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Just watched a Doc on him...what a talent...shame how he went away sooo young years ago. Had tears watching it...
Member of The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, solo career...bizarre ending to such a promising future cut short by vice.
Phil Kaufman skated for what he did...$700 fine 1973 dollars...he would have done big time today for what he did with Grams' remains, it wasn't his place to do that...stupid selfish bastard...what a slack time then...slack time anytime if you think about the sanctity of life or death...
Wow! That was interesting. Does it have anything to do with U2's Joshua Tree?
I would not be surprised to hear that Parsons inspired it.
I can see U2 being intrigued by the actual Joshua Tree (biblical influence, spooky California desert) but also by the legend left behind by Parsons' sad, untimely departure, and what his friend did for him after he died.
Gram Parsons was a talented and influential young man. Hearing his voice and Emmlyou's together is like listening to a pair of country angels.
I have such a complicated relationship with country music.
To me, some of it feels so corny it makes me want to barf, some of it has such genuine feeling makes me practically swoon with joy.
Gram was on the swoony side.
Last edited by BlueWillowPlate; 07-27-2009 at 03:53 AM..
BWP raises a good point.To be sure, there ARE a lot of country songs out there that I just don't get. I just heard one on the local country station this morning; Billy Ray Cyrus singing Achy Breaky Heart. Argh!
There are country artists who kind of go "against the grain" of the basic Nashville formula of country super stardom. Roger Miller had more humor in his songs than country though he was VERY successful, particularly in the pop/rock charts in the 60's. He showed a serious side of himself when he signed with Columbia and I considered that part of his career VERY successful. He just didn't get credit for it.
Another is Mickey Newbury. Few people knew of him when he recorded with RCA but when "American Trilogy" was released by Elektra, the country establishment took notice. He never got the credit I felt he deserved, but some of the big names in Country knew his talent.
I consider Gram Parsons in that category. By the time he died in 1973, he was only starting to see what kind of new musical genre he had a big impact on. At that time they called it Country Rock. When you go to record stores now, they call it Alternative Country or Americana. With Parsons, I call it Cosmic Americana!
Gram's career started with a small group he had organized in the mid 60's called the Shilohs. Later, he switched directions and released an album as a kind of hippy folk.That lp, by the way, is a big dollar collectable amongst 60's music collectors. He helped form the International Submarine Band, and the album was released in that "hippy"year of 1968. (LHI-12001). The LH in the prefix stands for and is represented by a guy who knows something about singer-songwriting, the late Lee Hazlewood. During those recording sessions, he was approached by Chris Hillmen about being a member of the Byrds, at that time one of the major rock bands of the 1960's.
With the Byrds losing original member David Crosby, he played with the Byrds for a very short time, and the album Sweethearts of the Rodeo started the Country rock genre, and changed the Byrd's musical direction, the Byrds just did not know it at the time. When I think of the Byrds music, I think of "Turn Turn Turn" in the folk rock vein of their career and "Eight Miles High" as the Psychedelic movement kicked in. That all changed when this album hit the stores in the summer of 1968. And there is a lot of great material on the album, some of those songs being "Blue Canadian Rockies" and "Hickory Wind".As Parsons was not a full fledged member, Gram later founded The Flying Burrito Brothers, with Chris Hillmen leaving the Byrds and joining him. Two great session musicians signed on with them, bassist Chris Etheridge and "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow, probably the best pedal steel man going at the time.The Gilded Palace of Sin came out in 1969 and it took the country honky tonk, kind of Buck Owens/Merle Haggard "Bakersfield Country" sound a step further. The album (A&M SP-4175) was well received by critics though it didn't have any sort of a chart hit to promote it as am radio was still in its heyday, and it would be another year or two that fm radio would play their songs even though Hot Burrito was released in 1970.
During this time Parsons was SO into the drug scene that there was concern to whoever associated with him that he going off the deep end in a hurry, trying everything under the sun and wound up with a nasty heroin addiction. IMO, this was part of the reason for Parsons being asked to leave the band.
Maybe a year or so later, Parsons tried it again, and some tracks were laid down by producer Terry Melcher but at that time nothing became of them. Then in 1972 he signed with Reprise and released GP (Reprise MS-2023). Enter Emmy Lou Harris, who provided vocals on this album and Grievous Angel (Reprise MS-2171). Needless to say, she shortly established a great career for herself and Harris credits Gram for it). And these two albums are terrific recordings! Sadly, after getting straightened out, he got back into the drug scene and, after an overdose of mescaline and tequila, died.
