A programme exploring the highways and byways of American Roots Music. In this episode we follow the musical journey of Gram Parsons, who died at a very young age. He was one of the key founders of country rock, a mix of rock with elements of country music. Parsons referred to his music as ‘Cosmic American Music’, which showed that he didn’t attach too much importance to musical labels.
Gram Parsons loved blending genres. For instance, he was a fan of Merle Haggard’s ‘Bakersfield sound’, a form of country music with a rock ’n’ roll energy, as well as of the Louvin Brothers, who combined close harmony with white gospel-bluegrass. Country music was his great passion.
In the 1960s, trendy young people considered folk to be very cool, but thought country music was rather dull. That was until they, like Parsons, discovered that the Bakersfield sound and older country icons sounded very different from the slickly produced sound they associated with Nashville country. Rock bands could certainly appreciate the electric-guitar twang, the more authentic stories and the raw emotions.
Gram Parsons founded The International Submarine Band, then moved on to The Byrds. He later formed The Flying Burrito Brothers together with The Byrds member Chris Hillman, and – after being removed from the band due to alcohol problems – continued as a solo artist, collaborating with the then unknown Emmylou Harris and two members of Elvis Presley’s band.
He was friends with the Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, who was also interested in country music. You can clearly hear how they influenced each other through their shared love of country and rock.
At the age of 26, Gram died of a drug overdose. Later on, Emmylou Harris built a highly successful career on the legacy he left behind.
Playlist
- The International Submarine Band – Truck Driving Man – 2:36
- Elvis Presley – I Forgot to Remember to Forget – 2:31
- Louvin Brothers – The Christian Life – 2:18
- Merle Haggard – Life in Prison – 3:01
- The Byrds – You’re Still on My Mind – 2:26
- The Byrds – Hickory Wind – 3:31
- The Flying Burrito Bros – Do You Know How it Feels – 2:09
- The Flying Burrito Bros – Hot Burrito #1 – 3:40
- Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris – Love Hurts – 3:40
- Gram Parsons – Return of the Grievous Angel – 4:26
- The Rolling Stones – Wild Horses – 5:44
- The Rolling Stones – Far Away Eyes – 4:23
- Gram Parsons – A Song for You – 4:58
- Gram Parsons (LP GP) – That’s All It Took – 2:59
- Emmylou Harris – One of These Days – 2:53
- Emmylou Harris – Boulder to Birmingham – 3:38
With courtesy of 
