongs in this group.
Before he became bassist for the award-winning country music band Parmalee and started touring the world, Knox was a dedicated disc golfer with a passion for improving his game. And even though his music career has limited the time he has to chase birdies on the disc golf course, he has recently found more time to get out to the course and rekindle his love for the game.
I was fortunate to have an opportunity to speak with Knox from his home in Nashville, Tennessee, where he was hunkered down with his family, waiting out the coronavirus and dreaming of returning to the stage — and to the links.
Matt Rothstein: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us, Barry. Could you tell us a little about your involvement with disc golf?
Barry Knox: I used to play literally every single day for many years back in Greenville, North Carolina, when I was in college. It was just the thing to do. Once I started having some success in the music industry, I didn’t have the time to really enjoy it like I used to. But I’d say about five years ago, when we were touring, the flow was good and we had a crew and I started having a little bit more time during the day to do things that I wanted, so I started getting back into the sport. I brought my old discs back out and took them on the road with me and just started visiting different courses around the country. And here lately I’ve been able to get a lot more in, and I’ve just been loving it and enjoying it.
MR: For those who aren’t familiar with Parmalee, could you tell us about the band?
BK: The band started in North Carolina. There’s two brothers in the band and I’m their first cousin. Matt and Scott Thomas are brothers; I’m their cousin. We formed Parmalee back in 2001 as a cover band and just played shows regionally in the North Carolina area. After about 10 years of touring North and South Carolina, we ended up getting some recognition from some people in Nashville, Tennessee. So we moved there and started writing songs and ended up getting a record deal in Nashville. That was about ten years ago. From that point on we’ve had some great success. We’ve had a number one country single. We’ve had a top five, a top 10, and several top 40 hits over the last 10 years. We tour at least 100 shows per year, and we’ve done up to 150 shows in one year.
Parmalee is all smiles after their half-time show during the Texans - Patriots primetime game on December 1, 2019. Photo: Parmalee Music.
MR: Did you have any idea back when the band was getting started that you were embarking on a career as a professional musician?
BK: Our dream was to be able to do what we loved to do for a living. There’s no doubt. When we were just starting the band we were making a little bit of money playing cover songs and doing frat parties, things like that. But once we wrote the first song as a band we knew that we had something that was different than the other guys out there. We all just kind of sat down and asked each other if we wanted to pursue this and write our own songs and really give it our all. All four of us wanted it. We all worked jobs so we could go out and play on the weekends. It took a lot of dedication because [early on] we were doing cover songs and playing frat parties – they had plenty of money to give us because we were playing stuff that they knew. But once you start playing your own music, you get paid by ticket sales. And we didn’t really sell any tickets. We went from making money playing covers to making no money playing our original stuff, so we all had to keep our jobs and it required a great deal of dedication.
MR: How did you first get introduced to disc golf?
BK: A friend of mine, Brad Ramsey, was the one who turned me on to the sport, and I fell in love with it immediately. I’ve always been a sports guy. I played baseball growing up, BMX, skateboarding. Anything I could do, I loved it. When I found Frisbee golf I just fell in love. There was a course right there on the campus at ECU and it was about a mile from my house. So it was really easy to get there, and I met a lot of good friends at the course. Played some tournaments there, as well, and just loved it.
MR: What was your favorite disc back then?
BK: Definitely a Leopard. I loved it because I could control it really well. There were a few long holes on that course where the tee was in the woods and it opened up to a big field, and I could use that Leopard to get out of the woods and sit it down and roll it. That’s when I fell in love with that thing.
MR: Can you tell us about your experience playing tournaments?
BK: They held tournaments at our course — doubles tournaments and singles tournaments. My most memorable moment was when I won the elite singles tournament in 1998. I got the trophy disc. Joe Weldon was one of the players there. He and I actually tied at 11-under. We had to shoot closest to the pin. He laid his disc down there — I mean it was just the perfect toss. I actually threw a Leopard — I’ll never forget this shot — I threw the Leopard up and it kind of zoomed in and slid about one inch past his. We were both probably less than a foot to the pin, and I got him by about one inch. So I took that tournament — it was the only tournament I ever won.
If I could feel a little more confident in my game, I’d want to enter some more tournaments coming up pretty soon. Normally it’s just playing on the road and playing when I have the time. I’m not home much in Nashville, but I do know that they have some big tournaments every year. I’d like to start entering some more tournaments, that’s for sure.
Barry Knox reaches for the chains and a little bit of rest and relaxation from the hustle of a national music tour. Photo: @theekjshow | Instagram
MR: How much work did you put into your game in the early days?
BK: It was every day. Sometimes I went out twice a day, multiple rounds. I used to work a lot on putting, but my midrange game was always what either saved me or killed me. Looking back, I probably should have put more time and effort into my midrange game. My putting got pretty good. They had a little pin at the beginning of the course and you could sit out there and putt, and so that’s what I did.
MR: What does your disc golf routine look like when you’re on the road now?
BK: I use the UDisc app to look up what’s around and check out the reviews. For the most part, I’ll just go to the closest one — unless there are several in that particular area. A lot of the places we go, it could be a 20 or 30-minute drive.
On the road, I’m just playing solo. I’m the only one on the crew that plays at this point. I used to have some crew guys that played, and there’s a new crew guy that plays, but our schedule is kind of weird. When he’s setting up for the production, that’s my time when I’m able to play, so we don’t really get to play together. Right now, it’s just me.
We travel with anywhere from 10 to 12 people on the bus, so being able to get away every now and again is a nice thing.
MR: Have you had the opportunity to turn anyone else on to the sport?
BK: I’ve turned my wife on to disc golf. She loves it. And I’m actually going to see my parents in the next couple of weeks and they have a course near their house in North Carolina, and they’ve been interested in playing. So I’ll be teaching them soon.
MR: What are some things you would want people to know about disc golf?
BK: I would let them know it’s a good time. It’s fun. You get to walk a lot, so it’s healthy. And it’s not as hard as people think. I say that if you want to pick it up, you should stick with it and practice, because once you start practicing and get good enough to hit those crazy money shots, there’s just nothing like it. Not a feeling like it.
MR: What is more difficult to master: the bass guitar or disc golf?
BK: Disc golf, for sure! [Laughs]
Comments
Interesting and nice article
Interesting and nice article off big tournaments and the great names in the sport - thx.
When reading the headline I thought, Barry and his band would have composed a disc golf song.
OK, I see I have to rely on this one :-) :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azaKs-Y5T8k