Born in Durham, North Carolina, Abby Parks developed an early interest in music by listening to the records her music-loving parents often played by legends such as Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, The Beatles, and Emmylou Harris. And she turned her ears to the radio where popular music of the seventies and eighties made a deep and lasting impression on her. A German classical guitar found its way into her hands at an early age, and another facet of her passion - writing poems and short stories - began to blossom. "My love of singing came first," Parks recalls. "My love of music was almost an obsession, and then the guitar...I love the instrument." The guitar prompted Parks' intensity to songwriter.
In her high school years, Abby Parks was further inspired by noted classical guitarist John Michael Talbot. Acknowledging that formal training could help her turn her music dreams into a career reality, Parks studied avidly at Colorado Christian and Jacksonville State Universities. She majored in classical guitar, with four years of study under highly respected professor Dr. Ken Johnson. Other studies included private training in composition, piano, and voice. She also enrolled in creative writing courses during high school and college, and achieved Bachelor's degrees in music performance and English.
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