Ashley Ward Parker is an American singer and actor also known as Ashley Parker Angel. He was born on August 1, 1981 in Redding, California. Ashley spent his early years growing up in the rural backcountry of Northern California. Drawn towards performing by the age of five, he spent his entire childhood performing in musical and theater productions. As a younger teenager, after being hired as a voice-actor in several Play station role-playing games, he began taking private acting lessons.
He is the child of Darren and Paula Parker, a successful piano teacher with many students of her own. His grandparents are of German and Irish descent. Ashley was named after the fictional character Ashley Wilkes, his mother’s favorite character from Margaret Mitchell’s 1937 novel Gone with the Wind, which later became a classic film of the same title. When Ashley was three years old, his parents divorced. His mother later remarried, and his stepfather, Ron Angel, who is of American Indian descent, legally adopted Ashley. He then legally assumed the name by which he is also known as Ashley Parker-Angel. He has two brothers, Taylor and Justin and two sisters, Annie and Emily.
One month after signing with a talent manager, he became a breakout star on the hit ABC series “Making the Band.” Overnight, Ashley became a teen-heart throb as a member of the multi-platinum group O-Town – signed by legendary music mogul Clive Davis. Making the Band manager was Lou Pearlman who had been responsible for the formation of groups such as The Backstreet Boys and N’Sync.
Because of O-Town, J Records made musical history as the first label in SoundScan history (1991 and on) to have its first single release debut at #1 on the sales charts. In addition, O-Town is the first artist in SoundScan history to have its first single come in at #1, an achievement recorded in the 2002 Guinness Book of World Records. In late spring 2001, the second single, “All or Nothing,” and became the biggest hit of O-Town’s career. The song reached #1 on the U.S. top 40 chart and was nominated for numerous awards, including Song of the Year during the 2001 Radio Music Awards.
Ashley was the lead in the MTV series, “There and Back,” toured internationally and released his solo album “Soundtrack to Your Life” on Universal Records. His single “Let U Go” achieved the highest debut on Billboard’s hot singles chart of any artist in 2006. Desiring to focus on a career in acting, in early 2007, Ashley put his career as a successful recording artist on the back burner and accepted the lead role in “Hairspray” on Broadway. His performance earned him top reviews from both the New York Times and New York Post. Building upon his successful run on Broadway, Ashley set his sights on a career in film and television. He starred in Sony’s latest chapter of the “Wild Things” franchise and recently co-starred alongside Frankie Muniz in the family superhero comedy, “Pizza Man” – due out in 2011.
Ashley was engaged to model Tiffany Lynn after a five-year relationship. In June 2008, the couple broke up. They are currently going through court procedures over custody of their son, Lyric Lennon Parker-Angel. In 2011, Ashley dropped “Angel” from his last name professionally making his name “Ashley Parker”.
Ashley Parker Photo Gallery
