In 2010, country band Parmalee experienced a robbery that changed the course of their career — and nearly ended their drummer’s life.
Members Matt Thomas, Scott Thomas, Barry Knox and Josh McSwain recently sat down with Us Weekly to recount the terrifying night and shared how it’s pushed them to be better than ever.
The band had just wrapped up a 2010 gig in South Carolina when the night took a turn for the worse. “Barry and Josh were in the club, and I get a knock on the door thinking it’s Barry and Josh, but it’s two guys in bandanas with a gun to my head,” vocalist Matt told Us.
The group was packing up their RV when Matt was approached by who he believed to be his band members. Instead, he found himself face to face with armed robbers Dytavis Hinton and Demorrio Burris.
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Matt immediately called for help from his brother Scott, the band’s drummer and a licensed concealed carrier. “There was a gunfight in the RV, and he took care of both the guys,” Matt shared. Burris was killed during the exchange, and Hinton was later arrested and charged.
Scott, meanwhile, didn’t make it out of the gunfight unscathed — he was shot three times and nearly lost his life. “[He] almost died in the RV, had a 5 percent chance to live and had to be airlifted,” Matt recalled. Scott spent 40 days in the hospital, 10 of which were spent in a coma.
“We were playing a show on a Monday night in a small club just to rehearse, to get our chops up,” Matt shared, explaining that the group was incredibly close to a record deal after 10 years in the industry. “We had this opportunity on the horizon, and then these guys just completely derailed the whole ship.”
Despite it all, they all stepped in to help Scott with rehab. Upon waking up from his coma, the first words he spoke were, “We ain’t playing no more s***ty clubs.” He was later discharged from the hospital, and the group found themselves more motivated than ever. “Four months later, [we] came to Nashville and got us a record deal,” said Matt. “We never had a one- up. We never had a leg up.”
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“Just the hope of getting that record deal kept us going and motivated,” added Scott.
The members all share a blue-collar background, and it’s reflected in their work ethic. The group has also received support from multiple family members, including Scott and Matt’s mother, who took out a second mortgage to help them pay their studio staff.
Their 2013 release “Carolina” hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, and the members agree that feat wouldn’t have been possible without the support of those around them. “It made it all worth us for the first time,” guitarist McSwain admitted.
To date, Parmalee has amassed over 2.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Even amid their success, they’ve always been true to their humble beginnings and have emphasized the role that networking has played in their journey. They’ve had encounters with some of the industry’s biggest stars over the years as a result.
“Morgan Wallen slept on our couch when he was coming up,” Matt revealed to Us, adding that he’s also hosted the likes of Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll over the years. “All these people that are coming up now, I’ve seen them kind of come through. You find your people, but you got to get out there and mingle.”
The group has encountered many setbacks throughout their career, but they believe staying focused on their goals ultimately helped them get to where they are today. “We just didn’t give up. We had a goal. We knew what we wanted to do. We didn’t let things get in our way,” said Scott.
Parmalee is fresh off a 2024 tour with Kane Brown, and as they celebrate the Friday, April 4, release of their new album, Fell in Love With a Cowgirl, they want fans to know how grateful they are for the endless support. “We’re so thankful to be here, that they give us an opportunity to do what we’ve always dreamt of doing,” Matt shared with Us.
Scott heartily agreed, adding, “The fans are what it’s all about, and we appreciate all of it.”
Parmalee’s new album, Fell in Love With a Cowgirl, is out now.
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