Some of my favorite groups from the late 60's and early 70's are the Byrds, Poco, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Flying Burrito Brothers, Mason Profit, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, and others. They have Gram Parsons to thank for his efforts, his vision. As a matter of fact, Parsons befriended the Rolling Stones during the Flying Burrito period, and IMO the song "Country Honk" (off the Stones album Let it Bleed), was probably recorded with Gram in mind! Just my opinion!
I had the privilege to meet the members of Poco backstage after one of their concerts close to where I live a few years ago. Poco charter member Rusty Young spent his earlier years in the Grand Junction, Colorado area, and knew lots of people in the audience. It was common knowledge to most Poco fans that the song "Brass Buttons" off Crazy Eyes, Poco's sixth lp, was recorded by Gram Parsons earlier in the year. The title track was a dedication song of sorts to Gram from the band. As Crazy Eyes was issued around September (or so) of 1973, Parsons had passed away around the same time. Rusty talked to some of the people backstage regarding their recallings of Parsons.
Gram Parsons was a tortured soul, as Rusty put it. His family life was, um, not good. His Dad, after flying in a lot of key battles in World War II, took his own life a day away from Christmas in 1958. His Mom eventually died of cirrhosis of the liver, having had problems with alcohol for years. I remember Rusty reflecting on that. He also said Parsons contributions to music will always endure. And a lot of musicians in country rock bands have Gram Parsons to thank.
I agree.
Last edited by DOUBLE H; 07-27-2009 at 07:47 PM..
Reason: spelling, addition
You always have interesting info Double H. I'm going to have to check out more of the music you mentioned. What about U2's Joshua Tree? From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Joshua Tree Studio album by U2 Released 9 March 1987 (1987-03-09) Recorded July–November 1986 Windmill Lane Studios (Dublin, Ireland) Genre Rock, roots rock Length 50:11 Label Island 422-842298-1 Producer Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois Professional reviews * Allmusic 5/5 stars link * BBC Music (favourable) link * The Boston Globe (favourable) link * Robert Christgau (B) link * Q 5/5 stars link * Rolling Stone (favourable) 1987 2003 * Slant 4/5 stars link * Sputnikmusic 5/5 stars link * Time (favourable) link U2 chronology The Unforgettable Fire (1984) The Joshua Tree (1987) Rattle and Hum (1988) Singles from The Joshua Tree 1. "With or Without You" Released: March 1987 2. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" Released: May 1987 3. "Where the Streets Have No Name" Released: August 1987 4. "In God's Country" Released: November 1987 (North America only) 5. "One Tree Hill" Released: March 1988 (Australia and New Zealand only) The Joshua Tree is the fifth studio album by Irish rock band U2, released 9 March 1987 on Island Records. Recording took place from July to November 1986 at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin. The album features the band's exploration of roots rock, with their music exhibiting influences from blues-rock, folk rock, country music, and gospel music. Lyrically, The Joshua Tree depicts the band's fascination with America. The album was produced and engineered by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois.
Do you think U2 was giving a nod to Gram Parsons by naming their album Joshua Tree? They mentioned roots rock, blues, folk, rock and country. The Joshua Tree died in 2000. Look what I found. The Joshua Tree
Possibly. U-2 absolutely embraced America, its history, its major figures in its history. If memory serves they settled on the joshua tree for the album cover. The group just liked the look of it. The opinion I heard that it signified America as well as any other thing. It was just the previous year that U-2 released The Unforgettable Fire in 1984.
HH
I remember Rusty Young!
Nice and talented guy.
Saw him perform (in Colorado) at an outdoor party many, many years ago.
Did not meet him, though I did sort of hang around listening to him chitchat.
Those country rock days were a good time to be in Colorado, but it's so sad about Gram. I don't think you can die from mescaline and tequila (though you might end up in permanent mental orbit!). The Wiki page says he od'd on morphine and alcohol.
I don't suppose you met Timothy B Schmit when you met the guys from Poco?
I always had a crush on that guy.
I think maybe I already DM'd you my bit of gossip about a couple of country rock guys back in the old days?
Have any of you checked out the movie, Grand Theft Parsons?????
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