COSMIC AMERICAN MUSIC

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 was born Ingram Cecil Connor III in Winter Haven, Florida on 5 November 1946 to Cecil 'Coon Dog' and Avis Connor. Avis was the daughter of citrus fruit magnate John A. Snively who owned several properties in the White Haven and Waycross areas. Avis suffered from depression and both her and her husband were alcoholics. Cecil Connor died a few days before Christmas 1958 which devastated both Gram and his younger sister, also named Avis. Their mother then married Robert Parsons who adopted both Gram and Avis who took his surname.

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.

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.

 

In one of the strangest and gruesome episodes in rock history Gram Parsons never had a proper funeral/burial. A few months before the ill-fated trip to Joshua Tree, both Parsons and his road manager Phil Kaufman had attended the funeral of Byrds guitarist Clarence White. Having downed a few drinks at the funeral Parsons said, "This is bullshit. If I die I want somebody to have a few beers, take me out the desert and burn my body." Kaufman replied, "It's a deal. But would you do the same for me?", to which Parsons replied, "Yeah."

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.

Gram Parsons death was a tragic end to an artist whose music and career was at last receiving the attention it deserved and whose music went on to influence a host of other artists, not least of all Emmylou Harris who, following Gram's death, has recorded several of his songs. Throughout her career she recorded Hickory Wind, Sin City, Ooh Las Vegas, Wheels, Hot Burrito No. 2, Luxury Liner and her composition Boulder To Birmingham, which appeared on her 1975 album Pieces Of The Sky, was a tribute to Parsons. In 1985 she released her concept album The Ballad Of Sally Rose whose songs, written by Harris and her then husband Paul Kennerley, were based loosely on her relationship with Parsons.

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.

REMEMBERING JOHNNY CASH

The 12th September 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of Johnny Cash's death and I wanted to pay tribute to a man and artist whose music meant so much to me and was a major influence in my own career as a writer, journalist and consultant. For twenty-five years I ran the Johnny Cash Fanzine and during that time was fortunate to meet and interview many people associated with his career as well as become friends with many of those who subscribed to the magazine. It is a time I will never forget.

I considered many different articles to remember him and could have written about his early career at Sun Records, his Columbia albums, the prison concerts, his work with Rick Rubin or any number of other aspects of his career. However, I have decided to look back at his final concert here in the United Kingdom and meeting him backstage.

American Press Photo

Back in May 1995 Carole and I were given complimentary tickets to Cash's show at the Royal Albert Hall in London. There was also a chance we could go backstage after the show and meet him. A great show although, as was mentioned in a later press release from American Records, he performed the show in great discomfort from a damaged facial nerve. Following the show he returned to America and the remaining dates of the tour were cancelled.

Although we were disappointed we didn't get the opportunity to meet him after the show, we still went backstage and met up with a few of the band members.

In September 1995 Cash returned to fulfill the cancelled European dates although none were scheduled for the UK. It would be another nineteen months before he would return to the UK for a concert.

Press Ad

His only UK date was a return to the Royal Albert Hall on 25 April 1997, which would be his last live appearance in the UK. Carole and I were fortunate to have been given complimentary tickets by Joe O'Neil, the UK representative of American Recordings at the time, who also arranged a meeting with Cash before the show. 

Ticket Stub and Guest Pass

The support act was American singer-songwriter Jewel whose debut album, Pieces Of You, released in 1995, became one of the biggest selling debut albums of all time. Her debut single, Who Will Save Your Soul, reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100, while her next two singles, You Were Meant For Me and Foolish Games, both peaked at #2.

In 2018 she would appear on the Forever Words album, a collection of poetry and lyrics by Johnny Cash set to music. Jewel performed the song Body On Body.

I wasn't aware of her music but enjoyed her solo acoustic selection of alternate-folk songs. She closed her set with the old-time Chime Bells, written by Elton Britt and Bob Miller and first recorded in 1934 by Britt and Ezra Ford, which she dedicated to Cash, a nice gesture to end her part of the evening.

