Ashley Parker Angel
| Ashley Parker Angel | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ashley Ward Parker |
| Born |
August 1, 1981 Redding, California, United States |
| Genres | Pop rock, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, Acoustic Guitar |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | Blackground/Universal |
| Associated acts | O-Town |
| Website | ashleyparkerangel |
Ashley Parker Angel (born August 1, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter and actor who rose to fame with the boyband O-Town.
Ashley Parker Angel was born Ashley Ward Parker, the child of Darren and Paula Parker, and raised in the town of Redding, California. 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 1936 novel Gone with the Wind, and the classic film of the same title. When Ashley was three years old, his parents divorced. His mother later remarried, and Ashley was legally adopted by his stepfather, Ron Angel, who is of American Indian descent. 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.
From a very early age, Ashley studied the piano, as his mother Paula was a successful piano teacher with many students of her own. He was by nature active and adventurous. In one incident, at the age of nine he inadvertently set fire to his elementary school’s football and soccer fields due to the explosion of a model rocket he had launched on school property; local police charged him with a misdemeanor.
As an adolescent, he was hired in an open casting call by the California-based video game company Working Designs, who produced many cult-hit role-playing games that required extensive voice acting. Ashley went on to voice characters in many popular Sega and PlayStation video games, including the lead character Alex in the classic Lunar: The Silver Star.
During his teenage years, Ashley also worked the game help phone lines at Working Designs, and as a lifeguard at both a local water park and Whiskeytown Lake. He later worked at ShopKo, a regional chain. While there, with each transaction, he would sweet-talk customers into filling out the feedback card he included with their purchase and asked them to mention him if they felt he did a good job. This tactic resulted in his ascent to the position as top employee in the entire store chain based on customer feedback. Always drawn to performing, at 16 he signed with a small talent agency in his hometown and began searching for opportunities to work in entertainment.
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