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Usually ships in 1 business days | | | Starred Review. Gram Parsons is remembered as much for wearing sequined cowboy suits on stage and for being illegally cremated in the desert by one of his friends after dying of a drug overdose as he is for the half-dozen albums he played on in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including the Byrds' classic Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Meyer (A Girl and a Gun) covers both aspects of the legend, but he gives particular attention to the way Parsons brought together elements of country and rock music to forge a new sound. After a leisurely telling of Parsons's rich white trash family drama in Florida and Georgia, including his father's suicide and the barely contained contempt of his mother's family, the biography plunges into his musical career, careening from one band to the next just as Parsons himself did. Meyer is appreciative but never adulatory of Parsons, who he believes threw his talent away; while citing the influence of the Flying Burrito Brothers' debut album, for example, he repeatedly mentions the band's unbelievably sloppy sound. This isn't the first biography of Parsons, but Meyer's semidetached stance as a critical fan makes it a valuable one, in the vein of Peter Guralnick or Greil Marcus. (Oct. 30)
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| | Product Details | | Author: | David Meyer | | Hardcover: | 592 pages | | Publisher: | Villard | | Publication Date: | October 30, 2007 | | ISBN: | 0375505709 | | Package Length: | 9.13 inches | | Package Width: | 6.38 inches | | Package Height: | 1.57 inches | | Package Weight: | 2.03 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 17 reviews |
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 Decent Rock n Roll Bio May 27, 2008
I've read many biographies of rock personalities and other famous people. This one is better than most. It provides a balanced viewpoint with input from varying sources. A good read for Gram Parsons fans.
4 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 Did the author do much fact-checking? At all??? May 01, 2008
I've already read the Ben Fong-Torres bio, as well as the Sid Griffin bio.....now, while I am not a Gram-o-phile, I am most definitely a Nez-head. And based on the countless errors I am reading about Mike Nesmith, I wonder just how much research went into this book?
1) "Nesmith...the iconic Monkee, the one who could actually play his instrument." Never mind that Peter Tork was a clasically trained pianist, French horn player and FAR better guitarist than Nesmith...
2) Red Rhodes was "a regular contributor to ex-Monkee Michael Nesmith's country-rock First National Band." Hmmm...seems he ought to have been *in* the band with all of those contributions....oh wait....he was.
3) David Barry "played piano on Michael Nesmith's Country Time Records recordings." They served a lot of lemonade during those sessions, apparently. It was Countryside Records.
4) Red Rhodes "played on Elvis Presley's records." Let's name them:
5)Red Rhodes was the CMA's "Steel Guitar Player of the Year from 1965 through 1968." Close...but Red did not win in 1966. Ralph Mooney and Tom Brumley shared the award that year.
That many omissions on some sidebars to the main story make me wonder how many omissions are in the main story itself.
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Slow going in the beginning Apr 07, 2008
This book starts REALLY slowly!!! It digs really deeply into Gram's family ..... generations before he's born. I'm sure the stories about his well-to-do family was meant to add background to his own messed-up personality. But it was really boring. The book picks up when Gram finally gets out and starts making music.
 Very Informative. Mar 19, 2008
A superb book on Gram Parsons. It probes the genius and vulnerability of this great talent. I, for one appreciate the authors in-depth telling of this man's life. One can only imagine the even greater impact he would have had on the music world had his life not been cut so drastically short. It is a true loss for everyone.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Gram's legend finally told. Feb 25, 2008
This is an amazing book for anyone who is interested in music from the 50s - 70s.
While reading I suggest you listen to the music discussed to truly appreciate the details and evolution of Gram's contribution to American music. enjoy!
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