A short interval and then it was time for the main event. Dressed in his signature black, Johnny Cash strode onto the stage and introduced himself with his customary, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash."

The two-hour show opened with Folsom Prison Blues and followed the familiar pattern of hits, duets with June Carter-Cash and recently recorded material.

Backing Cash were regulars Bob Wootton (guitar), Dave Roe (bass), W. S. Holland (drums), Earl Poole Ball (piano) and John Carter-Cash (guitar).

There was a surprise midway through the show when Cash introduced Nick Lowe who joined him on stage to sing Without Love, a song written by Lowe and which Cash had included on his 1980 album Rockabilly Blues. 

A Cowboy's Prayer was the only track performed from Cash's American Recordings album while Unchained, his latest release, was represented by strong versions of Country Boy, I Never Picked Cotton, Unchained, Southern Accents and Soundgarden's Rusty Cage. The show ended with I Got Stripes before Cash returned to take his final bows.

Photograph (c) Dave Fagen

The full set-list of the show was: Folsom Prison Blues/(Ghost) Riders In The Sky/Get Rhythm/A Cowboy’s Prayer/These Hands/Country Boy/I Never Picked Cotton/Unchained/Ring Of Fire/Great Balls Of Fire (Earl Ball)/I Walk The Line/Guess Things Happen That Way/Without Love (with Nick Lowe)/Big River/Paradise (with John Carter-Cash)/Orange Blossom Special/Jackson (with June Carter-Cash)/If I Were A Carpenter (with June Carter-Cash)/Daddy Sang Bass/Far Side Banks Of Jordan (with June Carter-Cash)/Sunday Morning Coming Down/Southern Accent/Rusty Cage/The Wall-Long Black Veil/I Got Stripes 

Reviews were excellent with Douglas McPherson writing in Country Music People, "What do you expect of Johnny Cash these days? A tired cabaret routine? A tragic parody of former glories? A wrinkly shell living on his name? Forget it. From the moment JC sauntered on stage it was clear he Man in Black was far from ready for retirement." He went on to say, " He has seen his share of ill health but his step had the spring of a man who, in his own words, was 'feeling good' again."

In his review Chris Marlowe wrote, "Watch and learn, aspiring musicians everywhere, because this is how it should be done. Johnny Cash has it all - paternal gravitas, songs that capture essential truths in less than five minutes, a voice as dark and sweet as molasses, and a glint in his eye that promises his demons aren't quite tamed."

The concert was one of the best I had ever seen, and I had been to more than ten Johnny Cash concerts since my first in March 1979.

But what happened before the show will remain one of the highlights of my career. Arriving early to the Royal Albert Hall we were met by Joe O'Neil, from American Recordings, who took us backstage where we met Johnny Cash. I thought I would be more nervous but from the moment he first said hello any worries I had disappeared. We chatted for a few minutes before he had to head back to prepare for the show.

One of the kindest and sincerest artists I have ever met and his comments about the Fanzine. my work and his kindness shown to both Carole and I will stay with me forever.

He was kind enough to not only sign a photo for Carole and I but also pose for a photo holding a copy of the Fanzine. Both of these take pride of place in my home office.

Photograph (c) Dave Fagen

We also had the chance to meet up with Bob Wootton and Earl Poole Ball, both of whom I had previously interviewed for the Fanzine. Once again they were so kind and happy to take time to chat and have a photo taken with us.

Photograph (c) Dave Fagen

Although we didn't get the opportunity to have a photo taken with them, we did get the chance to say a brief hello to June Carter-Cash and John Carter-Cash.

An incredible night and meeting John, June, Bob and Earl only made the evening even more special.

