Nicki Parrott

Les Paul’s musician friends and entourage 6th of a series

Nicki Parrott

The first time Nicki Parrott (pronounced Parr-ott) played with Les’ trio on a permanent basis he asked her if she could sing. Nicki, a bit bemused, but being a good sport said she would give it a try. She did a very good job in her vocal debut. Then Les asked her to play a solo of her choice, which was so good she got a standing ovation! Born in Newcastle, Australia she moved to Sydney at the age of 17 to study at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music where she earned a Diploma in Jazz Studies. In 1994 she was awarded a grant from the Arts Council (Australia), using it to study with the renowned bassist Rufus Reid. In the same year she moved to New York honing her bass skills at local nightspots and toured Europe sporadically. Her father, a long-time Les Paul fan, for years told her about the great guitarist and inventor but she never dreamed she’d be playing with his trio. In May of this year Les invited her trio (guitarists Dave Spinozza & John Tropea), to sit in for a few tunes. Then on June 26th Nicki became a permanent member of Les Paul & His Trio. Ms. Parrott says she is so impressed with the sound Les gets from his guitar, (after all it is The Les Paul Sound), his sense of humor, and the stories he tells of his friends, and celebrities he has worked with in the past. He is a great entertainer who has had an amazing career which is still in progress. When you listen quietly to Nicki’s solos, and observe her stage presence you will agree that this lady from Down Under is on the right track to having her own amazing career.