Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist. Parsons is best known for his work within the country music genre. He also popularized what he called "Cosmic American Music", a hybrid of country, rhythm and blues, soul, folk, and rock. He recorded as a solo artist, and with the International Submarine Band, The Byrds, and The Flying Burrito Brothers. His relatively short career was described by AllMusic as "enormously influential" for country and rock, "blending the two genres to the point that they became indistinguishable from each other." WIKI

Gram Parsons died 45 years ago TODAY in fact, at Joshua Tree, California.. he was 26...morphine and alcohol saw him off but there had been previous...he was in the Flying Burrito Brothers band, and the Byrds for a short while..- country rock, folk rock, cosmic American music....GP was a friend of Keith Richards and he was involved in the making of 'Exile on Main Street'...Parsons did a lot of music with Emmylou Harris [including this one]...the WIKI account of his death and cremation, is worth a look..

DEATH: ''To fulfill Parsons' funeral wishes, Kaufman and a friend stole his body from Los Angeles International Airport and in a borrowed hearse, they drove it to Joshua Tree. Upon reaching the Cap Rock section of the park, they attempted to cremate Parsons' corpse by pouring five gallons of gasoline into the open coffin and throwing a lit match inside. What resulted was an enormous fireball. The police gave chase but, as one account puts it, "were encumbered by sobriety," and the men escaped.

The two were arrested several days later. Since there was no law against stealing a dead body, they were only fined $750 for stealing the coffin and were not prosecuted for leaving 35 pounds (16 kg) of his charred remains in the desert. Parsons's body, what remained of it, was eventually buried in Garden of Memories Cemetery in Metairie, Louisiana.''

GP didn't live long, but he made a fair impact on country music..YouTube has some good stuff of his on there.

'A Song For You..'


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98Ow_Jav_eo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

An original copy of "Safe At Home", an album by The International Submarine Band, of which a young GP was a member of,
would be worth a king's ransom now, apparently. A widely revered album in music circles.

Used to search high and low in record shops decades ago, but no joy.

A talented musician indeed, sorely missed.

A relatively unknown gem over here I'd suggest. Some of his music is just brilliant. The mix of bar room and more heartfelt country music is a joy at times. California Cotton Fields, Ooh Las Vegas, Song For You, We'll Sweep Out The Ashes in the Morning, In My Hour of Darkness.

His influence on The Byrds can't be underestimated either. He wasn't in that band for very long but they basically produced their best album during that time in Sweetheart of the Rodeo. I was always a lover of Exile on Main Street by the Rolling Stones as well - long before I knew anything about Gram - but again his influence is scattered through it even if he didn't actually play any of it. You can tell he clearly had an impact on Keith Richards (who writes very nicely about Gram in his autobiography by the way).

Another one who died too soon.

A couple of times per month, I have an hour or so latish at night on youtube just following my nose digging out music from people I like. 2 nights ago I dug out a few Emmylou performances: one more recent with Mark Knopfler (also featuring on a recent thread), one Love Hurts with GP (no film of that) and (of course) a performance of Boulder to Birmingham (a song relating to GPs demise).
Such a beautiful voice she had (and still very good it is); great performance here from a couple of years after GPs death (thanks to German TV for preserving)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0oemBPggGI

Guilded Palace of Sin is one of my favourite albums. Loved his stuff with the Byrds too. Legend.

Just to tie up the Gram Parsons connection with the Rolling Stones here is Keith in full Jack Sparrow mode belting out Hickory Wind
one of my favourite songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh09Vw0XgVw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It has been covered by loads of people but if you like GP you might like Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings, currently my favourite performing artists, this is their version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk6V7S7Skcc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He was always too country for my liking. I preferred Rick Nelson in his Stone Canyon Band days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBo5QwEaczE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


What's the connection?

LeadBelly wrote:A couple of times per month, I have an hour or so latish at night on youtube just following my nose digging out music from people I like. 2 nights ago I dug out a few Emmylou performances: one more recent with Mark Knopfler (also featuring on a recent thread), one Love Hurts with GP (no film of that) and (of course) a performance of Boulder to Birmingham (a song relating to GPs demise).
Such a beautiful voice she had (and still very good it is); great performance here from a couple of years after GPs death (thanks to German TV for preserving)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0oemBPggGI

Gram Parson's duet with Emmylou Harris on " Love Hurts " has long been a favourite of mine ..... love " Boulder to Birmingham " also ...