As I mentioned in my opening paragraph I ran the Johnny Cash Fanzine for twenty-five years between 1994 and 2019 and covered every aspect of his incredible career including interviews with family members and those who worked with him over the years. All 93 issues are still available in PDF format and for more details please message me here or email me at peter.lewry@ntlworld.com

COLLECTING MUSIC & FILM MEMORABILIA

My love of music dates back to the early-seventies and over the fifty years that followed my music collection has gone from vinyl and cassettes to Compact Discs and, despite not being a great fan of the medium, digital downloads.

Anyone that knows me will know that I have a wide taste in music and listen to everything from rock 'n' roll to blues, country, Americana, country rock, pop and even jazz and orchestral. To be honest the only styles I am not interested in are rap and opera.

Just a few of my favourite artists are Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons, Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles and The Beach Boys, although this is only a small section of my music tastes.

I also enjoy films although my tastes are the films from the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s rather than the big blockbusters from the past few decades. However, there are still some favourites from the later years with Die Hard being top of my list. My favourite male and female movie stars all date back to the great days of Hollywood... James Stewart and Gene Tierney. You can read more about Gene Tierney here on my blog in the article Gene Tierney - Hollywood Beauty.

Although not an avid collector who has to have everything, I do collect items of music and film memorabilia including promo CDs, press photos, sheet music, lobby cards and press books. A few items from my collection are pictured below.

This brings me to books on collecting music and film memorabilia of which I have several in my library including The Lyle Price Guide - Film & Rock 'n' Roll Collectables by Tony Curtis,  The Elvis Collector - An Introductory Guide To Collecting UK Film Memorabilia 1956-1977 and The Elvis Collector - An Introductory Guide To Collecting UK Memorabilia 1956-1977 the latter two compiled and written by Harry Carrigan.

I recently received three books from Schiffer Publishing which cover Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Sheet Music from the 1960s, all three of which are reviewed below.

Elvis Presley Memorabilia - An Unauthorized Collectors Guide (Sean O'Neil) (Schiffer Publishing 2001 - ISBN 0-7643-1382-7) 

Following a brief introduction which covers prices and counterfeit items the 160-page book is split into seven chapters which cover Elvis' career - Elvis In Concert, Elvis Presley Enterprises and Novelty Items, Sun Records and RCA Victor Records, Magazines, The Movies, One-of-a-Kind and Autographs, Photos and Other Paper. Each chapter opens with a short introduction.

The Concert section features early press ads, photo albums that were sold at the concerts, ticket stubs and much more. Moving into the seventies there are more ads and souvenir photo albums, a few which I still have in my own collection.

The items produced by Elvis Enterprises ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous with record cases, photo cards and record players to jewellery and even  'I Like Elvis' and 'I Hate Elvis' badges, the Colonel certainly catered for both camps.

The Records section was of special interest to me as I love the old RCA ads and various sheet music featured.

Of the remaining sections there are various magazines from the 1950s through to the 1970s, movie posters, lobby cards and advertising, rare items that don't fit in any other part of the book, so are given their own chapter and finally some festive items. Christmas was a special time for Elvis and every year the Colonel produced a postcard, some classy and others less so... Elvis in a jumpsuit by a Christmas tree!

The book is beautifully produced, with mostly colour illustrations and includes a brief description of each item along with the then current values.

The Beatles Yesterday & Tomorrow - A Collector's Guide To Beatles Memorabilia (Courtney McWilliams) (Schiffer Publishing 1999 - ISBN 0-7643-0852-1) 

A preface explaining condition of memorabilia and an introduction that covers the early days of the group in Liverpool and Hamburg is followed by nine chapters covering various areas of collecting. Over 210-pages  the book covers - Vintage Beatles, All Movie Memorabilia, Fan Club Memorabilia, Jewellery, The Beatles As Art, Music Mediums, Ephemera, Solo Efforts and Something New.

Following the same format as the Elvis book this is a treasure trove of Beatles memorabilia, beautifully illustrated with an introduction to each chapter and every item has a brief description and guide to value.

