Fifty years ago on 19 September 1973 the world lost the most influential country-rock singer-songwriter after a relatively short career. In this article we look back at the life and career of Gram Parsons whose 'Cosmic American Music' was a hybrid of country, soul, folk and rock and influenced many artists following his tragic death at just 26 years of age.
Gram Parsons attended Bolles School in Jacksonville before moving to the Winter Haven High School. However after failing his first year he returned to Bolles. The family were torn apart again when Robert Parsons became involved with another woman. Avis was a heavy drinker and the day Gram graduated, 5 June 1965, she died from Cirrhosis.
Despite everything that was happening in his life Gram developed an interest in music and this was strengthened when he attended a February 1956 Elvis Presley concert in Waycross.
In his teens he played in two bands, The Pacers and The Legends, who covered the current rock 'n' roll music at local clubs in the White Haven area. Confined by the music they were playing he teamed up with The Shilohs, a folk outfit based in Greenville, South Carolina. They played coffee houses, high school auditoriums and during a trip to New York they made regular appearances at the Cafe Rafio on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village. A meeting with impresario Albert Grossman almost led to an engagement at the famous Bitter End, but once Grossman found out they were all high school students he backed out.
While in New York they did record some songs at the radio station at Bob Jones University. Unfortunately the bands days were numbered and soon after they disbanded.
In 1966 Parsons was enrolled at Harvard University to study theology although this was short-lived as he attended very few of his courses and left after one semester. It was during his brief time at Harvard that his interest in country music developed after he heard Merle Haggard for the first time.
Whilst at Harvard Parsons had become friends with another country music fan, guitarist John Neuse, and together they formed The International Submarine Band along with Ian Dunlop on bass and Mickey Gauvin on drums.
A move to New York saw them record tracks for an album, subsequently lost, although they did release a couple of singles. A deal with Columbia Records saw them release Sum Up Broke/One Day Week, a strong single which, unfortunately, received hardly any airplay and the band were dropped. Signing with Ascot Records they released The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming/Truck Driving Man. The a-side was tied in to a comedy film starring Alan Arkin and Carl Reiner while the flip was a foretaste of what was to come for Gram Parsons.
In early 1967, following advice from child actor Brandon DeWilde who told them he could get them a part in a movie, they moved to Los Angeles. An appearance in The Trip, starring Peter Fonda, should have bought their music to a wider audience but their music was erased and replaced with psychedelic music by The Electric Flag. However, their appearance in the film did increase the bands popularity in the LA underground scene.
It looked like the end of The International Submarine band when relationships between the members started to fall apart, with Dunlop and Gauvin leaving the band in 1967.
Not long after, childhood friend Jon Corneal joined on drums along with Bob Buchanan on rhythm guitar and a bass player was hired in order for them to audition for LHI Records, owned by Lee Hazlewood. Their audition was a success and they were offered a contract. Suzi Jane Hokum was hired as producer and a number of session musicians were assembled to augment the bands line-up... Earl Ball (piano), Chris Etheridge (bass), JayDee Maness (steel guitar) and Joe Osborn who played on a couple of tracks.
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Recording began in July 1967 with two Parsons originals, Blue Eyes and Luxury Liner and future sessions would see them record two more Parsons originals, Strong Boy and Do You Know How It Feels To Be Lonesome along with a number of covers including Haggard's I Must Be Somebody Else You've Known, Jack Clement's Millers Cave, Johnny Cash's I Still Miss Someone and a medley of Cash's Folsom Prison Blues and Arthur Crudup's That's All Right, Mama.
By December recording was finished and the album, titled Safe At Home, was scheduled for a January/February 1968 release. Prior to the albums release Parsons left the band having been offered the chance to join The Byrds. This put release of Safe At Home on hold and it wouldn't be released until March.
Despite the lack of publicity, Hazlewood had no plans to promote an album by a band which no longer existed, the album was well received by the press. Robert Christgau wrote, "A good record and a brilliant conception", while Pete Johnson, writing in the Los Angeles Times, considered the album "authentic, with a vitality not always found in traditional country performers." It was not only the press who heaped praise on the album as artists were also impressed... Don Everly, Merle Haggard and Glen Campbell who said, "Someone should've done this a long time ago and I think The International Submarine Band has really done it. Need I say more."
In 2004 the album was re-released on CD and included the track Knee Deep In The Blues, a song originally recorded by Marty Robbins back in 1957 and one that had been recorded at the same sessions as the rest of the album.
