Gram Parsons

Born Ingram Cecil Connor III on November 5, 1946, in Waycross, Georgia. Died on September 19, 1973, Joshua Tree National Monument, California. "The Father of Country-Rock Music"...

The Pacers (1960)

Gram Parsons - guitar/vocals
Others?...

The Legends I (1961 - 1962)

Gram Parsons - guitar/vocals
Jim Stafford - guitar
Jim Carlton - bass
Lamar Braxton - drums

The Legends II (1962 - 1963)

Gram Parsons - guitar/vocals
Jim Stafford - guitar
Jim Carlton - bass
Lamar Braxton - drums
Jesse Chambers - guitar
Kent LaVoie - guitar/vocals - formerly with The Rumors.
Jon Corneal - drums

Jim Stafford later goes solo. Kent LaVoie later forms Lobo.

The Shilos (1963 - 1965)

Gram Parsons - guitar/vocals
Paul Surratt -
Joe Kelly -
George Wrigley -

Album:

"Gram Parsons: The Early Years, 1963-1965" (1979)

The Like (1965)

Gram Parsons - guitar/vocals
Tom Snow - keyboards
Others?...

Gram Parsons And The Like I (1965)

Gram Parsons - guitar/vocals
Tom Snow - keyboards
John Nuese - guitar - formerly with The Trolls.
Ian Dunlop - bass/sax - formerly with Happy Pantaloon And The Buckles.

Gram Parsons And The Like II (1965 - 1966)

Gram Parsons - guitar/vocals
Tom Snow - keyboards
John Nuese - guitar
Ian Dunlop - bass/sax
Mickey Gauvin - drums

Album:

"Another Side Of This Life: The Lost Recordings Of Gram Parsons, 1965-1966" (2000)

The International Submarine Band I (1966 - 1967)

Gram Parsons - guitar/vocals
John Nuese - guitar
Ian Dunlop - bass/sax
Mickey Gauvin - drums

Single: "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming" (1966)
Ian Dunlop and Mickey Gauvin form The Flying Burrito Brothers.

The International Submarine Band II (1967 - 1968)

Gram Parsons - guitar/vocals
John Nuese - guitar
Jon Corneal - drums
Joe Osborn - bass
Jay Dee Maness - pedal-steel guitar
Earl "Les" Ball - keyboards
Chris Ethridge - bass

Album:

"Safe At Home" (1968)

Group disbands.

The Byrds (February 1968 - July 1968)

The Flying Burrito Brothers (1968 - June 1970)

Gram Parsons And The Fallen Angels I (1973)

Gram Parsons - guitar/vocals
Emmylou Harris - guitar/vocals
Gerry Mule - guitar
Kyle Tullis - bass
Neil Flanz - pedal-steel guitar
N. D. Smart II - drums - b. Norman Smart, Dayton, Ohio - formerly with The Mark V, The Knights/Thee Rubber Band, The Remains, The Bait Shop/Bo Grumpus, Kangaroo, and Ian and Sylvia's band Great Speckled Bird.

Gram Parsons And The Fallen Angels II (1973)

Gram Parsons - guitar/vocals
Emmylou Harris - guitar/vocals
Kyle Tullis - bass
Neil Flanz - pedal-steel guitar
N. D. Smart II - drums
Jock Bartley - guitar - b. Kansas - formerly with Zephyr.

Album:

"Live 1973" (1994)

N. D. Smart II later joins Todd Rundgren's band, and Mountain. Jock Bartley later joins Firefall.

Solo albums:

"GP" (1973)
"Grevious Angel" (1974)
"GP / Grevious Angel" (2-fer) (1990)

Compilations:

"Warm Evenings, Pale Mornings, Bottled Blues: 1963-1973" (1992)
"Sacred Hearts And Fallen Angels: The Gram Parsons Anthology" (2-CDs) (2001)

Links:

The Gram Parsons Homepage

Books:

"Hickory Wind: The Life and Times of Gram Parsons" (25th Anniversary Edition, 1998) - by Ben Fong-Torres
"DESPERADOS: The Roots of Country Rock" - by John Einarson; published by Cooper Square Press - Let me say right up front that I have been a big fan of country rock music ever since hearing the "Pickin' Up The Pieces" single from Poco's debut album. Poco has remained a favorite of mine through the years, although I always believed they were overlooked as a significant influence on popular music into the 1970s and the "new country" movement in the 1990s. Thankfully, this oversight is corrected by John Einarson in his book, "DESPERADOS: The Roots of Country Rock", which traces the history of country rock's rise in Southern California from the early days in the late 1960s up to The Eagles (unquestionably the most commercially-viable country rock band of all time). Having previously read one of Mr. Einarson's biographies on The Guess Who, I was anxious to see how he approached my favorite type of music...I was not disappointed. "DESPERADOS: The Roots of Country Rock" is an intricate tale of musicians struggling to be heard amidst the psychedelic and hard-rock sounds flooding the airwaves at the time...and these early country rockers did make themselves heard...The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, Poco, Buffalo Springfield, Clarence White, The Eagles, Michael Nesmith (remember The Monkees?...Nesmith made some great country rock music after that gig was over), The Dillards, Rick Nelson and The Stone Canyon Band, The Dillard and Clark Expedition, Linda Ronstadt, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band...the list could go on and on. This book covers the early days of country rock from it's beginnings in the late 1960s to the tragic year of 1973 (when the music world lost two country rock pioneers: guitarist-extraordinaire Clarence White and Gram Parsons) and examines the influence this music has had on second-generation country rock bands such as Pure Prairie League and Firefall. In addition, the impact of these early country rockers on the "new country" music of the 1980s and the "alternative country" movement of the late-1990s and beyond is explored from a "roots" perspective. This is a tale masterfully woven by Mr. Einarson, based on more than 60 exclusive interviews with the originators and innovators of country rock. The amount of information and level of detail contained in these 288 pages is astounding, and there are 31 black and white photographs (some of which I've never seen before). The only improvement that I would recommend is the inclusion of a comprehensive index in the next edition (this would really help in finding information on specific artists). Even though I've been following country rock music for years, I learned a lot from this book. The quotes gleaned from Mr. Einarson's interviews during research for this book are particularly helpful in understanding the origin and development of country rock. "DESPERADOS: The Roots of Country Rock" is required reading for all fans of country rock or anyone interested in late-1960s to early-1970s music. Highly recommended.