Who is Gram Parsons…And Why Does Yer Blogger Keep Writing About Him?

Who is Gram Parsons…And Why Does Yer Blogger Keep Writing About Him?

I’ve read six books about a singer/songwriter that some of you may barely recognize or recall: Gram Parsons. Six books. And three more that feature him prominently. I begin each book hoping to understand how and why such an enormously gifted musical visionary chose, or was predestined, to recklessly self-destruct at such a young age. The biographies present a wealth of information: about how this well-mannered Southern boy pioneered and popularized the merging of country sounds with rock, rhythm and folk...about his influence on artists as diverse as The Rolling Stones and Elvis Costello...about how he put Emmylou Harris on the map. But all the books end the same way: with Gram dead at age 26 from a heroin overdose in a bleak desert motel room on September 19, 1973. His tragic-romantic personal history rattles my brain. His music rattles my soul.

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67 Shots in 13 Seconds: The Kent State Tragedy and the Songs that Immortalized It

67 Shots in 13 Seconds: The Kent State Tragedy and the Songs that Immortalized It

Devolution. devəˈlo͞oSHən. The descent or degeneration to a lower or worse state. My personal example: "The human race appears to be in a state of devolution - evolving backwards toward an earlier Neanderthal period - as evidenced by the barbaric killing of four unarmed college students by troops with M1 rifles." I'm referring, of course, to the Kent State University killings of May 4, 1970. The most famous song to emerge from the tragedy was Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's "Ohio," which was released one month after the slaughter. Through the years artists have released at least 30 lesser-known songs about the massacre. Here are a few.

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Brian Jones: Wild Clotheshorses Couldn’t Drag Me Away

Brian Jones: Wild Clotheshorses Couldn’t Drag Me Away

Yes, I know that Brian Jones had nothing to do with the recording of the Rolling Stones song "Wild Horses," but I couldn't resist using the pun to get your attention as I introduce my birthday tribute to the band's founder and high priest of psychedelic '60s fashion. I reckon that Brian Jones was the dandiest heterosexual of the 20th century. And one of the randiest, too, having fathered at least five children with five different women by the time he was 23. But there was also real talent behind that foppish Casanova facade. Brian was one of Britain's earliest practitioners of Delta blues. A natural musician, he was arguably the most versatile member of the band he formed and christened The Rollin Stones in 1962. And while he didn't write, sing lead, or play solo on a single song during his career, his prowess as a multi-instrumentalist was unmatched in the rock world. Today would have been his 73rd birthday.

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The Yardbirds’ Keith Relf: From Electric Blues to Electric Demise

The Yardbirds’ Keith Relf: From Electric Blues to Electric Demise

The 1960s electric blues band The Yardbirds was the premier rock-n-roll incubator, cultivating three of the world's most talented guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. But does anybody recall the name of the man who co-founded the British group and provided lead vocals and harmonica on its killer tracks, among them, "Heart Full of Soul," "For Your Love," and "Shapes of Things"? His name was Keith Relf, born 71 years ago today. He suffered one of the strangest deaths in rock history.

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Sam Cooke’s Sad Demise

Sam Cooke’s Sad Demise

Sam Cooke, one of the greatest soul singers in history, was shot to death on this date in 1964 - at the height of his career. In 1963 he wrote one of the earliest protest songs of the civil rights movement: the soul-stirring "A Change is Gonna Come," which was released after his death.

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