Parker Lundgren’s biography, net worth, fact, career, awards and life story

Intro American guitarist
Is Musician 
Guitarist 
From United States of America 
Type Music 
Gender male
Birth 26 December 1986, Port Townsend, Jefferson County, Washington, U.S.A.
Age: 33 years

Parker Lundgren (born December 28, 1986) is an American guitarist, best known for being in the progressive metal band Queensrÿche, which he joined in 2009.

Career

Lundgren was born in a musical family to Julie Clouse and Scott Lundgren in Port Townsend, Washington, where he also grew up. He started playing acoustic guitar, but later switched to jazz guitar, taking both lessons and working through guitar books. Since all his friends played guitar, he always was in three or four bands, including the Port Townsend High School Jazz Band and the rock band The Nihilists, which he co-founded and played with for six years. He names Django Reinhardt as a major influence in the jazz genre, and as a fan of Chris DeGarmo, he was learning Queensrÿche songs in high school. After graduation, Lundgren moved to Seattle to build a career in music, where he played in the punk group Sledgeback. In the summer of 2008, Lundgren also joined the touring band of Geoff Tate’s solo project, while dating Tate’s stepdaughter Miranda Tate. During that time, he had already become friends with the members of Tate’s band Queensrÿche.

Queensrÿche

A falling out between Queensrÿche and their then-guitarist Mike Stone opened up the position of guitarist in Queensrÿche. Lundgren became Stone’s replacement, aided by the fact that he already knew most of their material. Lundgren was tipped that the upcoming tour would consist of the albums American Soldier, Rage for Order and Empire, which he learned before auditioning with Queensrÿche’s lead guitarist, Michael Wilton. Wilton was surprised that Lundgren knew the whole set, and possibly also relieved he wouldn’t have to teach the new guitarist all the parts.

Because of his new appointment with Queensrÿche, Lundgren left Sledgeback in February 2009. On July 18, he married Miranda Tate, but they divorced about six months later. In concert, Lundgren plays the original guitar solos by Wilton and original lead guitarist Chris DeGarmo note for note. It was suggested he do so by Wilton, because Kelly Gray and Stone (his predecessors replacing DeGarmo) had their own solos, to the fans’ displeasure.

Internal struggles between Tate and the other band members led to Tate being expelled from the band in June 2012. Lundgren was aware of creative differences about the little things, but did not know there were serious problems, explaining: “I just wanted to be there and do a good job. Whatever they had going on, it was all behind closed doors. (…) I just kinda tried to stay out of it.” He only got the details after the court documents became public. Queensrÿche continued with a new vocalist, Todd La Torre, while Lundgren (not one of the founding members) was free to choose whether or not he wanted to stay in the band. Guitarist Wilton praised Lundgren for being wise and making “a good decision” to stay. This is why in 2013, Lundgren was actively involved in the writing process for the album Queensrÿche, writing the song “Where Dreams Go to Die” and writing a guitar solo for “Don’t Look Back”. According to Wilton, it was because the band members told him: “you’re in a different situation now. In the last situation you weren’t allowed to write, you were just a hired guy, you were just a player who had no say in any matter. This is completely different, you are part of the band, you are a writer, you can sing, you can do anything – we want you to just go for it. Show us what you’ve got.” He is appreciated for his drive to be “ever growing as a musician” and that “he has different influences than everybody else, which makes him a unique character in the creative process.”

Lundgren also teaches guitar to students.

Discography

Sledgeback

  • People’s Choice (2004)
  • Perception Becomes Reality (2006)

Queensrÿche

  • Dedicated to Chaos (2011)
  • Queensrÿche (2013)
  • Condition Hüman (2015)
You May Also Like

Jeff Skilling’s net worth, biography, fact, career, awards and life story

Jeff Skilling Net Worth and salary: Jeff Skilling is a former CEO of the Enron Corporation who has a net worth of $500 thousand. Born November 25, 1953 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Skilling was convicted in 2006 of multiple federal felony charges related to Enron’s financial collapse. He is serving 14 years of a 24-year, four-month prison sentence, with a projected release date of February 21, 2019. He was indicted on 35 counts of fraud, insider trading and other crimes relating to the Enron scandal and surrendered to the FBI on February 19, 2004. The trial began on January 30, 2006 and Skilling proceeded to be known for his harsh attitude and arrogance, even losing his temper on the witness stand at the trial. In addition to the prison sentence, Skilling was fined $45 million. A mere drop in the bucket compared to the billions lost by thousands of Enron investors. As a younger man, Skilling received a full scholarship to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas where he initially studied engineering before changing his studies to business. After graduation, he worked for a Houston Bank which sent him to Harvard Business School, where he earned his MBA, graduating in the top 5% of his class as a Baker Scholar. He became a consultant for McKinsey & Company and became one of their youngest partners. He had a daughter and two sons (ages 22, 20 and 16 at the time of his conviction) during his first marriage, which ended in 1997. His youngest son, John Taylor (JT) was found dead in his Santa Ana, California apartment on February 3, 2011 in what police called the result of a drug overdose. At the peak of his career, Skilling was one of the highest paid CEOs in the world. Between February 2000 and February 2001, Skilling earned over $130 million in salary and bonuses. One month after quitting Enron, Skilling sold $60 million worth of Enron stock. Skilling reportedly spent $70 million defending himself in dozens of costly lawsuits and appeals. A large portion of that money, nearly $23 million, was simply used as a retainer for his team of defense lawyers. In May 2013, Skilling agreed to finally pay the $45 million in restitution he owed to victims. One month later, a judge agreed to reduce his sentence from 24 years to 14 years. That means he could be eligible for release as early as 2017.
Read More