Big Stir Records is proud to bring you an all-new live album from British rock legend GRAHAM PARKER, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of his recording career. The new Vinyl and Streaming collection QUALITY FOOTWEAR: LIVE AT THE BROOK captures the revered singer-songwriter and his ace backing band THE GOLDTOPS onstage (and on fire) during his 2023 UK tour. The limited Vinyl edition is available exclusively from the Big Stir Records online store (and at select dates of Parker's 2026 solo tour) and as part of an LP/Book bundle with the new trade paperback GRAHAM PARKER'S HOWLIN' WIND by Jay Nachman. The Vinyl and Streaming versions alike see release June 26, and they're up for pre-order and pre-save now:

https://orcd.co/grahamparker-footwear (all formats US and worldwide except the UK) UK Vinyl customers order at https://bigstirrecords.bandcamp.com/album/quality-footwear-live-at-the-brook

GRAHAM PARKER is not an artist prone to looking back. In 2026, as almost every year, he's got a full solo tour booked in the US and UK, and his most recent album LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST (released in 2023 by Big Stir) was roundly hailed as one of his strongest in this century. But while the veteran singer-songwriter remains focused on the here and now, the calendar reveals that it has been five decades since the 1976 release of his classic debut album HOWLIN' WIND as well as its followup HEAT TREATMENT. The songs from the 2023 live set with THE GOLDTOPS captured on the new, 11-track LP QUALITY FOOTWEAR lean heavily into selections from those three bookend (for now) LPs of Parker's career. A trio from WIND including the rockers “Soul Shoes” and “Back To Schooldays” as well as a taut audience-participation reading of the signature tune “Don't Ask Me Questions” join HEAT TREATMENT's “Hotel Chambermaid,” while the fresh tunes from LAST CHANCE (“It Mattered To Me,” “Lost Track Of Time,” “Sun Valley” and “Since You Left Me Baby”) show Parker's latest work to have just as much bite even when leavened with a touch of tenderness. The album finds him in fine voice indeed, and the band cooks with the intensity and empathy the songs demand.

Parker tells the tale of the record at hand: “On a short UK tour in September 2023, accompanied by The Goldtops (guitarist Martin Belmont, bassist Simon Edwards, keyboard player Geraint Watkins and drummer Jim Russell) and The Lady Bugs (backup singers Paige Stubley and Martha Evans), I had the show at the Brook, Southampton, professionally recorded.  A few attempts at editing followed, but the idea from Big Stir Records to do a limited edition vinyl album made me rethink my approach.  A live LP live works best with no loose ends, no rambling monologues, and by using only the very best performances, making it tight and intense.  The result is QUALITY FOOTWEAR, which means of course that 'Soul Shoes' had to make the cut, especially with (Rumour guitarist) Brinsley Schwarz guesting on the track.  I used my Parker Pinkie electric guitar and mostly left my acoustic on the stand, which helped to kick this thing up into high gear.”

Filling out the set list are some mid-career gems including “Black Lincoln Continental” from 1985's STEADY NERVES and “Get Started. Start A Fire” from the 1988 classic THE MONA LISA'S SISTER, both given particularly intense interpretations here. There's also a playful contrast in the surprise cover, keeping with the album's footwear theme, of “Boogie Shoes” by, yes, KC and The Sunshine Band. Back to back with Schwarz joining the band for the finale of “Soul Shoes” (marking a re-convening with Belmont to recreate their classic guitar approach from The Rumour), they present a soulful finale to a fine document of Parker's latest full-band venture, while the present year finds him on the road as a solo act again in the US (Spring) and UK (this Autumn). He'll have early pre-release copies of QUALITY FOOTWEAR on hand at the merch table for those lucky enough to attend.