I really enjoyed the sections on the movies with all the posters, lobby cards, press ads and stills. The records section includes the well known UK releases but also the albums released on Capitol in America, Beatles '65, The Early Beatles and Beatles VI. The infamous 'Butcher Cover' which was originally planned to be the cover of the Capitol album The Beatles Yesterday and Today is also included. One of the rarest Beatles items that nowadays is almost impossible to find and is worth at least the $6,000 - $12,000 value quoted for a copy in mint condition.

Like Elvis Presley there are items that fall into the same category... from the sublime to the ridiculous. Beatles wigs, masks, lunch boxes, thermos flasks and, depending who your favourite band members was, badges with 'I Love Paul', 'I Love John', 'I Love George' and 'I Love Ringo'. I couldn't see any 'I Hate The Beatles' badges and maybe none were ever produced.

A chapter on their solo work seems to devote more pages to John Lennon than Paul, George or Ringo which is had to understand when you look at the amount of solo work released by the other three ex-Beatles.

The final chapter, Something New, covers some of the more recent items available and those issued after the break-up in the 1970s.

Collecting Rock 'n' Roll Sheet Music Of The 1960s  (Valerie Carallo) (Schiffer Publishing 2006 - ISBN 0-7643-2373-3) 

Split over 176-pages this book includes an introduction which explains what sheet music is, the differences between USA, UK and Australian sheet music and value and condition. The book then covers seven different genres of music - Twist and Shout (The Beatles), Wipe Out (Surf and Folk), Psychotic Reaction (Garage, Hard Rock and Psychedelia), Lightnin' Strikes (Pop and Rock), Going To A Go-Go (R&B, Soul and Motown), Catch Us If You Can (The British Invasion) and Thank U Very Much (Bubblegum, Girl Groups, Novelty Songs etc).

I particularly enjoyed the chapter on The Beatles with many great cover images and designs including those for Ask Me Why, A Day In The Life, Till There Was You, Girl and Back In The U.S.S.R. A few foreign items are displayed... Tu Mano Cogere (I Want To Hold Your Hand) from Spain, Elle (Il) T'Auime (She Loves You) from France and the German issue of Twist im Blut (Twist And Shout).

Many of my favourite artists are covered in the book with The Beach Boys featured heavily with Sloop John B, Dance Dance Dance, The Man With All The Toys, God Only Knows and my personal favourite sheet music cover from the group, Surfer Girl.

With over 600 illustrations there are too many to cover in this review. However, besides those already mentioned these are just a few of my personal favourites... Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (Bob Dylan), Mrs Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel), I'm A Boy (The Who), These Boots Are Made For Walking (Nancy Sinatra), Alternate Title (The Monkees), A Boy Named Sue (Johnny Cash) and Ode To Billy Joe (Bobbie Gentry). The latter has the title misspelled as the title is actually Ode To Billie Joe.

Being a big fan of Linda Ronstadt I couldn't end this review without mentioning the inclusion of Different Drum by The Stone Poneys which features the lovely Linda on the cover.

Many of those, me included, who collect sheet music are not buying them because they can read music but because of the images featured on the covers many of which were rare and differed from the image featured on the 45rpm single. 

Like the Elvis and Beatles books this one is beautifully produced, illustrated in full colour and printed on high quality, glossy paper. Each chapter has a brief introduction and, like the previous books, includes a description of each item featured along with a guide to the value.

I really enjoyed going through these books and seeing the amount of items that were produced with the names Elvis Presley and The Beatles, some tacky and some very collectable. I wonder how many of the items have survived in their original packaging and in mint condition. Likewise, the sheet music book, was a fascinating insight into what is still a very collectable market.

Although all three books were originally published between 1998 and 2006 they can still be found on various sites on the internet and if you are like me and find this kind of information fascinating then I recommend checking them out.

With thanks to Victoria Hansen at Schiffer Publishing Ltd for providing copies of the books for this article.

