Gram Parsons - The Early Years
July 22nd, 2009. Published under Music. No Comments.
I absolutely love the music of Cecil Ingram Connor III. Who? Maybe if I gave you his stage name you would recognize this legendary “Live fast die young” singer who is credited with helping to found the “Country Rock” genre of music. Yes, Cecil’s mom married a guy called Bob Parsons and Cecil became at first Cecil Parsons and then adopted the first name of Gram, as being just a little more acceptable in the rock community.
With a rather strange family background involving his real father’s suicide, and his mother’s descent into alcoholism, it’s maybe not so surprising that Gram’s life was short although he packed into his time on Earth more than most people accomplish in three score years and ten.
Gram’s interest in music is rumored to have been kick-started by seeing Elvis Presley in concert, but his first ventures into the music scene were folk-tinged, with a group called “The Shilos” influenced by The Kingston Trio.
From there, after getting an interest in country music by going to a Merle Haggard concert, he and friends formed “The International Submarine Band” who issued the revered album “Safe At Home” featuring two well-known tracks written by Parsons, “Blue Eyes” and “Luxury Liner” later to be recorded by Emmylou Harris, with whom Parsons would form a wonderful musical partnership later in his brief life.
The International Submarine Band underwent numerous personnel changes including Parsons leaving them to collaborate with the magical Byrds. Roger McGuinn later insisted that Gram Parsons was never an official member of the band, and that he was merely hired to take part in the group’s legendary country rock album “Sweetheart Of The Rodeo”. His time with the group was filled with musical disagreements as he attempted to mould the Byrds into pure country-rock, and they soon parted company.
Parsons next venture was to form “The Flying Burrito Brothers” with the Byrds’ Chris Hillman - a group which included at various times Chris Ethridge, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Bernie Leadon and many others. Like so much in Gram’s convoluted life, this group too had it’s complications, as “Flying Burrito Brothers” had also been the name of a band formed by the remaining members of the “International Submarine Band” and that group continued to tour, adding the word “East” to the name of the band!
The Burrito’s “Gilded Palace of Sin” is another seminal country rock album, revered by thousands, and included “Christine’s Tune (Devil In Disguise)” and “Hot Burrito #2″ later covered by Elvis Costello. The group opened for the Rolling Stones and Gram’s life took another strange turn when he formed a close relationship with Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, and claimed to have influenced their style of music.
The story of Gram’s later career and death with the kidnapping of his body has been well-documented, and indeed formed the story of a film starring Christina Applegate called “Grand Theft Parsons” so I won’t repeat that story here. Suffice it to say that the short life of this evocative singer who has influenced so many of today’s stars is more interesting than all the current crop of stars put together.
Bob Wilson writes extensively on music and TV for such sites as http://www.TunesOnTheTube.tv and http://www.TVSinger.com.