Gram Parsons was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist born Cecil Ingram Connor, III. A solo artist as well as a member of both The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, he is best known for a series of recordings which anticipate the so-called country rock of the 1970s and the alt-country movement that began around 1990. Parsons described his records as "Cosmic American Music". He died of a drug overdose at the age of 26.
Parsons was born Cecil Ingram Connor, III in Winter Haven, Florida, the grandson of citrus fruit baron John Snively, with extensive properties both there and in Waycross, Georgia, where he was raised. A sister, "Little" Avis, soon followed. His father, "Coon Dog" Connor, suffered mood swings and abruptly committed suicide two days before Christmas Day 1958. Gram's mother Avis subsequently married Bob Parsons, whose surname was adopted by young Ingram, the elder Parsons going as far to have new birth certificates drawn up for his stepson and stepdaughter. Henceforth he would be known as Gram Parsons. For a time, the family found a stability of sorts until Avis rapidly descended into alcoholism, leading to her death from cirrhosis of the liver.
As his family disintegrated around him, Gram developed strong musical interests, particularly after seeing Elvis Presley perform in concert in 1957. Five years later, but while barely in his teens, he played in rock and roll cover bands such as the Pacers and the Legends, headlining in clubs owned by his stepfather in the Winter Haven/Polk County area. By the age of 16 he graduated to folk music, and in 1963 teamed with his first professional outfit, the Shilos. Heavily influenced by the Kingston Trio and the Journeymen, the band played hootenannies, coffee houses and high school auditoriums. Forays into New York City's Greenwich Village included appearances at the Bitter End.
After the band folded he attended Harvard University, studying theology but departing after a semester. Despite being from the South, he first became serious about country music during his time in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1966, he and others from the Boston folk scene formed the International Submarine Band. The band relocated to Los Angeles the following year, and in 1968 released the album Safe at Home, which contains one of his best-known songs, "Luxury Liner," as well as an early version of "Do You Know How It Feels", which he would reprise on the first Flying Burrito Brothers album. But young Parsons had already moved on to bigger things by the time of the album's release.
Discography
Safe at Home : International Submarine Band (1968)
Sweetheart of the Rodeo : The Byrds (1968)
The Gilded Palace of Sin : Flying Burrito Brothers (1969)
Burrito Deluxe : Flying Burrito Brothers (1970)
GP : Gram Parsons (1973)
Grievous Angel : Gram Parsons (1974)
