Gram Parsons: Grievous Icon
Cosmic American Music
When Gram Parsons was helping to invent Country-Rock in the late 1960s, it must have seemed that he had it all. Talented, intelligent, attractive to women, a trust fund supplied by the citrus empire owned by his mother’s family-surely the final jewel in his crown would be mainstream music success.
But he never made it.
There were darker undertones to Gram. Both of his parents were plagued by alcoholism and depression. Gram’s father committed suicide when Gram was 12. His mother died of cirrhosis the day before Gram graduated from a notable private high school.
Gram turned to music in the wake of his family’s dissolution, but even this passion was not enough to save him from the downward spiral of drug and alcohol addition that eventually cost him his life at age 26. He died in relative obscurity, leaving only questions about songs left unwritten.
His recording career only spanned about 8 years, but Gram’s restlessness caused him to record in several configurations during that time. He began as a folkie at age 16, but by age 20, he was leading the International Submarine Band, a fairly straightforward country band. Their only album, Safe at Home, featured roughly half covers, half Parsons originals. While it doesn’t compare with his later work, it was competent, and indicated that Gram had successfully made the transition from folk to country.
By age 21, he had a shot at a larger audience when he joined the Byrds for their seminal album Sweetheart of the Rodeo. This album is seen by many as the true birth of the Country-Rock hybrid, and Parsons was essential in moving the Folk-Rock pioneers in this new direction. However, contractual conflicts with his formal label meant that Gram only sang lead on three songs on the released album. Worse, disagreements between him and the rest of the band killed the promise of further collaboration. He was gone from the band by the time the album was released.
His next move was to form The Flying Burrito Brothers, with original Byrds bassist Chris Hillman, who had quit the group shortly after Gram left. Their debut album, The Gilded Palace of Sin, featured six Parsons/Hillman collaborations. It sold poorly, but was critically acclaimed as a key advance in the nascent development of Country-Rock.
By the second Burritos’ album, Burrito Deluxe, Gram’s erratic personality and increasing substance abuse had damaged the relationship with Hillman. Hillman wanted him gone, and Gram was ready to go. Officially, he was fired by Hillman after a gig in which Hillman would start a song, only to have Gram begin a different song, in a different key. Hillman sealed the departure by breaking Gram’s guitar.
Gram felt he was ready for a solo career. He had a record deal, and accordingly, sessions began in 1970, but soon failed with no masters released. No recordings from these sessions have materialized thus far.
Next, Gram had an idea that he might be able to record with Keith Richards. During his brief tenure with the Byrds, Gram and Keith had met, and proven to be simpatico, both in terms of substance abuse, and music. The Burritos had covered “Wild Horses” by the Rolling Stones on Burrito Deluxe, and Gram was prone to saying the Stones had written it for him, or he had inspired it. Whether this was true or not, a Parsons/Richards recording collaboration was never to be, although Gram accompanied the Stones on a 1971 UK tour, and there are claims that Gram sang backing vocals on some songs from the Stones’ 1972 album Exile on Main Street.
Although Chris Hillman had booted Gram from the Flying Burrito Brothers, he had one final contribution to make to Gram’s life. Sometime in 1971, he told Gram to go and listen to Emmylou Harris.
Like Gram, Emmylou Harris had started her career as a folkie, but unlike him, she had no trust fund and no record contract. She was singing in bars in the Washington, D.C. area when Gram went to see her. A connection which was both musical and personal was immediate, and Emmylou would be singing with Gram for the rest of his life.
Despite their bond, it would be fall of 1972 before Gram finally went in the studio to record his first solo album with Emmylou. Their backing band was largely borrowed from Elvis Presley’s TCB band, including the brilliant guitarist James Burton.
Their first recording, titled GP, was released in January 1973, and showed that Gram’s undisciplined lifestyle hadn’t stopped him from working on his art. Gram wrote or co-wrote 6 of the 11 cuts, and demonstrated that he was an artist deserving of stature. His voice cracking and breaking, he was able to convey emotion and pain well suited to songs titled “Still Feeling Blue”, and “How Much I’ve Lied”. While the album didn’t sell, most critics loved it, and those who did used superlatives in their praise.
Gram was said to hate the phrase “Country-Rock”. Instead, he proclaimed that the musical synthesis he was striving for should be called “Cosmic American Music”. For many fans, GP represents the lode-stone of Cosmic American Music.
Gram was never to release another album during his life. Misadventure with drugs and alcohol ended his time on earth just eight months after the release of GP. However, he left one last present for his fans.
Shortly before his death, in the summer of 1973, Gram, Emmylou and the band returned to the studio to record a follow-up to GP. These sessions were relatively disciplined by comparison with the GP sessions, which Gram had completed with great difficulty. Some material was new, some was several years old, but enough material was completed for a full album.
Grievous Angel was released in January 1974, four months after Gram’s death. Like its predecessor, it sold little, even though death had given him a somewhat higher profile. While some listeners found it less consistent than GP, it reached similar heights, and was well reviewed by critics. This was the other bookend to Gram’s Cosmic American Music.
Gram’s legacy grew slowly but consistently in the years after his death, championed by artists such as Emmylou Harris and Elvis Costello. In 1990, GP and Grievous Angel were released together on a single CD, making his best music readily accessible to a new generation of fans like me.
More recently, as Gram’s stature continues to grow, we have seen a feature film about the aftermath of his death, tribute albums, a musical theater production, and various festivals dedicated to his music. For some reason, he still doesn’t reside in the Country or Rock Hall of Fame. Hopefully, induction lies ahead.
Recommended cuts from his original albums:
International Submarine Band-Safe at Home: “Luxury Liner”, “Miller’s Cave”.
Byrds-Sweetheart of the Rodeo: “Hickory Wind”.
Flying Burrito Brothers: The Gilded Palace of Sin: “Christine’s Tune”, “Sin City”, Wheels”.
Flying Burrito Brothers: Burrito Deluxe: “High Fashion Queen”, “Cody, Cody”.
Gram Parsons: GP: “Still Feeling Blue”, “A Song For You”, “She”, “How Much I’ve Lied”.
Gram Parsons: Grievous Angel: “Return of the Grievous Angel”, “$1,000 Wedding”, “In My Hour of Darkness”.
