About Parris Lane

Parris Lane is a PBS Emmy Nominated Actress/Singer, songwriter, music and film producer, and published author. As a singer, Parris' extraordinary voice lends itself to many different styles of music as she has performed for audiences around the world, from New Orleans Preservation Hall, New York’s Carnegie Hall to London, Paris, Geneva, Rome, and Bangkok. Her four-octave voice lends itself to diverse styles, including Gospel, Jazz, R&B, Pop, Classical, and Show tunes. Parris has recorded with many greats, including the group "MARZ" on Capital (Liberty) Records, and has produced seven musical CDs. One can also find her singing background vocals on Nils Lofgren's song "Black Books," which was featured regularly on the HBO hit series "The Sopranos."

In addition, with her acting skills Parris received her Emmy nomination as an actress/singer on the MD PBS Children's Television Show "Bob the Vid Tech" and starred in several musical productions such as Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar, PURLIE, and SELMA.

As an author, Parris has written and published two children's books, So Many Bugs, and Mali the Hippo, the Abella Choral Music Book of Negro Spirituals, and My Little Book of Prayers. Parris also created, produced, and narrated the Grammy Considered for Best Spoken Word historical fiction music audiobook “Abella- A Voice for the Voiceless.” Seven music selections from Abella were also Grammy Considered in various music categories.

Her work as a Teaching Artist for the Smith Center for the Performing Arts Wolftrap Early Learning Program in Las Vegas, NV, she designed Arts Integrated Lesson Plans to enhance Preschool curriculums and classroom activities. Her workshop, created for youth entitled "Negro Spirituals - Communication through Songs" with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Arts Excel Program, was one of the most requested lessons within the program. She received a Governor's Proclamation for directing and producing events for groups such as the Chrysalis House for Mothers recovering from substance abuse and the YWCA Domestic Violence Program. Parris served on the board of the MD and NV Chapters of Women in Film, National AIDS Memorial Grove and is a graduate of the Les Brown Hungry for Greatness Speaker Academy.

She is currently building Parold Entertainment’s music library as a songwriter/producer, writing a book about her unique life experience as a San Francisco Street performer with the Backyard Party Kings, and establishing a catalog of original artwork celebrating African American singers/musicians. Parris graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mills College, Oakland, CA majoring in Intermedia and Literary Works for Early Childhood Education, and a Master of Fine Arts-In Interdisciplinary Arts Degree from Goddard College, Port Townsend, WA. She is a native of Annapolis, MD, and currently resides in San Francisco, CA.