Obadiah Parker

Obadiah Parker is a viral phenomenon.

Mat Weddle and his version of ‘Hey Ya’ has been viewed over 3 million times on YouTube, not counting all the other video websites.

The performance was recorded at a local open mic night, morphed with the original Outkast video and uploaded on YouTube by a friend. The song has since been playlisted at stations across the US and internationally, André 3000, who performed the original has made positive comments about Weddle's version and in January 2008, coverage from Howard Stern Show fuelled the viral activity.

Today, as a solo artist, he’s found a producer in Nashville and has set up a fundraising project (The Elihu Project) where for $10, you get full video access to the recording and production process. Members also get exclusive tracks and will help him launch his debut, solo album. All the money raised will be used to cover recording expenses.

The Tip Jar, Volume 1, released December 1st exclusively on iTunes, is an acoustic set of five inspiring songs, including Coldplay’s ‘Trouble’ & Al Green’s ‘Let’s Stay Together’ and will raise funds for The Elihu Project.