Gram Parsons and Cosmic Country

Since the link for the website won't work, I thought I'd post just the words from my website. It's dense as hell though. 

"Gram Parsons, surprisingly, was not raised on country music. Being a boy from the deep south, this comes as a surprise. Instead, Gram was raised with what I like to call the other side of country music: folk music. As a child and teen, Gram practically emerged himself deep into the world of folk musicians like Pete Seeger, the Limeliters, The Kingston Trio, and Peter Paul and Mary. In fact, Gram knew barely anything about country music, only listening in on the radio for the Grand Ole Opry with his grandmother, something he claimed to do as a child during the Byrds’ fatal time on the Grand Ole Opry in March of 1968. Gram only first started listening to country music when he was a brief student at Harvard University in 1965. 

But before then, folk music was Gram’s scene. When Gram was only sixteen years old in 1963, he covered many traditional (Mary Don’t You Weep and Oh Didn’t They Crucify My Lord) and contemporary (I May Be Right and Bells of Rhymney) folk songs with his folk and bluegrass band The Shilos. With their brilliant work showcased on The Early Years: Vol 1 & 2, released posthumously in 1979, The Shilos consisted of Paul Surrat on banjo, Joe Kelly on upright bass, George Wrigley on acoustic guitar, Gram on vocals and acoustic guitar with all members singing background vocals. 

As a child, Gram bought every Elvis Presley record he could. At age nine, Gram attended an Elvis concert at the City Auditorium in Georgia. Gram had the honor of meeting Elvis, and in the definitive biography Hickory Wind by Rolling Stone editor Ben Fong-Torres, Gram is described as “...like a little girl when it came to Elvis. He was swept away. (31)”

When Gram was young, he would give concerts for his neighbors and friends on his family’s front porch. Gram would put on a 45 rpm single of Elvis’ and lip-sync to the music, shaking and dancing furiously as if he were really Elvis the Pelvis.

Between the rock ‘n’ roll of Elvis and the mellow folk of Peter Paul and Mary, Gram had a perfect formula for creating country rock later in his life.

Although I personally consider Gram Parsons to be the complete originator of country rock, there are a few others who could also be considered. 

Chris Hillman, a fellow band member of Gram’s, is one of these people. Chris joined the folk-rock group the Byrds in 1964, after quitting a locally renowned bluegrass group The Scottsville Squirrel Barkers (a prerequisite for full-swing country music). In some perspectives, Chris Hillman was responsible for creating the very first country rock song: Time Between, on the Byrds’ 1967 album Younger Than Yesterday. The song is accompanied by two other Hillman songs in the pop and psychedelic range: Have You Seen Her Face and Thoughts and Words, respectively. On the back of Chris’ autobiography (aptly titled Time Between), a Tom Petty quote reads “Chris was a true innovator - the man who invented country rock. Every time the Eagles board their private jet, Chris at least paid for the fuel.”

Michael Nesmith, famous because of his reign with the Monkees, is also highly regarded to be an innovator in country rock. Mike was born and raised in Texas, a proper country boy, and was part of several folk groups before auditioning for the teen idol group. Mike demonstrated his unique verse poetry before joining the Monkees, every once in a while performing country music with his folk groups. His folk music can be heard on early Monkee records, although he hadn’t personally ventured to country music quite yet. It wasn’t until summer 1967’s Headquarters that Mike demonstrated his ability in that genre. None of his country-esque demos made it onto the final cut of that definitive collection of songs, but the Headquarters Sessions album released in 2000 held takes, deep cuts, and demos of previously unreleased songs including one Nesmith composition called Nine Times Blue. Although just a demo, it was a preconceived masterpiece. The final cut of the song was featured on Nesmith’s debut 1970 solo album Magnetic South. Mike followed up with a few more country rock albums in the 1970s.

But the presence of the song on a 1967 album is significant, as it predates the release of Safe At Home by the International Submarine Band, Gram Parsons’ first professional band. The Headquarters Sessions were recorded in the summer of 1967, as early as May, while the recording for Safe At Home began in July 1967. However, the Byrds’ country rock song Time Between was released in February 1967 and was probably recorded in late 1966. In conclusion, it all comes down to the timeline. Safe At Home is widely considered to be the first country rock record ever made, and the band was formed in 1965 during Gram’s short period at Harvard. It’s safe to say that many of the songs on Safe At Home were conceived prior to its recording, perhaps even two years earlier in 1965. 