The inclusion of the HOWLIN' WIND tunes and the auspicious occasion of the debut's 50th Anniversary make it a natural for Big Stir Records to offer a bundled pairing of the QUALITY FOOTWEAR LP with the new book GRAHAM PARKER'S HOWLIN' WIND, penned by author Jay Nachman with the full participation of Parker and members of The Rumour. Released late last year, the book has garnered acclaim of its own, with Musoscribe noting that “Nachman’s keen and deep appreciation and understanding of Parker’s music and artistry equips him to present a story that’s balanced in its emphases... and like all of the best works of its type, Graham Parker’s Howlin’ Wind will not only lead readers back to its musical subject, but to the subsequent releases from this powerful and still wonderfully vital singer-songwriter.”

The blazing performances on the live LP do the same, and those interested in the full scope of GRAHAM PARKER's work might do well to add a copy of the still-fresh studio album LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST to their bundle. With fifty years of recordings (and twenty-four studio albums) to revisit, from the early works including the ultra-beloved Squeezing Out Sparks to recently-reissued jewels like Acid Bubblegum and Deepcut To Nowhere and the short-lived but rapturously received 2000s reunion with The Rumour, Parker's catalog is rife for fresh appreciation. And everything that make it great, from the soulful grit and impeccable phrasing of the man's vocal delivery to his unparalleled lyrical gifts and his unerring rock and roll instincts, can be heard on QUALITY FOOTWEAR: LIVE AT THE BROOK. It's one hell of an Anniversary celebration, and the best part is that Parker's still out there on the road, performing like he still has something to prove. And he's still writing songs like nobody else can... it can't be too long before he's hard at work on that 25th studio album as well.

Expected release: June 26, 2026

Fifty years into his recording career, UK rock legend GRAHAM PARKER is still going strong, out on the road in the US and at home in 2026 and writing tunes of wit and wisdom that stand with his best. As part of our celebration of this milestone year, BIG STIR RECORDS brings you another live single, a scorching version of his mid-career gem “Black Lincoln Continental” recorded onstage with Parker backed by his current band THE GOLDTOPS, as a preview of a new limited-edition Vinyl LP and Streaming album drawn from his 2023 full band UK tour, soon to be announced. The single is out May 22 on all digital platforms worldwide and up for preorder and pre-save now:

https://orcd.co/grahamparker-blclive

GRAHAM PARKER remains a singular force on the rock and roll landscape. From his beloved 1976 debut album HOWLIN' WIND (the subject of a new, acclaimed book by rock writer Jay Nachman in collaboration with the singer) to 2023's acclaimed LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST, he's rarely looked back or been far from the road. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of that debut (as well as, incredibly, his second LP HEAT TREATMENT), and while Parker pushes ever forward, the occasion warrants celebration. That will come in the form of the soon-to-be-announced album QUALITY FOOTWEAR: LIVE AT THE BROOK, from which the performance on this single is drawn. It features Parker's sly, soulful voice at its very best, backed by THE GOLDTOPS (longtime guitar-slinging sideman Martin Belmont, keyboardist Geraint Watkins, bassist Simon Edwards and drummer Jim Russell) and the backing vocals of The Lady Bugs (Paige Stubley and Martha Evans) recorded live at The Brook in Southampton, England, and mixed by Graham's current producer Tuck Nelson.

Originally featured on Parker's 1985 album STEADY NERVES, a record that's perhaps often overshadowed by the success of its followup THE MONA LISA'S SISTER, “Black Lincoln Continental” is a taut rocker and a longtime live favorite in both solo renditions and blazing full-band readings like this one. With much of the 2026 media focus on the beginning and the latest offerings in the GP catalog, the single reminds fans of the remarkable consistency of top-tier songwriting across the man's entire career. Of picking the track for standalone release, Parker says: “Out of the tunes recorded at that Southampton show, I’ve long had  'Black Lincoln' in my mind as a more surprise attack, being a bit less known. But bloody hell, that track is old school barrelhouse rocker intense and might just grab some old fans who love that aspect of me, but missed the song entirely when it originally came out.  Plus, Nick Lowe once covered it on an album, just a few years after my version came out!”

