Obadiah Parker

Mat Weddle (born January 3, 1983), better known by his stage and recording name Obadiah Parker, is a singer-songwriter from Scottsdale, Arizona. He has released an EP, a live CD which contains a mixture of covers and original material, an EP of covers, and a full-length studio album of original material. Weddle also appeared in a viral YouTube video playing an acoustic cover of Outkast's "Hey Ya!".

Obadiah Parker
Birth nameMat Weddle
OriginScottsdale, Arizona
Genresfolk/pop
Years active2006–present
WebsiteOfficial website

History

Obadiah Parker began as a three person band composed of Mat Weddle (vocals, guitar), Jessie Young (piano/keyboards, trumpet, vocals), and Daniel Zehring (bass, vocals). After meeting at a local church youth group, Weddle, Young, and Zehring began playing together in various local bands.[1] Together, the band released "Salvation Jam" EP on October 2, 2006, and "Obadiah Parker Live" on April 2, 2007, via iTunes.

After the band's split, Weddle retained the name Obadiah Parker for his solo act. He has since released an acoustic EP of cover songs, "The Tip Jar, Vol. 1", as well as his first full-length, studio album, "The Siren and The Saint", recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with Grammy award winning producer Mitch Dane.[2]

"Hey Ya"

In 2006, a video of Weddle performing a cover of Outkast's "Hey Ya" became a viral sensation.[3] In a 2007 interview, Weddle estimated that over 1 million people had viewed the video,[4] but, as of 2011, the video has been viewed over 8 million times. The performance was recorded at a local Open mic night, then obtained by a fan who mixed it with the original Outkast music video and uploaded it to YouTube.

Over the 5 years since the video was introduced, the song has earned nationwide media attention and radio play. It has been featured on The Howard Stern Show and was an answer to a question on Jeopardy!. It has reached the No. 1 spot on the iTunes Singer-Songwriter Charts in the UK, France, and multiple other countries.[5] And, in 2009, Sam Lloyd of The Blanks (the actor who plays Ted Buckland) covered the song on an episode of Scrubs entitled My Soul On Fire, Part 2.

Discography
  • 2006: Obadiah Parker EP
  • 2007: Obadiah Parker Live
  • 2008: The Tip Jar, Vol. I
  • 2011: The Siren and the Saint
  • 2014: The Tip Jar, Vol. II

References
  1. Holcomb, Kim (October 11, 2006). "Local band gains fame for hip hop cover". azcentral.com. Retrieved May 9, 2007.
  2. Goldfarb, Laura. "OBADIAH PARKER: 10 MILLION YOUTUBE VIEWS FOR COVER OF OUTKASTʼS "HEY YA, " NEW ALBUM "THE SIREN AND THE SAINT" OUT NOW" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 28, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  3. "Outkast's 'Hey Ya' Goes Acoustic". spin.com. August 21, 2006. Retrieved May 8, 2007.
  4. Rodgers, Larry (March 28, 2007). "Acoustic trio Obadiah Parker ready for Tempe fest". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved May 8, 2007.
  5. "Hey Ya by Obadiah Parker Chart Summary". music-chart.info. music-chart.info. Archived from the original on November 13, 2011. Retrieved July 30, 2011.
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