Meanwhile, Gram Parsons was now a member of The Byrds but not before he sold his rights to the International Submarine Band name to Hazlewood in order to avoid a lawsuit. As we shall see later, Hazlewood also prevented Parsons vocals from appearing on The Byrds next album.
Parsons had come to the attention of Chris Hillman, bass player in The Byrds, as a replacement for David Crosby and Michael Clarke, both of whom had left the group in 1967.
Despite contributing equally Parsons was never regarded as a full member of the group, especially by Columbia Records, and was only hired as a sideman. Parsons recalled this in an interview, "Being with The Byrds confused me a little. I couldn't find my place. I didn't have enough say-so. I really wasn't one of The Byrds. I was originally hired because they wanted a keyboard player. But I had experience being a frontman and that came out immediately. And Roger McGuinn being a very perceptive fellow saw that it would help the act, and he started sticking me out front."
However, despite all this, Parsons would have a controlling influence over the direction of their next album. McGuinn's original idea was for a double-album that told the history of American popular music from bluegrass, through country and western, jazz, rhythm and blues, rock and ending with a form of electronic music.
Plans were being made to record the album in Los Angeles when Parsons persuaded the group to record the album in Nashville. The move saw the original idea scrapped in favour of a full country styled project. This would give Parsons the opportunity to finally blend his love of traditional country music with the youth of the times love of rock music, something he had achieved with Safe At Home but with this new project he hoped to reach a wider audience.
Sessions for what would become Sweetheart Of The Rodeo began in Nashville's Music Row in March 1968 and midway they moved back to Los Angeles to finish recording which ended in May. Along with the band members a number of notable session musicians were also employed including Earl Ball (piano), Lloyd Green (steel guitar) and Roy 'Junior' Huskey (drums).
While in Nashville CBS Records managed to arrange a slot at the Grand Ol' Opry, one of the first rock bands to play on the stage. The audience were hostile to this bunch of 'long-hairs' and it took Lloyd Green, an Opry regular, to calm the situation down. They had a two-song slot and opened with Merle Haggard's Sing Me Back Home and were due to close with Life In Prison. However, when Tompall Glaser, hosting that evenings show, came out to introduce the last number Gram said, "No, I'm going to sing Hickory Wind for my grandmother in Tennessee." Apparently Glaser and other Opry officials were going mad backstage.
As mentioned earlier, Lee Hazlewood contested Parsons appearance on the album and threatened legal action as he was still under contract to LHI Records. To avoid any problems Parsons vocals were removed from three tracks, The Christian Life, You Don't Miss Your Water and One Hundred Years From Now and replaced by Roger McGuinn. Parsons was furious and in interview said, "McGuinn erased it and did the vocals himself and fucked it up!"
However, Parsons lead vocals still appeared on three tracks, You're Still On My Mind, Life In Prison and Hickory Wind.
Besides the three Gram Parsons vocal tracks the album included two Bob Dylan compositions, You Ain't Goin' Nowhere and Nothing Was Delivered along with classic country songs, I Am A Pilgrim and Blue Canadian Rockies.
Released by Columbia Records in August 1968 (September in the UK) the album only managed to reach #77 on the Billboard Album Chart and failed to chart in the UK. Two singles were released, You Ain't Goin' Nowhere reaching #75 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #45 in the UK charts while I Am A Pilgrim failed to chart in either chart.
Released in 2003 the 2-CD Legacy Edition featured the original album along with a wealth of previously unreleased takes, non-album tracks, rehearsals, songs from Parsons International Submarine Band and tracks that featured Parsons original vocals, The Christian Life, One Hundred Years From Now and alternate takes of Life In Prison and You're Still On My Mind.
Gram Parsons time with The Byrds was short lived. Following the release of Sweetheart Of The Rodeo and, during the bands time in England, he left the The Byrds. His decision was due to concerns over a planned tour in South Africa. He had spoken to both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards about the tour and his opposition to the country's apartheid policies. Parsons would strike up a friendship with Richards and often stayed at his house where they would sit around for hours playing country music.
A return to Los Angeles saw Parsons connect again with Chris Hillman and this lead to the formation of The Flying Burrito Brothers with Chris Etheridge and Sneaky Pete Kleinow on bass and pedal steel.
Their first album, The Gilded Palace Of Sin continued Parsons and Hillmans vision of modern country music fusing traditional folk, country, gospel and psychedelic rock.
Most of the songs had been written by Parsons and Hillman at a house in the San Fernando Valley dubbed 'Burrito Manor' and included Christine's Tune (aka Devil In Disguise), Sin City, Wheels, Hot Burrito #1, Hot Burrito #2 and Hippie Boy.
