Dakota Ray Parker

Dakota grew up in Hillsboro, Kentucky exploring the mountains, playing in the creeks and living in a land of true freedom. Goats, pigs, packs of dogs, you name it. But here and there, times were tough, back and forth to foster homes, alcoholism and poverty. “The feeling of being housed with strangers as a kid…you'll grow up real quick…and its lonely” Parker says. But everything seemed to change when his parents got him a guitar in 2011, lifting him out of reality into a new world where Parker learned to channel what he felt, a world that felt like home.

His first songs were inspired by the local bluegrass players, 1990s country and southern gospel. At the age of 18, after his mothers passing, Dakota was offered a job in Indiana at an RV repair business. With one hour to decide, off he went with $40 in his pocket. Job after job, factory after factory, Dakota did not feel like he found his place. In 2023, Parker quit his job to go all-in on music. “Only thing that gave me a sense of importance as a kid, was music…so thats what I'm gonna do.” Parker says.

His first single, “Rebel on the Run,” quickly made waves and received radio airplay internationally. Two EPs, “Kentucky Gap” and “Higher Ground,” painted pictures of his turbulent upbringing while developing his identity as an up-and-coming Americana artist. His songs range from hauntingly empty to pulsing arrangements. With his Appalachian drawl and conviction for emotional honesty in songwriting, Parker plays in a way that honors the local musicians and the upbringing that made him. Now living in north central Indiana and raising a family of his own, he continues to tour around Indiana. Now in 2025, Parker plans to release his first debut album.