Neil Young was a part of the revolutionary folk-rock band Buffalo Springfield from 1965 to 1967. Buffalo Springfield is credited almost equally with launching the genre of folk-rock as the Byrds are. In 1967, Neil wrote a tune called I Am A Child, which has a mellow country sound, a sound that Neil would become known for on his legendary 1972 album Harvest. In the 1960s, it was unusual that mainstream musicians popular with the “teenyboppers”, such as the Springfield, would venture into an unpopular genre such as country music, which was widely considered to be strictly for old folks in the deep south. Buffalo Springfield’s last album in 1968 especially demonstrated each members’ aptitude towards country music. Buffalo Springfield birthed such bands as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young as well as legendary country rock band Poco, both formed in 1969. Also in ‘69, Neil released his self-titled debut album. The first track, which is, strangely enough, a deep cut, is a perfect example of country music on a rock album. The song is called The Emperor Of Wyoming and is an eccentric little gold-mine in the world of country rock. But Neil Young did not create the genre. He is perhaps one of the most well known country-rockers, with such hits as Heart Of Gold and Old Man, which are both from Harvest, but those were far after the conceiving of country rock. Later in the 1970s, Neil recorded another mellow country album called Homegrown, featuring Gram Parsons’ accompanist and future country-rocker Emmylou Harris. 

The Stone Poneys conceived the talent of Linda Ronstadt in 1967 with their self-titled debut. The album features country-fied songs like Wild About My Lovin’, Back Home, and Train and The River. The Stone Poneys received their first hit from the Michael Nesmith song Different Drum, perhaps proving further Nesmith’s country-competence. But still, Ronstadt doesn’t seem to ever receive the recognition she deserves in the way of country music. She had an astounding talent to turn pop songs into country songs. Perhaps the best example of this is her hit song You’re No Good, released in 1974. You’re No Good, unbeknownst to some, was actually a cover of a pop song by the Swinging Blue Jeans who made a hit out of it a decade prior. Linda’s mainstream country-rock work was immediate contemporaries with other musicians exploring the genre, making it more difficult to distinguish who actually premiered it. However, it's safe to say future country rockers were standing on the shoulders of Linda Ronstadt.

Although the Eagles shouldn’t be on this list, as their debut record was released in the ripe year of 1972, there is an individual Eagle who should be. Bernie Leadon, although not the originator, was involved in the origin. Bernie joined Gram Parsons’ and Chris Hillman’s band the Flying Burrito Brothers shortly after the Burritos released their own debut. After the Burrito drama, Bernie joined the Eagles. Bernie took what he learned in the country rock environment of the Burritos and transferred it into the Eagles.

Chris Hillman’s fellow Byrd, Gene Clark, was a major innovator in the genre of country rock. Gene Clark left the Byrds in 1966 and created a commercial failure of an album with the Gosdin Brothers Vern and Rex. The Gosdin Brothers had actually previously joined Chris Hillman in the Los Angeles bluegrass group The Golden State Boys. The album, Gene Clark With the Gosdin Brothers, failed to hit any charts as it was released the same month as the Byrds’ Younger Than Yesterday in February 1967 and ultimately lived in the shadow of the pop album. Many sources label it as country rock, making it one of the earliest instances of the genre. The album included many esteemed session musicians such as Glen Campbell, Jim Gordon, Leon Russel, and Doug Dillard as well as other members of the Byrds. The rest of Gene’s albums fall after the creation of country rock, but are still held in high regard in the context of the genre.

Perhaps the most important country artist born in the previously mentioned Buffalo Springfield, Richie Furay went on to form Poco in 1969 with fellow Springfielder Jim Messina (Loggins & Messina), future Eagle Randy Meisner, pedal steel player Rusty Young, and drummer George Grantham. With their first album Pickin’ Up The Pieces released in 1969, they created a hip, upbeat, country sound with many rock elements. Richie went on to form the Souther Hillman Furay Band with J.D. Souther (who worked with Eagles and Linda Ronstadt) and Chris Hillman. 

Absurdly, Gram Parsons remains strangely responsible for many of these things, specifically all that the Springfield gets credit for. Gram was a friend of Richie Furay when they were both involved in Greenwich Village’s thriving folk scene. Richie was on the fence about joining Buffalo Springfield. Richie’s friend Stephen Stills (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Manassas) invited Richie to join the Springfield while it was in its infancy. Richie had already experienced Stephen as a musician in the Village folk band the Au-Go-Go Singers back in 1964. Richie was not going to take up Stills’ invitation until Gram Parsons stopped him and encouraged him to join. In a roundabout way, this makes Gram even more responsible for everything that followed. 

