The Limestone Kid


The Limestone Kid is the debut studio album by American country music artist Parker McCollum. The album was released on February 24, 2015, via PYM Music. It was produced by Corby Schaub.

Background

Raised in Conroe, Texas, McCollum was drawn to songwriting from a young age, influenced by his older brother and by Texas-based artists such as Chris Knight, Adam Carroll, James McMurtry, and Robert Earl Keen. After graduating high school, McCollum moved to Austin and immersed himself in the local scene and eventually formed a band. He released his debut EP A Red Town View in 2013, which featured "The Tune" and "Who's Laughing Now," which both appeared on his debut album. "Permanent Headphones" was later rereleased on his fifth studio album, Parker McCollum.
Two singles were released from the album, "Meet You in the Middle" and "High Above the Water." Both songs charted on the Texas Music Chart, gaining him state-wide success in Texas.
The album's name, The Limestone Kid, was influenced by McCollum's grandfather's ranch in Limestone County, Texas. McCollum wrote the album in his apartment in Austin, Texas.
In February 2025, McCollum released an exclusive bright green vinyl for the tenth anniversary of the album.

Themes

The album included strong influences of country, folk, rock, and Americana.

Critical reception

The Limestone Kid and McCollum received praise from critics, with the Lone Star Music Magazine stating that "If you take a bit of Townes Van Zandt's oblique mysticism, the confessional poetry of Ryan Bingham, and Gillian Welch's stripped down, tenderly honest vignettes of the lost and lonely, you have an approximation of McCollum's approach."
The Austin Chronicle gave the album 3.5 stars out of five, writing that "it's too early to declare The Limestone Kid debut of the year, but it's already one to beat", and comparing him to Charlie Robison.
The album is generally considered McCollum's best work and is the basis of criticism against which most of his subsequent albums were judged.

Personnel