The Seminoles, Timuquans, Creeks and other native Floridians harvested and stewed the heart of the Sabal palm tree to create a rustic delicacy called swamp cabbage. Rarely served today save for in pine-paneled hunting lodges and fish camps, swamp cabbage still lingers as a vestige of the “real” Florida. As an inspirational archetype the name Swamp Cabbage was chosen to remind listeners where the music comes from and that it is a musical concoction of southern rock, blues, soul, Dixieland jazz and Appalachian.
Swamp Cabbage extracts as much music as possible from guitar and drums. The songs are built around gnarly unique southern- rock sounding riffs yet the rhythms derive from blues, soul and funk. The verses, choruses and bridges are threaded together by jazz and classical harmonic concepts that employ Parks’ musical training in those genres. In contrast the lyrics of the tunes are far less serious. Listen closely and take a satirical travelogue through Parks’ colorful northeast Florida upbringing replete with tales of door-to-door evangelism and living off the grid. In concert, Parks, a storyteller of sorts, challenges himself to spin comedic falsehoods of preparation for songs that follow. Every show is unique.
Walter's electric guitar style is a mélange of Scott Joplin's ragtime and Jerry Reed's bayou pickin and Jagoda drums sound like he's leadin' a New Orleans funeral parade. Swamp Cabbage has recorded 5 CDs – the self released debut "Honk" in 2006, "Squeal" released in 2008 on the ZOHO Roots label and live endeavor recorded in New York entitled "Live On The In Tune" in 2010, "Drum Roll Please" in 2012, re-envisioned, re-imagined and re-swamped 70s classics, presented in a way that only the raspy singin’ combo of fatback blues and trailer park funk can dish out, and their latest, yet to be released, "Jive".
Swamp Cabbage's song "American Guns Theme Song" derived from "Tallahassee" off their 2004 release HONK is used as the theme song to the new 2011 Discovery Channel reality show "American Guns".
Veteran blues guitarist Walter Parks has built an international career as the lead guitarist for Woodstock legend Richie Havens, half of the folk-duo the Nudes, and leader of the southern swamp-blues group Swamp Cabbage. After thirty years in the music industry, he marked his debut as a solo artist with the release of his self-titled album in December 2011. Inspired by the swampy gospel blues that wails from storefront churches and roadhouses in and around the southeast Georgia low country, Parks’ album is full of boot-stomping, guitar-strumming tunes that explore matters of the soul and spirit, built upon a foundation of jazz and folk. In addition to his recent solo effort, Parks remains the driving force behind Swamp Cabbage, the group he formed in 2001 as a means of exploring his southern musical influences.