Gram Parsons. Hype or Legend?

Sweetheart of the Rodeo, The Flying Burrito Brothers, GP, Grievous Angel, and a BIG influence on the "Sticky Fingers"-era Stones...and the inspiration for The Eagles' song "My Man"...



Gram Parsons...hype or legend?

...and I hadn't heard "Codine" before, which was exceptionally tasty...thanks for posting.

Just in these two tracks, you can hear all KINDS of ripple effects...the "Stella Blue-isms" of "She," for starters...

This one is my personal favorite from "Grievous Angel": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2LtJ7AKUrc

I had the pleasure of front-row seats for Emmylou at the Circle Star Theater in San Carlos on her "Elite Hotel" tour. "Front row" at Circle Star meant that you were about 8 feet from the edge of the revolving stage. Joan Baez was a surprise guest and joined her for a couple of songs.

:toast:

Thank you!

to mention the rest of his songbook.

Grand Theft Parsons.










markO8)

profound stylistic influence, but the notion that he "invented country-rock" is ridiculous

...Rick Nelson and Mike Nesmith, as well as others, but the real title is split between Johnny Cash...who was always a rock star who sang country tunes, no matter how you slice it, and Buck Owens, a Country star who loved to rock.

Buck, in particular, took a lot of heat from the "Nashville establishment" over how much rock had found its way into his "sound." A deeply contrite Buck took out a full page in one of the local papers and penned an apology, promising that from not on, it would be nothing but "real" country music.

His next single was a cover version of "Johnny B. Goode."

I'm tempted to throw John Hartford somewhere in the mix, simply because he was so damned influential, but there really wasn't any rock in his music at all. A lot of bluegrass, a lot of country, and the "alt-country" attitude that popped up later in bands like Wilco.

To get an idea of how much Hartford influenced Nesmith, take a look at the cover of "Areo-Plain" (September 1971)...



...and Nesmith's "Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash" (March 1973)...



The comparisons don't end there, either...Nesmith's version of "Uncle Pen" on the "Ranch Stash" album rips a page right out of the Hartford playbook.

Parsons was basically the bridge between Buck Owens and all of the other Nudie Suit-wearing, chip on the shoulder Country good ole boys and Chuck Berry-based rockers like The Stones. Parsons brought attitude and stance. Most people think "Wild Horses" when looking for the Stones-Parsons connection, but you can also hear it in tracks like "Sway."

:toast:

But you would be hard pressed to find many in his old stomping grounds (outside of local musicians) who have even heard of him. According to some who knew/met him on his trips back to the Hell known as central Florida (where I grew up) Cecil was somewhat an arsehole. The locals may have been jealous of the rich kid but there's no denying his influence.

last day/night.
I have a shack out there.
These photos are from the yard at the Joshua Tree Inn.
dc
<a href="" target="_blank"><img src="" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="" target="_blank"><img src="" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>