Keith Richards Leads Tribute to Old Pal (Gram) Parsons

[Dr Fate]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=638&ncid=762&e=1&u=/nm/20040711/en_nm/music_parsons_dc

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - For Keith Richards (news), it was "another goodbye to another good friend" as the Rolling Stones guitarist headlined a pair of Los Angeles-area tribute concerts over the weekend to Gram Parsons (news), the late country rock pioneer who was too much of a hellraiser even for the Stones.

Perhaps most importantly, he became a trusted member of the Rolling Stones' inner circle, renowned for being able to supply the band with copious amounts of drugs. He particularly bonded with Richards, who told reporters backstage on Saturday that Parsons taught him the "finer points of country music .... the difference between Bakersfield and Nashville, for example. Because I didn't know there was one."


The extent of Parsons' uncredited influence on such Stones songs as "Wild Horses," "Country Honk" and "Torn and Frayed" has been a matter of debate for years.


Steve Earle introduced some political commentary by declaring that the Flying Burrito Brothers' draft notice song "My Uncle" would have sounded outdated a few years ago, but was particularly relevant these days. He was also the only performer to acknowledge Parsons' many co-writers, in this case, Chris Hillman (news), who played with Parsons in both the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers.

[bushwakker]

1. I just listened to Country Honk last night

RIP Gram

[Dr Fate]

3. I was beginning to worry...

...that there were no GP fans here. I know there are at least a couple.

Everyone used to think I was weird for listening to him & other country , but now he has become pretty hip.

[bushwakker]

15. Have you ever listened to Lucinda Williams?

If you haven't - you need to - today!!

[Dr Fate]

17. I've seen her live twice- her latest LP is perhaps her best.

She is wonderful.

[seemslikeadream]

2. Gram Parsons

http://www.gramparsons.com/

In My Hour Of Darkness
Words and music by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris


In my hour of darkness
In my time of need
Oh, Lord grant me vision
Oh, Lord grant me speed


Once I knew a young man
Went driving through the night
Miles and miles without a word
With just his high-beam lights
Who'd have ever though they'd build such
a deadly Denver bend
To be so strong, to take as long as
it would till the end


In my hour of darkness
In my time of need
Oh, Lord grant me vision
Oh, Lord grant me speed


Another young man safely strummed his
silver string guitar
And he played to people everywhere
Some say he was a star
But he was just a country boy,
his simple songs confess
And the music he had in him,
so very few possess


In my hour of darkness
In my time of need
Oh, Lord grant me vision
Oh, Lord grant me speed


Then there was an old man
Kind and wise with age
And he read me just like a book and he
never missed a page
And I loved him like my father
And I loved him like my friend
And I knew his time would shortly come
but I did not know just when


In my hour of darkness
In my time of need
Oh, Lord grant me vision
Oh, Lord grant me speed
Oh, Lord grant me vision
Oh, Lord grant me speed

[Dr Fate]

4. Great photo- GP is one of my greatest musical influences...

...he is one of the reasons I love to play guitar & sing.

[seemslikeadream]

5. I just added one of my favorite tunes - lets add another photo

[DoveTurnedHawk]

6. Man, I Had the Chance to See This Last Night for Free

But NONE of my friends (and I asked about half-a-dozen of them) were interested in going! I'm like, do you NOT know who Keith Richards is?

I need to find some friends with better musical taste. :-)

DTH

[Atlas Mugged]

19. Thank you for that...

I would walk barefoot on broken glass to see Keef. When I go to Stones concerts, I mainly go to watch the human riff. DU leans towards bashing the Stones - especially Keef. But, man, say something rude about the fucking Beatles...

[Dr Fate]

20. I love the Stones.

I am with you- Keef Riff-hard ROCKS!!! The very soul of the Rock & Roll!!!

[kodi]

7. parsons was more responsible than anyone for 1 of rock's great albums

sweetheart of the rodeo.

i listened to it a few days ago and it is still fresh 35 years later.

[Dr Fate]

8. Yes- I suggest you seek out the Sweetheart out-takes w/ more GP vocals

SOR is fantasitc, but some of the out-takes with Gram's vocals are the best things from those sessions.

Most newer CD realeses of Sweetheart have all the out-takes.

You have not heard "100 Years From Now", "Christian Life" or "You Dont Miss Your Water" until you hear Gram sing it. Roger sings these on the realesed version, and while they are great, they are not as good as the GP versions.

[kodi]

10. yeap, i was excited when i finally bought the cd seeing all added stuff.

and it was a thrill years ago to watch PBS's history of rock 'n roll and have it mention how influential SHOTR was... as if we didn't know that already?

[stellanoir]

9. If you haven't heard. . .

his duet with Emmy Lou, "Love Hurts," you simply haven't lived.

How's that for an extreme absurdist statement?

I absolutely adore GP and will continue to do so throughout all time.

[Dr Fate]

11. Yup- and a SWEET James Burton solo in that song to boot. n/t

n/t

[coda]

12. True.

Love their duets and that one is a standout.

Always wondered if he and Linda Ronstadt did anything that might have ended up on tape.

[Dr Fate]

13. Linda Ronstadt is credited on one of his 2 solo LPs.

I believe she is singing back up on one song or another. I'll check.

[Dr Fate]

14. Yes- she sings on "In My Hour of Darkness"

...on the 2nd solo record...

[BensMom]

16. It's better to burn out than fade away...

Was Gram's body stolen after his death?

During the funeral ceremony for Gram's close friend Clarence White, Gram was overheard stating that when he died, rather than being buried in the ground, he would like to be taken out to The Joshua Tree desert of southern California and burned. After Gram died in The Joshua Tree Inn, his body was taken to the Los Angeles International Airport in preparation for being flown to Louisiana for burial. Gram's road manager Phil Kaufman and a friend, Michael Martin, got very intoxicated, borrowed a broken down hearse and drove to LAX to retrieve the body. When they arrived, they told the shipping clerk that Gram's remains were to be sent out of another airport, flashed some bogus paperwork and falsely signed for the body. After crashing into a wall and almost being arrested, Phil, Michael and Gram drove back to The Joshua Tree Desert, stopping only to buy more beer and a container of gasoline. They took Gram's remains into the desert, poured gasoline inside the coffin and set him ablaze. The two were arrested several days later and fined $700.00 for stealing and burning the COFFIN (it was is not against the law to steal a dead body). Gram's partially burned remains were finally laid to rest in a modest cemetery near New Orleans, LA.


From Gram Parson Home page
http://gramparsons.com/faq/

[Dr Fate]

18. I've always loved that story. They need to make a movie of his life.

It sure would be entertaining.