During his early teens, Parenti worked with the Nick LaRocca band, among other local acts. Parenti led his own band in New Orleans in the mid-1920s, making his first recordings there, before moving to New York City at the end of the decade. In the late 1920s, Parenti worked with Benny Goodman and Fred Rich, and then in New York City, where he worked through the 1930s as a CBS staffman and as a member of the Radio City Symphony Orchestra.
As a teenager, Parenti worked with various local musicians, including the Nick LaRocca band. He later formed his own group in New Orleans in the mid-1920s, made some initial recordings, and then moved to New York City by the end of the decade. In the late 1920s, he collaborated with Benny Goodman and Fred Rich, and went on to work as a CBS employee and member of the Radio City Symphony Orchestra in New York City throughout the 1930s.