DUNKIRK AND FORTRESS EUROPE

I recently went on my fourth Leger Battlefield Tour and this time it was to visit Dunkirk and the various rocket launch sites in the area.

Following the coach trip from home to Dover, the ferry crossing and the short journey to our hotel in Lo, a borough of the Belgian municipality Lo-Reninge, it was time for dinner, a refreshing pint and then a nights sleep before our busy schedule began.

Our second day looked at the fighting during the Battle of France in May 1940 and our first stop was in Saint Venant. It was here that we were told the story of the Durham Light Infantry and The Royal Welch Fusiliers .

Following Hitler's invasion of France on 10 May it was only a matter of a few days before his Panzer Divisions had moved through Northern France towards the coast. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and French Army were trapped in a pocket and were forced to retreat to Dunkirk.

Forced back towards the coast they formed a perimeter along the canals and both the Royal Welch Fusiliers and Durham Light Infantry were ordered to defend and hold Robecq, Saint Floris and Saint Venant.

This first stop was an opportunity to see the canal area at Saint Venant defended by the Royal Welch Fusiliers and Durham Light Infantry and the memorial. We also visited the Communal Cemetery where many of those killed in Saint Venant are buried.

Moving on to Cassel Hill we examined the last stand of the Gloucestershire Regiment and the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. They had reached Cassel on 25th May and were ordered to hold the western and eastern halves of the town. The plan was to hold the line to allow the BEF to be evacuated from the Dunkirk beaches.

Despite early success in holding the Germans back, continuous heavy air and ground attacks reduced much of the town to ruins. Most of the regiments men were either killed or taken prisoner. However, they had succeeded in delaying the German advance giving the troops in Dunkirk the much needed time to get off the beaches.

Following lunch in Cassel it was time to move on and our visits to Le Paradis and Wormhoudt, where two massacres took place, were the saddest parts of the whole trip.

At the end of May the Royal Norfolk Regiment were protecting the Battalion headquarters at Duries Farm in Le Paradis and the close hamlets of Le-Cornet Malo and Riez-du-Vinage. 

On 27 May, outnumbered, isolated from the rest of their unit and low on ammunition the 99 men, under the command of Major Lisle Ryder, surrendered. Stepping out with a white flag, German SS Officer Fritz Knoechlein ordered that they were stripped of their weapons and marched to another building at Creton Farm. They were lined up against the wall of a barn and two machine gunners opened fire followed by bayoneting and pistol shots to finish of any soldiers still alive.

Left for dead the Germans were unaware that there were two survivors, Privates William O'Callaghan and Albert Pooley. They managed to crawl towards a pig-sty where they survived for three days before being found by the owners of the farm but were eventually captured and taken prisoner.

Albert Pooley was repatriated and returned to England while O'Callaghan remained a prisoner until the end of the war.

In October 1948 both Pooley and O'Callaghan gave evidence in the trial of Fritz Knoechlein who was found guilty of war crimes and sentenced to death by hanging in January 1949. 

Major Ryder was killed on 2 October 1940 and was buried at Le Paradis Cemetery and, following our visit to the farm, we had the opportunity to visit his grave during the trip.

This was not the only atrocity committed by the SS as, on the day after the Le Paradis massacre, 80 men were killed at Wormhoudt.

As part of the BEF retreat to Dunkirk the 48th Division was defending the road which ran from Bergues through Cassel and Hazebrouck to slow down the German advance. At Wormhoudt they were finally outnumbered and with little or no ammunition, surrendered. Rightly so, they assumed they would be taken prisoner according to the Geneva Convention. However, this was not the case.

Following the surrender, soldiers from the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Cheshire Regiment and Royal Artillery were taken to a barn near Wormhoudt. Concerns were raised during the trip as to the SS conduct which included shooting some of the wounded stragglers. When they arrived at the barn Captain James Lynn-Allen protested but to no avail.

