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This page is not reflective of the views of the late Gram Parsons, his family or the Gram Parsons Estate, it is simply a speculative look at the records that helped shape Gram Parsons and helped fuel his Cosmic Amercian Music vision that still speaks strongly to so many.
There's no doubt, that to many, Gram Parsons is the father of country-rock, or at the very least, the face of the genre. His work with the International Submarine Band, the Byrds, and the Flying Burrito Brothers, have helped shape the concept of a rock band or musician playing country music, or that of country music with a rock edge. Perhaps an introduction to Gram for the uninitiated will help.
Cheers
- Jason Odd (Oddy)
Gram Parsons was born Cecil Ingram Connor on November 5, 1946 in Florida, an heir to John Snivley's orange grove derived family fortune.
As a pre-teen, Parsons learned how to play basic piano, however not long after saw Elvis perform, and not only decided to become a musician, but made the transition to guitar. At the age of 12, Gram's father committed suicide and his family moved in with his mother's parents in Winter Haven, Florida. It was there that Gram's mother would marry one Robert Parsons, who adopted Gram, whose name was legally changed to Gram Parsons.
In his mid teens, Gram began playing rock & roll in local outfits the Pacers and the Legends. In 1963, Parsons made the move to folk music, working with a folk group called the Shilos who performed throughout Florida and cut several demos. This group ultimately folded in 1965 when Parsons graduated from high school, that same year his mother died of alcohol poisoning.
There followed a brief flirtation with higher learning at Harvard, however his stay is far more notable for his move back into rock and roll music, this time with the International Submarine Band with guitarist John Nuese, bassist Ian Dunlop and drummer Mickey Gauvin.
After leaving college, Gram, with the International Submarine Band, moved to New York in 1966. The group spent a year in New York, developing a sound that swung between Beatles inspired pop, and country influenced rock music, recording two unsuccessful singles in that same period. The International Submarine Band relocated to Los Angeles in 1967, where after a period on inactivity they secured a record contract with Lee Hazlewood's LHI record label.
At this point, the late spring of 1967, the band had actually split, with Gram and Nuese left to re-assemble a band to record their debut album.
In June 1967 Gram returned from a Florida vacation, where he'd convinced an old bandmate Jon Corneal, to move to California and work with the band.
Although Corneal had played in early rock and roll combos with Parsons, he had since made a career as a Nashville based country drummer since 1965, and was himself taking some time off after a short tour with the Kitty Wells show and Connie Smith through early '67.
They also added Bob Buchanan, an experienced singer-guitarist who had been playing as a member of the New Christy Minstrels.
The group's initial recordings were cut with LHI's Suzi Jane Hokum at the controls, and bolstered by session players like Earl Ball, steel player Jay Dee Maness and Joe Osborn who handled bass duties until Chris Ethridge was brought in as a permanent member.
The group's debut album, Safe at Home, was released in early 1968, but by the time it appeared in the stores, Parons had famously ditched the group for the Byrds.
At the time Parsons joined the Byrds, the group was stripped to two original members, Chris Hillman and Jim 'Roger' McGuinn, who were looking to rebuild the group after securing a new drummer. Suffice it to say, this period has been heavily documented, Parsons presence in the group strengthened the country elements of the Byrds' sound, although the vein of psyche-country they mined on the two previous records prior to Parons joining, would not emerge until the album after Parsons had left the group.
During Parsons stint, the group's shift towards straighter country music with the album Sweetheart of the Rodeo, was of a more stripped back nature, partially reflective of the rawer west coast honky-tonk and Bakersfield sound, that which bassist Hillman was also a strong fan.
In all, Gram Parsons only spent a few short months with the Byrds, leaving the band in the fall of 1968 after refusing to partake in a tour of South Africa. Parsons was spared a life of wandering the honky-tonks when he and Chris Hillman, having split the Byrds later in the year, reconciled their differences over the South African tour debacle, and set about forming a new country-rock band of their own.
In 1968 the duo took the name The Flying Burrito Brothers from a L.A. club band made up of various pickers that Parsons had informally worked with, or knew from the club scene. Parsons and Hillman built the Flying Burrito Brothers with themselves as focal point, adding local club and session pedal steel guitarist Sneaky Pete Kleinow and former International Submarine Band bassist Chris Ethridge they became a band, although a regular drummer would evade the group for some months.
When they played their debut at the Troubador Club in Hollywood in late 1968, their prime rivals Pogo with former Buffalo Springfield members, had only just played their debut at the same venue some weeks before.
Temping on drums was Chuck Blackwell, on loan from the Taj Mahal Band, to help the band through their early rehearsals and live gigs.
Further live shows at the Whisky A-Go-Go in West Hollywood and some behind the scenes label courting culminated with the group signing to A&M Records, for whom they recorded their debut album with several different drummers. One such drummer was Jon Corneal, the former International Submarine Band member who had tried to keep the previous outfit active into late '68. Heartbroken and rejected after not being made a member of Gram's new band, Corneal returned to Nashville for a time, before coming back to Los Angeles to work with Dillard & Clark.
The Burritos continued to work on their debut, with David Crosby adding an uncredited vocal harmony to their version of "Do Right Woman."
