Parmalee Shouldn’t Have To Talk About It Any Longer

Parmalee recreated the shooting that left drummer Scott Thomas fighting for his life in their music video for “Gonna Love You.”

Quietly, they have to be hoping it stops all questions about the most difficult night of their lives. They said as much during a visit with Taste of Country.

• On Sept. 21, 2010, two armed men forced their way into the band’s RV after a concert.
• Scott Thomas exchanged gunfire with the men, killing one and wounding the other.
• He was airlifted to a nearby hospital and spent 40 days there before being sent home.

The event happened in Rock Hill, N.C., 14 years ago. Thomas — then 37 years old — was in a coma for 10 days and spent nearly six weeks in the hospital. Soon after, the group signed a record deal, and in July 2012, they dropped their first Top 40 single, “Musta Had a Good Time.”

Six Top 5 singles later (including two of their last three that hit No. 1) and the shooting is still top line material in interviews. In some ways it’s understandable, because despite their success, they’ve still not shed a newcomer’s identity.

But still … 14 years!

“We never tried to write the song for that. We didn’t really want to,” singer Matt Thomas explains during a visit with Taste of Country Nights.

Ironically, filming the video was difficult for everyone except for Scott Thomas, who remembers much less than his bandmates from the actual day. Over the years, they have collectively formed a sort of script to get through conversations with inquiring fans, media members etc …

“But it was so hard for us to talk about over the years,” Barry Knox shares.

As “Gonna Love You” approaches No. 1, the song’s music video will also reach its peak, which is great news for longtime fans hoping to know more about this foursome. In just 15 minutes at the Taste of Country studio, host Evan Paul pulled several good stories out of ’em, like who had a CD folder filled with Dixie Chicks (as they were known) albums growing up and why Scott’s opinion on potential singles is worth more than anyone else’s.

A topic that deserves more attention is how Parmalee is constantly snubbed at awards shows. No other group has multiple No. 1 hits over the last five years, but they still have as many nominations as you and I do.

Don’t be shy, ask about it. Heck, Knox even showed up at CMA Radio Row with a tank top that read “SNUBBED.”

What happened after the shooting is still compelling.

“It really was something that we went through together, but also when that happened, we saw the support we had from fans and family and friends. It was like ‘Whoa, we’re doing something right here,” Josh McSwain shares.

“For somebody who wants to know what happened, now we have the video,” Thomas adds, “it’s like, ‘Go watch the video and then you’ll know,’ because it’s pretty spot on to what happened that night. It really is.”