Parson's pioneering music

Star-studded tributes testify to his powerful rock legacy

Which American rock star rose to prominence in the 60s, then died a drug-related death in the early 70s? Your answer is likely one of the three Js - Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison or Janis Joplin. Well, another ill-fated artist who fits that category is Gram Parsons.
You may well be saying 'who?' He stayed largely off the mainstream radar, but Gram arguably has more influence on contemporary music now than any of his more famous peers. He has deservedly been credited as the founder of country-rock and the godfather of alt-country, and is only now getting the full recognition he so richly deserves.
A series of July Gram Parsons tribute concerts confirms that. Return To Sin City in Los Angeles on July 9 and 10 is headlined by Keith Richards, and features Steve Earle, Norah Jones, Dwight Yoakam, Lucinda Williams, John Doe (X), The Mavericks and Canadian Kathleen Edwards. Friends Keith and Gram shared a love of both country music and illicit drugs, and Parsons has been cited as a big influence on such Rolling Stones tracks as "Wild Horses" and "Dead Flowers."
Then, on July 17 and July 18 respectively, the Toronto and Ottawa Blues Festivals will feature a special performance tribute dedicated to the music of Gram Parsons. In Toronto, on the Theatre Stage, it features early sets by Sid Griffin, a country-rocker and author of a Parsons biography, and Toronto roots-rockers The Brothers Cosmoline. At 4:30 p.m., their leader, Dan Kershaw, joins Griffin and former Eagles member Bernie Leadon in a song circle. Leadon then does a solo set, followed by Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen. The grand finale comes at 9:30 p.m. when all these artists perform together, joined by such Canadian stars as Russell DeCarle (Prairie Oyster), Tom Wilson (Junkhouse, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings), Oh Susanna, and John Borra.
Hillman is the musician who worked most closely with Parsons on a pioneering fusion of country and rock 'n roll influences. He was a member of the already-famous The Byrds when the 21 year old Parsons joined in 1968. Gram instantly transformed both The Byrds and American music, leading the band into the seminal sounds of their classic Sweethearts Of The Rodeo. Parsons and Hillman then left the group to continue their trailblazing in The Flying Burrito Brothers.
Their 1969 debut, The Gilded Palace Of Sin, is another stone-cold classic, one featuring such great songs as "Sin City," "Juanita" (both co-written by Hillman and Parsons) and "Hot Burrito No. 1."
The following Burrito Deluxe didn't quite scale those artistic heights. Parsons' substance abuse intensified, and he was shown the door. Gram would live just three more years, but two solo albums would cement his reputation as a true musical visionary.
1972's GP and 1974's posthumously-released Grievous Angel still soundfresh and relevant. They are available as a single CD that's highly recommended as an introduction. It includes a duet between Gram and Emmylou Harris on the classic "Love Hurts", which gets this scribe's vote as the most moving, heart-wrenching song ever recorded. Country music queen Emmylou started out singing harmonies with Gram, and the two reportedly became lovers.
Gram's "live fast, die young" life ended on Sept. 19, 1973, in a motel room in the Mojave Desert, at Joshua Tree, California. He was just 26, and it was a drug-related death. In a bizarre incident that may be the subject of a feature film soon, his body was stolen from L.A. Airport by his road manager, Phil Kaufman, and, reportedly as part of a pact the two had made,cremated at the Joshua Tree National Monument.
The circumstances of his life and death have occasionally overshadowed Parsons' musical accomplishments. Toronto Bluesfest head Mark Monahan told Tandem that "our concert is about celebrating his music, not his lifestyle."
The Canadian tribute concerts have been organized by fan Michael Bate, formerly publisher of Frank. As he explains, "the music Parsons and The Flying Burrito Brothers created is still being performed 35 years later. Surely that's good music."
Hot Burrito! A Tribute To The Flying Burrito Brothers And Gram Parsons is part of Toronto Bluesfest, July 17 at Exhibition Place.

Publication Date: 2004-07-11
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=4160