The album also featured the Chips Moman/Dan Penn compositions Do Right Woman and Dark End Of The Street.
Released in February 1969 it only managed to reach #164 on the Billboard 200 although it is has subsequently been widely regarded as an important album.
In his review in Country Music Review, John Firminger wrote that the album, "...quite clearly stands as a complete definition of the term country rock, using a heavy instrumental approach combining strong country roots." Rolling Stone considered it, "...one of the best records of the year" while British rock paper New Musical Express raved, "Let me discourse on the sheer magnificence contained within the micro-grooves of Gilded Palace Of Sin."
For the album cover, which was taken by Barry Feinstein, Parsons had taken the band to designer Nudie Cohn to have custom-made suits that featured red poppies, green marijuana leaves, Seconal and Tuinal pills scattered all over. Parsons own suit also included a naked woman (rendered as a tattoo on the lapels) and a flaming red cross with radiating blue and gold light on the back of the jacket. The cover photo was taken in the Mojave Desert and included two models dressed as hookers. Gram was said to be unhappy with the image used and preferred one taken in front of a Joshua tree.
Two concerts recorded at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco on 4 and 6 April 1969, where the band opened for the Grateful Dead, were located by Dave Prinz, co-founder of Amoeba Records, and released in 2007. The shows featured several songs not previously recorded or released by the band including, You Win Again and She Once Lived Here. The CD included two bonus Gram Parsons demos, $1000 Wedding, recorded in Los Angeles in 1969 and When Will I Be Loved, recorded in New York in 1967.
A second album was recorded but also failed to create any commercial success. With the songs thrown together in the studio and two Gilded Palace Of Sin outtakes added, the resulting album, Burrito Deluxe, was released in April 1970. Tracks included Parsons/Hillman originals, High Fashion Queen, Older Guys, Cody, Cody and Lazy Days. The album closed with the Mick Jagger/Keith Richards composition Wild Horses.
Disenchanted with the band and with Hillman tired of his friends unprofessionalism, they parted company. However, in an interview several years later Hillman had nothing but praise for their work, "The greatest legacy of the Flying Burrito Brothers and Gram is we were the alternative country band. We couldn't get on country radio and we couldn't get on rock radio! We were the outlaw band for a brief period."
In 1970 Gram Parsons signed a solo recording career with A&M Records but despite recording material including I Fall To Pieces, White Line Fever and She Thinks I Still Care, he lost interest in the project and nothing was ever released. A short spell with the Rolling Stones accompanying them on their 1971 UK tour was followed by a one-off concert with the Burritos. It was during this period that Hillman suggested Parsons should go and hear a young singer at a small club in Washington... Emmylou Harris.
Parsons recalled seeing her for the first time in an interview, "Chris Hillman was so enthusiastic when he told me about Emmylou that I just had to go and see her, and I was knocked out be her singing. I wanted to see just how good she was, how well she picked up country country phrasing and feeling, so after her set I introduced myself, and we sang one of the hardest country duets I know, That's All It Took. Emmy sang it like she was falling of a log."
They became good friends and within the year he had asked her to join him in Los Angeles to make another attempt to record his first solo album.
In mid-1972 Parsons was signed by Mo Ostin to Warner/Reprise Records and plans were underway to record an album. Sessions were booked in September and October at Wally Heider Studio 4 in Hollywood.
Merle Haggard had agreed to produce Parsons first solo album but backed out at the last minute. Warner Brothers had arranged a meeting between them both and although they hit it off, in the afternoon of the first session Haggard cancelled. Parsons wife Gretchen recalled that Gram was devastated and said, "Merle not producing Gram was probably one of the greatest disappointments in Gram's life."
Ric Grech, former bass player in Blind Faith, was called in to take over the role of producer and a stellar line-up of musicians were on hand. From Elvis Presley's band were James Burton (guitar), Ronnie Tutt (drums) and Glen D. Hardin (piano) and they were supported by Barry Tashian (rhythm guitar), John Conrad (bass), Buddy Emmons (steel guitar) and Byron Berline (fiddle).
The songs recorded showed Gram's appreciation for the Bakersfield sound, pioneered by Haggard and Buck Owens, along with his love of mainstream country and rhythm & blues.
GP was released in January 1973 and included four Parsons originals, Still Feeling Blue, A Song For You, The New Soft Shoe, Big Mouth Blues and a song co-written with Chris Ethridge, She. Other material came from the pen of Tompall Glaser and Harlan Howard, Streets Of Baltimore, Ric Grech, Kiss The Children and Joyce Allsup, We'll Sweep Out The Ashes In The Morning. The harmonies are exceptional while the duets with Emmylou on That's All It Took and We'll Sweep Out The Ashes... are a highlight on the album and their voices blended perfectly.
