The Legend That Is Gram Parsons
If you like the Rolling Stones and the Eagles you should tip your hat to Gram...
September 19, 1973
It was 51 years-ago today that the incredibly influential Gram Parsons, a 26-year-old folk and country-rock pioneer, died of a drug overdose in Room Eight of the Joshua Tree Inn, located just outside the Joshua Tree National Park in southern California. Never well-known by the general public during his lifetime, Parsons’ music nonetheless helped define the country-rock sound of the 1970’s.
Bernie Leadon, future founding member of the Eagles played in the Parsons led band The Flying Burrito Brothers, and his friendship with Keith Richards completely changed the direction of the Rolling Stones musically. Just take a listen to songs like Dead Flowers, Honky Tonk Women, You’ve Got the Silver, and most famously Wild Horses and you will be tipping your hat to honor the one and only Gram Parsons. His influence on the Keith Richard’s song Wild Horses was such that Parsons recorded the song, with permission from the Rolling Stones, before the band ever recorded their own version. How’s that for influence?
But, as with many artists, there was a dark side to his life. Parsons struggled with drugs, depression, and alcohol, as did both of his parents. Born in Winter Haven, Florida but reared in Waycross, Georgia, Parsons was christened Ingram Cecil Connor III, but his father shortened his first name to Gram almost at birth. While his childhood must have seemed idyllic from the outside, his mother was regularly treated for mental disorders and both parents were alcoholic. The most stabilizing aspect of Parson’s life was his maternal grandfather, John A. Snively, a wealthy and politically connected gentleman who controlled a third of the Florida citrus market. The Snively family was old money, and that wealth is what allowed Gram to have the freedom to do his own thing.
Parsons was twelve when his father committed suicide, and as a means of escape the youngster learned to play guitar. Playing around Waycross during his teens, he became well known and quite popular. His mother remarried and that’s how he came to have the name Parson, another element of the young boy’s life that must have been confusing. On the day he graduated from high school his mother died of liver failure related to alcohol poisoning. His remaining family used their influence to have Parsons admitted to Harvard University, but the emotionally damaged young man dropped out after only one semester, moving to California to pursue a career in music.
Finding Los Angeles to his liking, he quickly fell in with a host people connected to the L.A. music scene, befriending Byrds bassist Chris Hillman. He and Roger McGuinn found common ground almost immediately, and with the departure of David Crosby, Parsons was asked to join the band. The Byrds’ seminal album Sweetheart of the Rodeo showcased Parsons’ influence, and his desire to fuse country and rock ‘n roll. Unfortunately, the album did not find commercial appeal, and the Byrds eventually went their own way.
After leaving the Byrds, Parsons and Hillman founded the Flying Burrito Brothers, with future Eagle, Bernie Leadon playing guitar. Their first album The Gilded Palace of Sin was another effort that lacked commercial appeal, but was hugely influential to the artists of the day, especially the on the L.A. music scene. Eventually, Parsons turned his attention to a solo career and released two celebrated albums with the then-unknown Emmylou Harris singing backup. The pair had met in New York while Parsons was visiting. At the time Emmylou was just graduating from playing coffee shops and was trying get a solo career started. The Parsons and Harris duet “Love Hurts” is as good as it gets, and still rings fresh today.
The strangest twist in the life of Gram Parsons is the weird story after his death. Before his body could be flown south for burial, two friends stole his corpse from a local funeral home, then drove it to Joshua Tree National Park. There, in a strange cremation ritual, they tried to burn it with gasoline. Seems that Parsons and his friends had made a drunken pact to be cremated inside the Joshua Tree National Park should one of them die, never giving any thought to details of the matter. After word leaked out concerning what had happened the body was located and his two friends were charged with petty theft, as the state of California had no laws on the books pertaining to the wilful desecration a corpse. I know, you can’t make this up.
After all the dust settled the legend of Gram Parsons only grew in the years following his death, and while technically two months shy of his 27th birthday, most writers and followers of popular culture include the legendary singer/songwriter as an honorary member of the “27 Club.” Now matter how he is remembered, Gram Parsons was One Of A Kind right to the very end. His famous Nudie suit and guitars are pictured above in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Meant to paste this link in yesterday but couldn't find it. This Emmylou and Gram singing "Love Hurts". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUr9X3mic_U