It's a prime example of the acerbic wit that's characterized Parker's writing from the beginning and which still runs through his current work, and THE GOLDTOPS give this vehicle all the drive it demands. Stand by for more news on the new record, and catch GRAHAM PARKER on tour now and through the end of the year on his most expansive solo tour in years. To hear him now, live onstage or as captured on this single and the new album, it's clear that that there's much more in store.

It's an auspicious year for rock and roll legend GRAHAM PARKER. The beloved British singer-songwriter hits the road for a series of solo shows in the US and UK, on a tour that marks a number of milestone career anniversaries to be celebrated in print and on vinyl with a new, full-band concert record on the way from Big Stir Records. We are delighted to present the first single teasing the release: a new live rendition of his classic song “Soul Shoes,” backed by his current ace band The Goldtops and featuring a longtime sideman Brinsley Schwarz on guitar. The new single is out April 17 on all digital platforms worldwide and up for preorder and pre-save now:

https://orcd.co/grahamparker-soulshoeslive

GRAHAM PARKER needs no introduction, but with 2026 marking the 50th Anniversary of his classic debut album HOWLIN' WIND, the time has come to appreciate his amazing career once again. That album, first issued in 1976 (as was, amazingly, its acclaimed followup HEAT TREATMENT), was the beginning of a series of critically-hailed releases, with and without his backing band The Rumour (featuring Schwarz and current Goldtop Martin Belmont), including SQUEEZING OUT SPARKS (1979) and THE MONA LISA'S SISTER (1988) and extending to his latest studio album and Big Stir Records debut, 2023's LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST. It was on the full-band UK tour for that most recent album, amongst reviews citing it as one of Parker's sharpest sets of songs in this century, that this version of “Soul Shoes” from HOWLIN' WIND was captured. We present it here as proof positive that Graham Parker hasn't lost a step in his half century onstage, and, naturally, as a sign of things to come as 2026 unfolds.

It's a bracing and energetic reading of a catalog cornerstone, with Parker's soulful vocals right out front and the guitars of Schwarz and Belmont pushing the band (keyboardist Geraint Watkins, bassist Simon Edwards and drummer Jim Russell) over the top, while the backing vocals of The Lady Bugs (Paige Stubley and Martha Evans) add a rootsy grit. Recorded live at The Brook in Southampton, England, and mixed by Graham's current producer Tuck Nelson, the track is a wonderful throwback to the singer's earliest days, picked from a setlist that draws in equal measure from those first records and the fresh tunes from LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST, which was recorded with largely the same version of the Goldtops heard onstage here. And while Parker, a masterful storyteller, is rightly a strong draw for his solo shows, what's captured on this track is a rare-these-days opportunity to hear him in his natural, full band, rock and roll setting, reeling out his most recent songs with the same fire as the ones that made his name.

Which brings us to Big Stir Records' big celebration of fifty years of Graham Parker recordings: a full-length vinyl LP of tracks from the Brook show, featuring songs spanning the man's complete career. First to be available exclusively at the Springtime US tour dates, the strictly-limited album will be released to the public by BSR in early summer, and better yet, it will be offered in a bundle with the recent authoritative book GRAHAM PARKER'S HOWLIN' WIND by rock writer Jay Nachman in collaboration with Parker and his bandmates of that era. More details will be announced soon, but for now, don some quality footwear of your own and cut a rug to GRAHAM PARKER & THE GOLDTOPS' fiery live take on “Soul Shoes.”

BIG STIR RECORDS presents a special new single spanning the full career of rock legend GRAHAM PARKER: the studio recording “Last Stretch Of The Road” from his acclaimed 2023 album LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST, backed with a brand new live version of “Back To Schooldays” from his 1976 debut album Howlin' Wind. Both tracks find the singer-songwriter backed by his current ace backing band THE GOLDTOPS, and they're out on all digital platforms June 7.