The album cover featured Gram sitting in a chair at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood where he lived with Gretchen during the recording sessions.
Despite not being a commercial success the album was critically acclaimed. Writing in Rolling Stone, Bud Scoppa wrote, "Gram Parsons is an artist with a vision as unique and personal as those of Jagger/Richards, Ray Davies or any other of the celebrated figures." He went on to praise the "rustic authenticity" and Gram's "amazing voice."
In the liner-notes to a 1982 compilation, Elvis Costello, said, "Gram Parsons had helped create a Frankenstein's monster: country-rock. But his first Warners LP, GP, paid no allegiance to this style... The songs are of lost or stolen love, crossed with an occasional R&B beat... If it should fail to move you, then you have a big problem."
Following a tour in the spring and summer of 1973, Parsons, who would produce the album, once again joined with Emmylou Harris and many of the musicians who had appeared on GP at Wally Heider's Studio to record his second solo album.
Parsons wrote or co-wrote six of the tracks, Return Of The Grievous Angel, (with Tom Brown), $1000 Wedding, Hickory Wind (with Bob Buchanan), Ooh Las Vegas (with Ric Grech), In My Hour Of Darkness (with Emmylou Harris) and Brass Buttons, a song he originally recorded back during his time as part of The Shilohs. He turned to the Tom T. Hall songbook for I Can't Dance and Charles and Ira Louvin for Cash On The Barrelhead, which was paired with Hickory Wind to form a fake live medley called Live From Northern Quebec.
Once again the duets and harmonies with Emmylou Harris are outstanding, especially on Love Hurts and In My Hour Of Darkness, the latter on which they are joined by Linda Ronstadt.
Parsons spoke about what it was like working with Harris, "I just can't get it out of my mind... I found a chick singer who's real good who I want to sing with...If you get a really good chick, it works better than anything, because you can look at each other with love in your eyes."
Following the end of the sessions Parsons headed out to Joshua Tree for a vacation and to recuperate, unfortunately, as we shall read later, he never lived long enough to see the album released.
Released in January 1974, four months after his tragic death, it just scrapped into the Billboard 200, stalling at a disappointing #195. However, like GP, it received positive reviews and was considered an artistic triumph.
The front cover featured a head and shoulders image of Gram in a sea of blue, although this was not the original idea. The album was originally going to be credited to Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris and would have had a photo of them both on the cover. Gram's widow, Gretchen, who apparently had never cared for Harris's relationship with Gram insisted her picture was replaced on the cover and her credit moved to the back of the album.
The albums original title track was going to be Sleepless Nights but was replaced by Gretchen. Sleepless Nights was one of three songs that were recorded during the album sessions that remained unreleased for several years. The other two being, The Angels Rejoiced Last Night and Brand New Heartache.
Melody Maker, in their review by Allan Jones, wrote, "Both GP and Grievous Angel need no analysis. There are no words to describe the sense of desperation and the haunting quality of these last works. They just need to be listened to." Tom Russell of Helix agreed, saying, "His influence on bringing country music to rock and roll is as important as Bob Dylan's combining folk lyrics with rock." In 2013 Uncut magazine compiled a list of Gram Parson's '20 Greatest Tracks' and the top three were all from Grievous Angel... Hickory Wind, Brass Buttons and $1000 Wedding.
It seemed that at last Gram Parsons had fulfilled his dream of 'Cosmic American Music.'
Following the release of GP back in January 1973 Parsons and Harris had undertaken a tour, 'The Fallen Angels Tour', of clubs and honky-tonks across America. With the musicians who worked on the album unavailable due to prior commitments with Elvis, Parsons put a band together that featured Jock Bartley (lead guitar), Kyle Tullis (bass), N. D. Smart II (drums) and Neil Flanz (pedal steel guitar) which he called The Fallen Angels.
On 13 March 1973 they were in Hempstead, New York where a live radio show recorded at Ultra-Sonic Recording Studios was broadcast by WLIR-FM, based in Garden City, New York. The show was finally released by Sierra Records on vinyl in 1982 and subsequently on CD in 1994.
Along with tracks from his recent album, We'll Sweep Out The Ashes, The New Soft Shoe, Streets Of Baltimore and That's All It Took there were also performances of Country Baptizing, Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man, California Cottonfields and Six Days On The Road.