Gram’s mother’s side, the Snivelys, owned three quarters of every citrus orchard in Florida and Georgia. Snively Groves, as it was called, began with Floridian John Andrew Snively (Gram’s grandfather) in the early 1950s. To say the very least, the Snivelys were one of the richest families in all of Florida and Georgia, and this trickled down to the rest of the family. 

Gram (who was Gram Connor before his stepdad adopted him and his sister) was always the rich kid. Gram’s elementary school friend Dickey Smith witnessed Gram’s wealth first-hand. In Hickory Wind, author Ben Fong-Torres reports experiences Dickey had as Gram’s friend: “He’d watch Gram shopping for toys by the shelfload, piling purchases into a Cadillac, and roaring away. (29)”

Bob Parsons, Gram’s stepfather, was always financially supportive of Gram’s dreams to the point that he invested in building a smaller, branched-off section of their house just for his stepson. It included a small room for Gram’s musical endeavors, such as his instruments and a place to record music. Also at home, Gram had a small collection of Go-Karts for him and his friends.

In another effort to win Gram over, Bob Parsons also bought a downtown warehouse for Gram to showcase his talent. It was a medieval tavern styled venue called the Derry Down, presumably after Pete Seeger’s famous use of the adlib. The venue also doubled as a restaurant, and some of the menu items included Derryburgers and Downdogs, with drinks called names like Falstaff and Hotspur. Gram said to a local newspaper, “We were really going to go old English, but the trouble is nobody here understands it. Even Hotspur is pretty far out for Winter Haven.”

The location became a regional hit as a target for traveling groups as well as for local musicians looking for recognition. It became a popular teen destination in Winter Haven, Florida. The Derry Down, which still stands, allowed Gram to show off his talents, practice them, as well as learn the value of them. Gram always wanted to be a star, and his stepfather had plainly given him the opportunity to start.

As well as these opportunities early in his musical career, Gram also received a trust fund after his mother’s death in June of 1965. While the rest of his bandmates were always scrounging around, Gram received $30,000 a year, which is about $292,000 in 2023. Gram was the “poor little rich kid”, often acting financially unstable despite the opposite.

In the fall of 1965 to February 1966, Gram was a student at Harvard University in New York. 

“I think I was there about four hours and fifteen minutes,” Gram said in a 1972 interview. “I hardly got my clothes hung up.”

At another time, Gram said of his stay at Harvard: “I was turned off by the fact that I had to study all these things I didn’t understand. I lasted four or five months by playing music and having good times.”

The college scene in the sixties was very strong throughout the decade. In the early to mid 1960s, folk music was the scene and Gram was at the center of it. Although Gram had missed the early 60s folk music freak-out at Cambridge - which was home to the talents of people like Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and Pete Seeger - he was still center-stage of the Harvard folk scene, forming folk outfits such as Gram Parsons and The Like (when he wrote songs like November Nights and Brass Buttons, important early Parsons’ compositions), and later the revolutionary International Submarine Band.

As well as folk music, college life, as far as music went, revolved around all of the roots genres like blues, country, string-band, and jug band music. Many students' eyes were opened to the possibilities and freedoms of folk music, as well as the emerging flower child scene. 

After his father was stationed there for military purposes, Gram grew up in Waycross Florida, although he never liked it. One of Gram’s Waycross friends conjectured why: “Look what happened there. His mother left his father, his father turned into a hopeless alcoholic and burned the goddamned house down. And if Gram went back there, the townspeople would try to kill him.”

Gram himself provided a much simpler answer: “They all look the same and they all talk the same and they all think the same.”

And as record producer Jerry Wexler put Waycross, “Waycross, Georgia, would have to be the asshole of the world.”

In rare moments that Gram did venture back to Waycross, he had nothing to do, and as Ben Fong-Torres reported, “[...][He was] content in the knowledge that he had someplace [else] to go.”

When he, his mother, and his sister moved back to Winter Haven, Florida, Gram began his professional musical career. It was there he joined bands like the Shilos. Winter Haven delivered Gram from the troubles of Waycross, and provided Gram the opportunity to express his feelings through music. It was in Florida he attended high school at the Bolles School, a boarding school, in Jacksonville, and also briefly attended Winter Haven High. 

In 1965, Gram moved to New York to attend Harvard after his mother died of alcohol poisoning. New York was an eye-opening experience for Gram, as well as other Harvard students, and he perfected his music there with The Like and later the International Submarine Band. He was heavily involved in Greenwich Village's booming folk-scene, where he met people like Richie Furay, John and Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and Papas, and Bob Dylan producer Albert Grossman. 

In 1967, Gram moved to Los Angeles to continue his musical career and encountered other musicians like David Crosby. "