Dakota Ray Parker

Dakota Ray Parker made waves in 2024. The Kentucky native found a hit in “Rebel on the Run,”  a tale of desert trips and soul-searching, which amassed over a million streams and was played internationally by independent radio stations. He quit his day job, started booking shows and began to play across the Midwest.

Now located in north central Indiana, Parker has been consistently releasing new music ever since. Extended plays “Kentucky Gap” and “Higher Ground,” along with single “Fate of Mary Kate” and video single “Dyin’ to Get High” capture the range of his songwriting styles and vocal capabilities. There’s a murder ballad, love song, bluesy tale of infidelity and, in many cases, stories of his often chaotic (but crucial) upbringing in the hollers of eastern Kentucky.

“When I write, I gravitate more towards mortality, my world view and loss,” Parker says. “I also love writing in a metaphorical sense. I’m naturally a rebel. I don’t fit into any category or division, so my writing reflects that.”

With an Appalachian drawl and influences like Avett Brothers, Tracey Chapman and Hank Williams Sr., Dakota Ray Parker brings a blend of folk, alt-country and Americana that honors the local bluegrass heroes and southern Gospel on which his parents raised him.