“Last Stretch Of The Road” is a marvel of song, and the near-title-track of LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST (out now on Vinyl, CD and Streaming from Big Stir Records): the bittersweet title phrase appears at the end of the second verse, rhymed with a bit of Cockney slang in a move that's pure Parker. The whole tune drips with GP's trademark wicked wit despite its dark subject matter of mortality and regret. The song echoes both early and late-period Dylan in its easygoing folk-inflected groove, but it's Parker's inimitable lyric bite that's made it a fan-favorite staple of his live sets, solo and with The Goldtops, since before the 2023 release of Last Chance. It's been singled out as a highlight in many of the rapturous reviews of the record for the way it crystalizes the fresh approach taken by the veteran songwriter: short, sharp songs that hit as hard as anything in his considerable catalog.

The song had become iconic enough to serve as the opening number when Parker hit the road last Autumn in his native England backed by The Goldtops in exactly the same lineup from the record: Martin Belmont (guitar), Jim Russell (drums), Geraint Watkins (keys) and Simon Edwards (bass). Also on board, as on the LP, were backing vocal duo The Lady Bugs (Paige Stubley with Martha Evans covering Marietta Smith's parts) as the group performed most of the album along with a selection of Parker's classic catalog of tunes, going all the way back to the beginning as heard on the previously unreleased version of the classic and often-covered “Back To Schooldays” captured on tape and served up here as the B-side. It's a throwback to the start of the road for Parker, and it's a thrill to hear the same seasoned and utterly empathetic musicians heard on his latest album dig into a still-vital tune from his first.

Fans will have already noted that this isn't the first single from LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST to feature live tracks from the UK tour: the standalone release of the album's “Sun Valley” featured a roaring rip through the album's “Since You Left Me Baby” and a cover of Sinatra's “That's Life”. And they might well be wondering, based on the quality of the performances and recordings alike, if there's more – perhaps even a full set or an album's worth of highlights -- yet to see the light of day. We at Big Stir Records can only say... well, yes. With his songwriting and vocal prowess stronger than ever, there's plenty of road ahead for GRAHAM PARKER, and we'll be delighted to share the next stretch of it with you... stand by for news later this year.

BIG STIR RECORDS presents a very special three-sided single spotlighting our biggest release of the year – the new album from rock legend GRAHAM PARKER – pairing one of the album's most-played tracks with two brand new live cuts recorded during Parker's acclaimed UK tour with his superb backing band The Goldtops just months ago. The album version of “Sun Valley” serves as the A-side, and it's joined by previously unreleased live readings of the rousing new album closer “Since You Left Me Baby” and the tour staple “That's Life,” best known a Frank Sinatra tune.

Just days after the September 8 release of the acclaimed album LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST (out now on Vinyl, CD and Streaming from Big Stir Records), Graham Parker hit the road in his native England backed by The Goldtops in exactly the same lineup from the record: Martin Belmont (guitar), Jim Russell (drums), Geraint Watkins (keys) and Simon Edwards (bass). Also on board as on the record were backing vocal duo The Lady Bugs (Paige Stubley with Martha Evans covering Marietta Smith's parts from the LP) as the group performed most of the album along with a selection of Parker's classic catalog of tunes. By all accounts an all-too-brief triumph of a tour, it saw the tunes from the new record – including “Sun Valley,” featured here in its studio version -- getting their first onstage airings to rapturous response.

“As a song, 'Sun Valley' has been in the making for at least a decade,” says Parker. “It needed that long to unlock it, taking various arrangement directions until I find a way to not let it get ponderous, which was holding me back all along. I've still never been to Sun Valley!” In fact the song's sweeping economy is what has made it a breakout hit from the album: in just over three minutes, it moves from a tight and tasty soul groove with an instantly memorable chorus to a sweeping coda where Parker brings all of the records' guests to the party, including The Easy Access Horns and The Lady Bugs. It doesn't hurt that the lyrics and the vocal performance are among Parker's best.

The two live tracks were recorded by Robert Cooper on the tour's penultimate date at the Brook in Southampton on September 30. The fiery rendition of “Since You Left Me Baby” from Last Chance To Learn The Twist captured here makes this single a true document of Parker's current creative renaissance. Of the song's origins, the songwriter says: “'No, no!' I heard myself saying, as the words 'Since You Left Me Baby' popped out of my mouth as soon as I hit that opening riff on an acoustic guitar. Too obvious, not me at all! But when something comes as naturally as that, it cannot be replaced. I wish I'd got The Lady Bugs to sing it on the album, but we made up for that live anyway, as the world at large can now hear.” The Goldtops, too, are on fire here, and you've got a front row seat.

