The video for Parmalee‘s latest single, “Gonna Love You,” is out now, detailing one of the darkest times in the band’s history. It was in 2010 when the then-rising act was involved in a tragic armed robbery, resulting in the death of one of the assailants, and Scott Thomas, brother of lead singer Matthew Thomas, nearly losing his life, after he was shot in the stomach, chest and through an artery.
Parmalee had just played a gig, making only $15 that night, although they felt hopeful because they had just written a new song, “Carolina,” which they felt certain would be their ticket to success as a country music band.
Scott, who was given a five percent chance of survival, miraculously lived, against all odds.
“They stepped into the RV screaming, ‘Give me the cash,'” Matt recalls to CMT. “I said, ‘I don’t have any cash. I don’t have any cash.'”
It was Scott who had a gun and fired, killing one of the robbers and wounding the other.
“I walked up to him, and a gunfight ensued,” Scott says. “He was shooting at me, and then I was shooting, trying to get both guys.”
Scott was in a coma for ten days, and in the hospital for 40. Although his chances were grim, he walked out of the hospital, and went to a showcase for Broken Bow Records, where Parmalee landed a record deal.
“I mean, it’s the end of the world,” Scott concedes. “We’re never going to play again. I might not be able to walk again. I might not even live. So that just tells you how things can turn around.”
“That is our story,” he adds. “That’s the story you’re hearing — what we’ve been through and sticking it out. Same four guys, too, not nobody else in the band.”
Although Parmalee hasn’t shied away from talking about their story, they haven’t depicted it in a video, until “Gonna Love You.” The song is from their For You 2 album, out now.
“We felt like this was the right song and the right time to tell this story,” Scott says in a statement. “It was emotional and surreal for all of us to relive that experience, but we knew it was time.”
The end of the video shows actual footage of Scott in the hospital.
“That night, the doctors told Matt, Barry and Josh that Scott had a five percent chance of living,” Parmalee shares at the end of the video. “Scott spent ten days in a coma, had three life saving surgeries, and spent 40 days in the hospital with the band by his side. Four months later Parmalee made it back to Nashville and got a record deal.”
Parmalee has several headlining shows on the calendar for the remainder of the year. They will join Kane Brown in 2024 for his In The Air Tour. Find music and tour dates at ParmaleeMusic.com.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Broken Bow Records / Alysse Gafkjen