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Guitarist for Ralph Dinosaur killed
Parnell stopped to help injured cat on U.S. 160
Herald Staff Writer
Photo by Courtesy of Ben Simpson
Michael Parnell performs at the Henry Strater Theatre in December 2007. Parnell was killed Saturday in an accident on U.S. Highway 160 near Three Springs Boulevard.
Parnell, 38, was on his way home about 9:15 p.m. Saturday when he stopped his Subaru Outback on the shoulder just east of the intersection with Three Springs Boulevard.
Parnell, wearing dark clothing, is believed to have walked onto the highway to attend a possibly injured or dead cat when he was struck by an eastbound Dodge pickup, State Patrol Trooper Jonathan Silver said.
Friends, family and band members were stunned by news of his death Monday and spoke of him as someone well-known in the local music scene as a formidable talent.
"He was a world-class, fantastic guitarist, and he worked incredibly hard at it," said drummer Ben Simpson, a longtime friend and former member of Ralph Dinosaur.
Silver said the driver of the pickup was focused on the Outback's hazard lights and did not see Parnell in the darkened road. No charges were filed in the accident.
Silver said the chain of events appeared to have started with a dead mouse, which attracted the cat to the highway before being struck itself. Silver said it wasn't clear if Parnell, who was driving home with take-out food, struck the cat or came upon it after it had been hit.
People who knew him said it was not surprising that Parnell, a diehard animal lover, would stop to aid the cat or at least prevent it from being further crushed.
"He loved animals, and he had a heart of gold," said Mary Parnell, his mother.
Parnell, whose father, Charles Parnell, was in the U.S. Air Force, moved frequently growing up. But his family settled here shortly after his graduation from high school, and he started at Fort Lewis College in 1990.
He left school early, however, and worked in restaurant delivery while he pursued his aspirations in music here and during a stint in Austin, Texas.
Simpson said he met Parnell about eight years ago, ironically through a friend who later was killed in a car accident.
A feeling of mutual admiration and warmth grew between the two musicians.
"We were like opposites, but we were great friends," Simpson said. "He was an incredibly, incredibly talented guy."
When Ralph Dinosaur's guitarist retired, Simpson, a drummer for the band at the time, put on the hard sell for Parnell.
The band's creator, Ralph Donnen, said Parnell joined the group about four years ago and came to be his "right-hand man."
"He was a tremendous player," Donnen said. "He's going to be awful hard to replace."
A Web site for the group describes him as bringing "a virtuosity and a passion to his playing that is impossible to ignore. A disciple of 'The Erics' (Clapton and Johnson), Michael has thrilled and amazed Dinosaur fans and has created a following of his own."
Simpson, who commutes to Los Angeles where he works as a firefighter, eventually left Ralph Dinosaur to play in another local band, Formula 151, but he and Parnell remained close.
Mary Parnell said the calls she has received since her son died lead her to believe she didn't fully appreciate how well-known his guitar playing had become.
"They said, 'We don't think you realize how good he was,' and I didn't," she said.
At the time of his death, Parnell was taking community college courses with an eye toward earning a music degree and teaching.
"That was his dream," his mother said.
Funeral arrangements were being made Monday. Parnell's younger sister, Laura Barthol, also lives in the area.
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