Definitely had an influence on Green on Red with Chuck Prophet and Dan Stuart.

Thanks for those contributions - the variety of musical interests on this forum never fails to surprise me.

i know quite a bit more about Gram Parsons now than I did a week ago..certainly a talent lost too early, gone at 26.
Gonna checkout more Emmylou Harris music.

Linda Ronstadt...WOW!


One of the comments says..'Gram parsons could not outrun his demons, something many of us struggle with daily..'

One line from this song says..'And I knew his time would shortly come, but I did not know just when."

He didn't have to wait long.

''In My Hour of Darkness" written and performed by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris with harmony vocal by Linda Ronstadt is from 'Grievous Angel', Gram Parsons' second solo album, recorded in 1973 and released the following year on the Reprise label. The personnel on the album included Glen D. Hardin on piano, James Burton on lead guitar [top guitarist from Elvis P's band.], and Bernie Leadon [the Eagles] on dobro guitar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzuSeaM ... JKRA1ZIeiM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


''But he was just a country boy his simple songs confessed
And the music he had in him, so very few possessed... ''

Finally..the comments underneath the video, are worth a look.

Didn't Lynda Rondstat start off as a backing singer with the Eagles?

- not quite Es..I have had a look - they were a backing band for her for a while.

''Another backing band included Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner, who went on to form the Eagles. They toured with her for a short period in 1971 and played on Linda Ronstadt, her self-titled third album, from which the failed single, Ronstadt's version of Browne's "Rock Me on the Water", was drawn.'' WIKI.


This link [4 minutes] shows a Linda Ronstadt narration of a 2016 tribute to the Eagles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11RInMw4Z18" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

** In August 2013, Linda Ronstadt revealed that she has Parkinson's disease and "can no longer sing a note."

Lobo!!! Wasn't Ry Cooder in that band? Another very underrated musician. Like Wilco, they had an influence way beyond their record sales.

And the Eagles started off strictly as a studio band. From small acorns come great oaks.

hampsteadclaret wrote:Thanks for those contributions - the variety of musical interests on this forum never fails to surprise me.

i know quite a bit more about Gram Parsons now than I did a week ago..certainly a talent lost too early, gone at 26.
Gonna checkout more Emmylou Harris music.

Linda Ronstadt...WOW!


One of the comments says..'Gram parsons could not outrun his demons, something many of us struggle with daily..'

One line from this song says..'And I knew his time would shortly come, but I did not know just when."




He didn't have to wait long.

''In My Hour of Darkness" written and performed by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris with harmony vocal by Linda Ronstadt is from 'Grievous Angel', Gram Parsons' second solo album, recorded in 1973 and released the following year on the Reprise label. The personnel on the album included Glen D. Hardin on piano, James Burton on lead guitar [top guitarist from Elvis P's band.], and Bernie Leadon [the Eagles] on dobro guitar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzuSeaM ... JKRA1ZIeiM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


''But he was just a country boy his simple songs confessed
And the music he had in him, so very few possessed... ''

Finally..the comments underneath the video, are worth a look.

Hampstead check out "Wrecking Ball" or the Daniel Lanois produced "Red Dirt Girl" which is my my favourite Emmylou album.Below is a link to "One Big Love" from the latter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl1CKQaIHnA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

16..'Hampstead check out "Wrecking Ball" or the Daniel Lanois produced "Red Dirt Girl" which is my my favourite Emmylou album.Below is a link to "One Big Love" from the latter..'


Thanks for that
I listened to both of those songs - excellent the pair of them, especially 'One Big Love'...Daniel Lanois has worked with the best of course.

- resolving to get away from 'mainstream' music more often.

I always thought it was Daniel Langlois, French-Canadian guy. Worked with tons of Canadian acts, including Bryan Adams (you, of course, remember "Diana". Who was that song about?)

Lobo and Parsons were in a band together when at school:

http://www.mybestyears.com/InterviewSpo ... 10507.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is an interview with Lobo but go down a small bit and he talks of Gram Parsons, and Jim Stafford who was also in the band.

ontario claret wrote:I always thought it was Daniel Langlois, French-Canadian guy. Worked with tons of Canadian acts, including Bryan Adams (you, of course, remember "Diana". Who was that song about?)

It is Lanois. He plays pedal steel as well as his other talents:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJn9TsXgRi8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;