With almost 100 men crammed into the barn soldiers from the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, threw grenades into the barn. Many were killed instantly, but many survived this first attack when Sergeant Stanley Moore and CSM Augustus Jennings threw themselves onto the grenades to protect their comrades. Realising this the SS ordered five at a time to leave the barn where they were then shot. Deciding it was too slow they eventually just opened fire on the barn killing 80 men. A few managed to escape but were eventually captured and taken prisoner.

Hauptsturmfuhrer Wilhelm Mohnke was in command but never faced trial, claiming he had nothing to do with the massacre.

Following the emotional visits to Le Paradis and Wormhoudt it was time to head back to Dunkirk. Bastion 32 was the headquarters of the French and Allied forces during the fighting in and around Dunkirk and during Operation Dynamo (the codename for the evacuation). It is now the Dunkirk War Museum we had the chance to spend a couple of hours looking around.

The museum houses a fascinating collection of uniforms, weapons, models, maps and photographs. Well laid out and with information boards it increased the understanding of what had happened during those dark days in May and June 1940. There was so much to see and photograph.

The day closed with a walk along the East Mole in Dunkirk harbour. The structure allowed ships to moor against the side and allow troops to board and return to England. Despite heavy bombing which destroyed much of the harbour it was from this important structure that 239,465 British and French troops were evacuated back to England. 

From the end of the East Mole you could look across and into the distance and see the beaches of Bray Dunes where more troops were evacuated and also see the remains of ships on the beach.

An early start on day three found us back in Dunkirk and a visit to the Dunkirk War Cemetery and Dunkirk Memorial. Unveiled in June 1957 the memorial stands at the entrance to the Commonwealth War Graves section of the Dunkirk Cemetery. 

The memorial commemorates the 4,505 missing of the BEF and features memorial panels and a shrine with an engraved glass pane which was designed by John Hutton and showed scenes of the evacuation. The Cemetery also has sections of First World War and Second World War graves. 

Moving a short way along the coast we stopped at Bray Dunes where we learned more about the evacuation and the 'little ships' that will forever be associated with the evacuation. It was from these beaches that 98,761 troops were evacuated.

There was time to walk along the beach and looking at the peaceful scene and families playing on the beach it was almost impossible to imagine what it must have been like back in 1940 when the beach was covered with troops waiting to board the 'little ships' and wrecked vehicles, discarded guns and other items strewn across the beach.

Unfortunately the tide was in so it was not possible to see the wreck of the two ships that were sunk by German air attacks, The Crested Eagle and The Devonia, which remain on the beach as a reminder of what happened over those few days in May.

Following lunch in St. Omer it was time to start looking at the history of the German V-weapon sites. Our first stop was at Eperlecques where we took a look around the massive Blockhaus.

Work began on building the V2 launch site at Eperlecques in March 1943. Used to construct and launch the V2 rocket it was planned to launch up to 36 rockets a day. Bombing by the allies between August 1943 and August 1944 prevented the German using the facility to launch the V2s.

Now preserved as a museum that presents the history of the site and V-Weapons programme it was interesting to walk around the site, much of which still remains. As you walk around the site you can't but be impressed by the structure and as you continue the walk you can see inside where images of a V2 give you an idea of what it would have been like had it been used as a launch site. 

Outside there is a V1 on its launch ramp and a V2 and throughout the site are other items of military interest.

Near Morbecque, and hidden in some woods, was the site of another V1 ski-ramp launch site. Although only various ruins remains it was an interesting walk through the woods where various structures stood.

The original launch ramp no longer exists but you could see where it once stood as the banked earth, trees and remaining brickwork are an indication.

In the evening I took the optional tour to Ypres for the Last Post Ceremony. Held at the Menin Gate the ceremony has taken place every night at 8pm since 1928, with the exception of the six years between 1939-1945. I had attended the ceremony back in 2015 during a previous tour and it was good to be among the hundreds of people who had once again, like every night, congregated around the Menin Gate to witness this emotional event.

