Gram Parsons

**Ingram Cecil Connor III** (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973), known professionally as **Gram Parsons**, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons recorded as a solo artist and with the International Submarine Band, the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers. He popularized what he called "Cosmic American Music", a hybrid of country, rhythm and blues, soul, folk, and rock.

Parsons was born in Winter Haven, Florida and developed an interest in country music while attending Harvard University. He founded the International Submarine Band in 1966, but the group disbanded prior to the 1968 release of its debut album, Safe at Home. Parsons joined The Byrds in early 1968 and played a pivotal role in the making of the seminal Sweetheart of the Rodeo album. After leaving the group in late 1968, Parsons and fellow Byrd Chris Hillman formed The Flying Burrito Brothers in 1969; the band released its debut, The Gilded Palace of Sin, the same year. The album was well received but failed commercially. After a sloppy cross-country tour, the band hastily recorded Burrito Deluxe. Parsons was fired from the band before the album's release in early 1970. Emmylou Harris assisted him on vocals for his first solo record, GP, released in 1973. Although it received enthusiastic reviews, the release failed to chart. His next album, Grievous Angel, peaked at number 195 on the Billboard chart. His health deteriorated due to several years of drug abuse and he died in 1973 at the age of 26.

Parsons's relatively short career was described by AllMusic as "enormously influential" for country and rock, "blending the two genres to the point that they became indistinguishable from each other." He has been credited with helping to found the country rock and alt-country genres. His posthumous honors include the Americana Music Association "President's Award" for 2003 and a ranking at No. 87 on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time."

## Links to Kershaw

Kershaw was an admirer of the work of Gram Parsons, who wrote one of Kershaw's favourite Byrd songs, One Hundred Years From Now. He also nominated Gram's track, Return Of The Grievous Angel, which featured Emmylou Harris, as his Desert Island Discs in 2007, dedicating to his girlfriend at that time, Juliette Banner.

## Shows Played

1986
* 04 November 1986 (John Peel): Return Of The Grievous Angel (LP - Gram Parsons) Warner Bros.

1994
* 26 March 1994: Still Feeling Blue

1997
* 15 December 1997: Return Of The Grievous Angel (CD - GP/Grievous Angel) Reprise

1999
* 21 January 1999: One Hundred Years From Now (Rehearsal Take 2) (CD - Sweetheart Of The Rodeo) Columbia
* 22 July 1999: Return Of The Grievous Angel (CD - Return Of The Grievous Angel) Alm

2000
* 25 May 2000: We'll Sweep Out The Ashes In The Morning (CD - GP / Grievous Angel) Reprise

2004
* 21 November 2004: We'll Sweep Out The Ashes In The Morning (LP - GP) Reprise

2007
* Desert Island Discs: Return Of The Grievous Angel (CD - GP / Grievous Angel) Reprise

2022
* Andy Kershaw Podcast Episode 14: We'll Sweep Out The Ashes In The Morning (album - GP) Reprise

## External Links

* Wikipedia
* Discogs