The Flying Burrito Brothers resulting debut album, "The Gilded Palace of Sin," was released in early 1969, and remains one of the most soul inspired recordings of the early country-rock genre.
While 'Gilded Palace Of Sin' is well known as a classic album for over three decades, at the time it reportedly sold a few thousand copies. With tour dates to support the album fast approaching, the group gained ex-Byrds drummer Michael Clarke and a small but dedicated following.
Over the course of 1969 the band played a shambolic cross-country tour, some of the major halls in San Francisco (The Avalon and The Winterland), but for the most part struggled to find an audience.
Through the year they played a Hispanic dance in El Monte, a prison gig with Delaney & Bonnie, high school dances, the Ash Grove, the Troubadour, the Brass Ring in Sherman Oaks and even a Monday night residency at North Hollywood's Palomino Club for a couple of months in mid 1969. Live recordings from the Palomino find Gram in fine form, taking time between songs to talk to country singer buddies like Jimmie Lee Morris and dedicating numbers to club owner Tommy Thomas, the waitresses and bar staff alike.
During this period Gram, Sneaky Pete and Chris Ethridge played on an Elektra session for singer-songwriter Jack Wilce, who had been part of the Baby Browning project assembled by Elektra in 1968.
The 1969 single by Wilce 'Apple Pie, Mother And The Flag' b/w 'Ballad Of Baby Browning' took the a-side from the Baby Browning sessions, while the B-side 'Ballad Of Baby Browning' featured Gram Parsons on background vocals, Sneaky Pete Kleinow's pedal steel, Chris Ethridge on bass, James Burton on electric guitar and dobro, alongside drummer Jim Gordon, while Jack Wilce played acoustic guitar and sang lead.
For the Flying Burrito Brothers, a 1969 non album single 'The Train Song' was followed by A&M's okay to record another LP. The group actually recorded two albums in 1970, the one that was released was titled Burrito Deluxe, and appeared in the spring of 1970. Sadly this album failed to meet the creative high of the debut. By this time bassist Ethridge was long gone and Bernie Leadon had joined on guitar with Hillman switching to bass. The second album was an attempt to rush release an album of oldies rockers and country hit covers, this never saw a proper release as Parsons left the group before the vocal overdubs were finished.
That same year Parsons attempted to record a solo album with producer Terry Melcher, this project was never completed and the tapes have remained lost. Legend has it that the material suffered from Parsons' drinking and over reliance on drugs, or that there simply wasn't enough material completed. Without the tapes, it's all speculation.
For the most part, 1970 into 1972 are the "lost years" as Gram spent more time as a socialite on the rock scene, generally wasting away his time and talents. After travelling to the UK and France as part of the Rolling Stones entourage, he returned to Los Angeles in late 1971, eventually returning, albeit shakily, to writing material for a solo album.
By 1972 he'd worked up some older material, some new songs and various covers for a new LP for Warner/Reprise. At this point he had teamed up with a new harmony vocalist, former folkie Emmylou Harris. In the summer of 1972, the core band of Harris, guitarist James Burton, bassist-producer Rick Grech, Barry Tashian, Glen D. Hardin, engineer Hugh Davis, and drummer Ronnie Tutt recorded the album, G.P., which was released in 1973 to generally good reviews and poor sales.
In 1973, to promote the release of G.P., Parsons undertook a small tour with his first solo band, the Fallen Angels, live recordings were later released and show this to be an excellent group. After the tour was completed, his second album, Grievous Angel was recorded with many of the same session players as his debut album.
While not recording, he frequently hung out in North Hollywood with members of New Jersey country rockers and Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers, who were being managed or advised by Kaufman.
Quacky Duck and His Barnyard Friends had support Gram and Emmylou on the Fallen Angels tour in New York, and the group included Tony Bennett's sons, Danny and Dae Bennett as well as multi-instrumentalist David Mansfield who would go on to work with Bob Dylan and the Alpha Band.
The Modern Lovers had moved from their Boston home base to record for Warner Brothers, the label which Quacky Duck and His Barnyard Friends had also signed.
Jonathan Richman, who fronted the Modern Lovers, tells of playing golf with Gram during time off from their music projects.
Gram and Emmylou are also remembered for their suprise visits to the Palomino, where at times they'd sit in and guest, or check out the local talent like Jimmy Snyder, Jerry Inman or Stone Country, as well as touring artists passing through on west coast tours.
Parsons also finished his second solo album which was released in 1974.
A few weeks after the final sessions for this new album, he went on a vacation near the Joshua Tree National Monument in California. On September 19, 1973, he reportedly died of an overdose while on that vacation.
What followed was a strange, sad and often romanticised series of events that led to his body being illegally cremated in the Joshua Tree desert.
After which, Gram's body was later interred in a New Orleans graveyard, a site which has little relevance to the singers life, but remains his final resting place.
In the decades following Gram Parsons' death, his legacy and legend has grown. There's no doubt that during his time, he was one of many that blended country and rock, but he did so with a style and character that has struck a chord with many. Opinions will remain divided as how influentual he was and how influentual he has become, with those once, poor selling records being reissued time and time again.
I leave you with a small tribute to his work, and the music that helped shape his sound, as he found his own voice.