As for the second track from the live gigs, it's a surprising chestnut that's become a Goldtops live favorite, and Parker's impassioned delivery makes it clear why. “I remember playing 'That's Life' by Frank Sinatra repeatedly on a jukebox in a pub in Guilford, Surrey, England one night when I was not even of legal drinking age. 'I'll play that song one day,' I thought to myself, rashly, having no idea I'd ever be in a position to do just that. Job done!” Fortunately for fans, Graham Parker is far from done: LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST has been raking in the raves and US solo dates for 2024 are already in the offing. As he recently told Q Magazine, he still makes records because he still writes songs, simple as that. And when they're as good as “Sun Valley” and “Since You Left Me Baby,” we can only be grateful that's the case.

Big Stir Records is proud to announce the release date for an all-new album from British rock legend GRAHAM PARKER. LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST, credited to GRAHAM PARKER & THE GOLDTOPS and produced by Parker and Tuck Nelson, sees worldwide release on CD and all streaming services on September 8, with a limited-edition LP run on clear green vinyl to follow in October. The album, up for pre-order and pre-save now (https://orcd.co/grahamparker-lctltt), includes both of the pre-release singles that've brought Parker back to the worldwide airwaves throughout the summer, and will be supported by a full band tour of the UK this fall.

GRAHAM PARKER's first album of new material since 2018, LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST finds the veteran singer-songwriter in top form, offering up thirteen new compositions with exquisitely tasteful backing by The Goldtops (bassist Simon Edwards, drummer Jim Russell, guitarist Martin Belmont and keyboard player Geraint Watkins) and frequent contributions from the Easy Access Orchestra horns and backing vocal duo The Lady Bugs. It's a dazzlingly diverse album: sweet classic soul grooves and roots rock sounds dominate, all framing lyrics dripping with Parker's vintage “Wicked Wit” (as one song title has it) and inimitable, impassioned vocal delivery. Two early singles have hinted at the record's depth: the devastatingly stark “We Did Nothing” with its heartbreaking examination of the cost of inaction on both the personal and global stages, and the delightfully playful reggae-tinged “Them Bugs.” But there's much more waiting to be discovered on the full album, which is at once one of Parker's most relaxed and boldest statements to date.

“My usual rather conservative arrangements went out the window on this album,” Parker says. “The songs morphed as they grew: 'Grand Scheme Of Things,' and particularly 'Sun Valley,' became less about 'parts,' as in a typical pop song, but more about 'movements.' Bridges arrive in unusual places, songs were restrained and held to under three minutes, The Lady Bugs sang like street corner ruffians on 'The Music Of The Devil,' then floated like the choir girls that they actually are on the ballads, infused with old soul. The Goldtops gave me everything I wanted. Yes, I’m more than pleased with this one.”

From the sinister shuffle of the opener “The Music Of The Devil” -- a mission statement of sorts for the album and perhaps the singer-songwriter's career – through the closing honky-tonk-inflected “Since You Left Me Baby,” Parker blends humor and heartbreak as only he can. Touching on concerns both intimate and culture-wide, often within the same song as on “We Did Nothing,” LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST finds Parker moving from strength to strength over the course of its two sides. Highlights include the bittersweet, piano-led third single “It Mattered To Me,” the loose groove of “Sun Valley” with its soaring horns-and-harmonies coda, and the folksy meditation on mortality of the near-title-track “Last Stretch Of The Road” (already a fan favorite from its live airings at Graham's recent solo gigs in the US).

LAST CHANCE TO LEARN THE TWIST is as warm and inviting a record as Graham Parker has ever issued, but it also delivers all the unflinching honesty, literate nuance and passion his admirers have come to expect from him. September brings their first chance to hear it for themselves.