Unfortunately due to work being undertaken there was scaffold around the Menin Gate which prevented you from seeing what an impressive structure it is. Fortunately last time I was there I managed to see it in all its glory.

Day four began on the Belgian coast at Raversijde where we visited a section of the Atlantic Wall. Originally the World War One Aachen Battery it was turned into a section of the wall by the Germans in World War Two. The Atlantic Wall stretched for more than 2,000 miles from the Spanish border to the tip of Norway.

Now a museum, you can walk through the many tunnels and bunkers viewing the original fortifications, trenches along with displays of uniforms and equipment used by those who occupied the defences.

A brief stop for some lunch then it was across the border into France for a visit to the Batterie Todt. Another impressive structure that was part of a series of four massive gun casemates or Turns as they were known.

Our visit was to Turn 1 which houses a museum with a detailed history of the Batterie Todt. This series of casements was named after Fritz Todt who was the Reich Minister of Munitions and head of Organisation Todt, a civil and military engineering group. 

The batterie housed a 380mm calibre gun built by Krupp that was capable of a range of up to 55 kilometres, well within the reach of the British coast.

Inside you can view where the gun was located along with various military items on the three levels.

The site is also the permanent home of a Krupp K5 280mm railway gun. A second gun is preserved at the United States Army Ordnance Museum in Petersburg, Virginia.

Having already seen the V1 and V2 launch sites at Eperlecques and Morbecque it was now time to visit the V3 super-gun system at Mimoyecques. Consisting of a network of tunnels constructed under a chalk hill with inclines to launch the rocket it was intended to launch up to a hundred missiles a day on London, only 168km away.

Although never fired in anger as the site was bombed by the allies with Tallboy bombs on 6 July 1944 you could still walk through the tunnels built to house this incredible weapon.

Our day ended with a look at the liberation of the coastal region in Northern France during September 1944 and a visit to the Calais Canadian Cemetery.

Our guide pointed out several graves of interest and one was unusual in the fact that the inscription listed the full name, Margaret Campbell of the Women's Auxiliary Airforce, which I believe is one of the few graves in any of the commonwealth cemeteries that has the full name. Other graves always showed the initials and surname only.

It was an early start on our final day for the drive back to Calais and our journey home. Our guide had one more visit planned, which was not on the original itinerary.

Earlier in the tour we were told the story of Major Angus McCorquodale and Lieutenant Jimmy Langley, of the Coldstream Guards, who were defending the Dunkirk perimeter. A Border Regiment officer informed McCorquodale that he was going to pull back and that the right flank would be exposed. Told to get back into line and fight he replied that he had no right to tell him what to do as he had been ordered to retreat. McCorquodale pointed to a tree and informed him that if he or any of his men passed it he would order his men to shoot. Langley was told to pick up a rifle and ordered to shoot the officer if he passed the tree. Later the Border Regiment officer was seen passing the tree and apparently both McCorquodale and Langley both fired and the officer fell to the ground. 

Angus McCorquodale, who was killed on I June 1940, is buried at Warhem Cemetery and we had the opportunity to visit his grave and hear more about the story.

Another informative, enjoyable and at times very sad and emotional tour that I am pleased I went on.

This article only covers my trip and a brief overview of events in and around Dunkirk in May and June 1940. There are many books, DVDs and on-line sites that give a more detailed account and are worth checking out.

I have already booked another for next year, once again with my good friend Brian, and will be visiting and travelling on the steam railways that ran on the Somme during World War One.

I met a great group of people on the Dunkirk and Fortress Europe tour and especially want to mention Heather, Helen, Ellen, Ruth, David, Margaret and Colin. I must also thank the two John's whose company I enjoyed every evening in the village or hotel bar enjoying a few pints of beer, and on one evening, enjoying watching the hundreds of people who filled the towns square for what is apparently a yearly event... a fair, music and an impressive firework display!

Finally thanks go to our knowledgeable tour guide Niall Cherry and our excellent drivers Anthea and Steve.