
2024 Harmonica Workshop Faculty

Singer, songwriter, and performer, Rob Roy Parnell has been mixing rockin' blues, boogie woogie, R&B and soul for over thirty-five years playing for audiences throughout the United States. With harmonica in hand, he is recognized as one of America’s finest players.
At age 17 his brother Lee Roy www.leeroyparnell.com introduced Rob Roy Parnell to the harmonica. During the 1990s Parnell worked as a sidemen for Lee Roy traveling the United States playing with many great acts such as Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Vince Gill, Brooks and Dunn, Patty Loveless, Hal Ketchum, Travis Tritt, Martina McBride, Hank Williams Jr. just to name a few. Over the years Parnell has played all over the United States and was the first performer to play for the Armed Forces at camp delta at “Gitmo” Cuba. For 20 straight years he has played before the University of Texas and University of Oklahoma Red River Shoot Out game and has become part of this long standing tradition at America’s largest state fair.
He remains busy touring, songwriting and session work in the studio. One of his songs “Oughta Know” was cut and is on the Delbert McClinton and Glen Clark CD “ Blind Cripple and Crazy”. As stated by Texas Music Magazine “On stage, Rob Roy always delivers a winning and sterling set of roadhouse blues a la Delbert McClinton that travels through the range of Texas styles and modes with the assurance of a new crown prince of the scene."
Since 2005, Rob Roy has been part of the faculty at the Kerrville Folk Festival’s Harmonica Workshop serving as the musical director of the workshop. https://www.facebook.com/robroy.parnell.77

Born and bred in Macon, GA, Buddy Greene has been performing for audiences since the tender age of ten, but his first big break came when, as a young man, he landed a position in country superstar Jerry Reed’s band. As rhythm guitarist, singer, and harmonicist, Buddy’s four year stint with Reed proved to be the ideal apprenticeship that included appearing on numerous TV shows and recordings as well as touring extensively throughout the country.
Over the last 30+ years, Buddy has performed across America, made numerous trips abroad, and released twenty recording projects. His album Sojourner’s Song won the Gospel Music Association’s Dove award for Best Country Album, and he has received 9 other Dove award nominations. Through his long association with the Gaithers, he has become a favorite gospel performer, appearing often on the Gaither’s popular Homecoming video series.
Buddy has also made his mark as a songwriter. Besides the many self-penned songs of his own recordings, he co-wrote (along with Mark Lowry) the modern Christmas classic “Mary, Did You Know,” recorded by a host of major artists, including Kathy Mattea, Kenny Rogers and Wynonna, Natalie Cole, Clay Aiken, CeeLo Green, Rascal Flatts, Mary J Blige, and Pentatonix. Other songs of Buddy’s covered by major artists include “Recovering Pharisee” by Del McCoury, “Fall Down, Children” by The Whites, and “He Is”, a number one for gospel artist Ashley Cleveland.
Throughout his career, Buddy has steadily advanced as a harmonica player. He has played on the recordings of many outstanding artists, including Jerry Reed, the Gaithers, Riders in the Sky, Charlie Peacock, Bela Fleck, The Ojays, Sara Groves, Keith and Kristyn Getty, Sandi Patty, and Larnelle Harris, just to name a few. After hearing Buddy’s 2002 release “RUFUS”, legendary folk icon Doc Watson invited Buddy to join him onstage at the prestigious MerleFest roots music festival in 2003 and subsequent years. In 2009 he joined an auspicious lineup of Nashville virtuosos to help jazz bass legend Charlie Haden celebrate his country roots in the Grammy nominated recording and video project Rambling Boy. And with good friend and accordion maestro Jeff Taylor, Buddy has played engagements from the U.S. to Europe and beyond.

Nic Clark is a singer/songwriter and multi instrumentalist from Denver, CO. First gaining recognition as a world class harmonica player while in his early teens, Nic has since developed his own presence as a guitarist as well as a vocalist and songwriter. His early influences included artists like Taj Mahal, Jimmy Reed, Anders Osborne, and Billy Bragg.
His latest album “Everybody’s Buddy” was recently nominated for Best Emerging Artist Album at the 2024 Blues Music Awards.
Each song on this album is dedicated to a person or experience in Nic's life. Themes of overcoming depression, anxiety, and addiction are prevalent
throughout it. He recorded the album in the course of just three days in Greensboro, North Carolina with the help of guitar virtuoso/producer Charlie Hunter, and world-class drummer George Sluppick.
Nic has shared the stage with artists like Big Head Todd and The Monsters, Shovels and Rope, Ruthie Foster, Curtis Salgado, and Robert Cray.

A tasty harmonica accompanist & soloist, Michael D’Eath moved from his home in England to Texas as a teenager to pursue an entrepreneurial career in high technology. Twenty years later he chose harmonica as his primary instrument. Michael currently performs with Him & Her, a trio with his wife Brenda Freed (vocals and rhythm guitar) and Jonathan Lee (lead guitar). The Him & Her Trio focuses on performing, recording, songwriting, musical arrangement, and teaching, as well as having a good time with live audiences whether playing a club, house concert, small theater or festival. In addition to performing on three Him & Her albums, Michael was recording engineer for two of them.
Michael has studied privately with Austin legend, JB Henry, as well as with many world class instructors including Norton Buffalo, Gary Primich, Rob Roy Parnell, Peter “Madcat” Ruth, Joe Filisko, JimiLee, Will Scarlett, and Winslow Yerxa. He is an accomplished player in several musical styles on both diatonic and chromatic harmonicas and is a first call session player and sideman. He has performed harmonica on tracks for Marghi Allen, Farrell Droke, The Better Halves and Tracy Weinberg. Michael started performing with his wife, Brenda Freed, in 2000 and together they formed Texas Hot Flash, which won an Austin Music Award in 2005, and opened for the Charlie Daniels Band. Brenda and Michael formed Him & Her in 2005 and they have since played together, mostly as a trio or full band, throughout the Texas Hill Country, the U.S and Europe. www.himandhertx.com Their jazzy, bluesy, folksy combination of original and cover songs appeals to a wide variety of audiences. Michael is also a recording & sound engineer at the couple’s Moondance Recording Studios, and for live band performance and small festivals.