The highlight is a beautiful rendition of Love Hurts which features both Parsons and Harris and gained them a 1983 Grammy Nomination in the category, 'Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal', unfortunately they didn't win. It was Parsons only Grammy Nomination although Harris would go on to receive over forty nominations and more than ten wins.
No Depression, in their review of the album, said it, "offers something special for both the hardcore Parsons fan and the newcomer" while AllMusic wrote, "It sounds a good bit rougher and leaner than GP, but if you love Parsons work, you'll love this too."
One of Gram Parsons favourite places was the Joshua Tree National Park in south-eastern California and it was somewhere he would often visit for a vacation. With touring set to resume in October 1973 he decided to take a recuperative trip and on 17 September travelled to Joshua Tree with Margaret Fisher, a close friend from his days at the Bolles School in Jacksonville, Michael Martin and his girlfriend Dale McElroy.
Parsons would often take trips out the desert while the others visited local bars. He would also consume large amounts of alcohol and marijuana and on the second day he sent Martin back to Los Angeles for more marijuana. That night he challenged Fisher and McElroy to drink with him and with Fisher disliking alcohol and McElroy recovering from hepatitis, Parsons said, "I'll drink for the three of us."
Back at the Joshua Tree Inn he purchased morphine from an unknown young woman who injected him in his hotel room. He overdosed and despite efforts by Fisher and McElroy and calling 911 it was too late. He was taken to Yucca Valley Hospital where, at 12.15 a.m. on 19 September he was pronounced dead.
True to his word, following Parsons death, Kaufman sent Fisher and McElroy back to Los Angeles and disposed of any drugs. Parsons body was being prepared back in Los Angeles for transport to Louisiana and Kaufman and a mutual friend posed as hearse drivers, drove to the airport and convinced officials to relinquish the body.
They drove to Cap Rock in Joshua Tree and, following Parsons wishes, poured five gallons of gasoline into the coffin, lit a match and set fire to the body. They were arrested a few days later but as, at the time, there was no law against stealing a body they were only charged with stealing a coffin and fined $750.
What remained of Parsons body, about 35 pounds, was eventually buried in the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Metairie, Louisiana.
Following his tragic death there was a renewed interest in Gram Parsons music, most notably by Emmylou Harris' solo work, and albums appeared with early Gram Parsons material and previously unheard tracks.
Gram Parsons - The Early Years 1963-1966 featured music recorded by The Shilohs in New York. Tracks included two Parsons originals, Zah's Blues, Surfinanny and Bells Of Rhymney and Oh Didn't They Crucify My Lord.
Another Side Of This Life - The Lost Recordings Of Gram Parsons 1965-1966 contained demos recorded between March 1965 and April 1966 at the Winter Haven home of his friend Jim Carlton. Songs included The Last Thing On My Mind, Candy Man, I Just Can't Take It Anymore, Wheel Of Fortune, Another Side Of This Life and a song he would return to later in his career, Brass Buttons.
Sleepless Nights bought together nine tracks recorded with The Flying Burrito Brothers for a country album that never materialised and three from the sessions for his solo album Grievous Angel in 1973. Of the material recorded with The Flying Burrito Brothers several were strong country tracks, Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down, Close Up The Honky Tonks and Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud, Loud Music). Recorded with Emmylou Harris for Grievous Angel were The Everly Brothers Brand New Heartache, the gospel tinged The Angels Rejoiced Last Night and Sleepless Nights.
The release of Cosmic American Music - The Rehearsal Tapes 1972 gave the listener the opportunity to hear Parsons and Harris rehearsing material that would eventually appear on his two solo albums. Despite the quality of the recordings, they were never meant for commercial release, it is a fascinating listen.
The best compilation of Gram Parsons solo work is the 3-CD set The Complete Reprise Sessions which includes, on the first two discs, the entire GP and Grievous Angel albums along with a selection of interview clips, a performance of Love Hurts with Emmylou Harris and an instrumental version of Return Of The Grievous Angel. It is the third disc that is of most interest as it features fifteen alternate versions of songs including Still Feeling Blue, The New Soft Shoe, In My Hour Of Darkness, Hickory Wind and Ooh Las Vegas along with the three tracks from the Grievous Angel sessions that had appeared earlier on the Sleepless Nights compilation.
Despite his recorded output and influence on other artists it is unbelievable that he has still not been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and if anyone deserves a place it is Gram Parsons.
There are a number of books on Gram Parsons with, in my opinion, Twenty Thousand Roads - The Ballad Of Gram Parsons And His Cosmic American Music by David N. Meyer and Gram Parsons - A Music Biography by Sid Griffin essential reads.
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