Grievous Angel : An Intimate Biography of Gram Parsons (Paperback)

~ (Author), Polly Parsons (Contributor) "GRAM WAS BORN in Winter Haven on November 5, 1946, but by then his parents had already relocated to Waycross..." (more)
Key Phrases: hickory wind, unreleased tracks, Gram Parsons, Rolling Stones, Joshua Tree (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The psychedelic '60s had more than its share of excess, and nowhere was this truer than in the Los Angeles music scene. Parsons, one of the originators of country rock, was all too typical, rising to stardom and dead of a morphine overdose at age 26. In this fluffy, interview-packed biography, music journalist Hundley and Parsons's daughter, Polly, who was seven when Parsons died in 1973, chronicle his life, from his privileged but troubled Southern childhood to his cremation in the California desert. Born into a wealthy Florida family, Parsons was encouraged by his mother and stepfather to nurture his musical ambitions. Dropping out of Harvard, Parsons landed in L.A. in 1966 and charmed the hippie-resistant country crowd; joined the seminal band the Byrds; fathered a child (Polly); formed the Flying Burrito Brothers; befriended Keith Richards; and discovered Emmylou Harris, periodically returning to Florida to pick up his trust fund installments. Although the authors take considerable artistic license describing Parsons's thoughts, they fail to provide more than a superficial portrait. Heavy on atmosphere but frustratingly light on insight, this biography portrays an ambitious, charming, spoiled and self-destructive artist who might be better remembered through his music. Photos.
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Product Description

An intimate new biography of country-rock legend Gram Parsons—written in collaboration with Parsons’s daughter, Polly—that includes hundreds of photos and illustrations as well as dozens of interviews with fellow musicians

He was a member of the Byrds and founder and frontman of the Flying Burrito Brothers. He was best friend to Keith Richards and mentor to Emmylou Harris. And he revolutionized music, combining country and rock when the two were like oil and water. Gram Parsons may have been only twenty-six when he died in 1973, but he was already well on his way to becoming one of the most influential musicians of all time.

A collaboration between journalist Jessica Hundley and Gram’s daughter, Polly Parsons, Grievous Angel is part biography, part visual scrapbook—a compilation of conversations and never-before-seen photos and unpublished letters, all interwoven with a vivid retelling of Gram’s amazing tale.

Featuring dozens of interviews with everyone from Bright Eyes and Elvis Costello to Willie Nelson and Steve Earle, Grievous Angel is an exploration of how Gram’s legacy has spanned the decades, still inspiring both his contemporaries and today's artists, thirty-odd years after his tragic death.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; illustrated edition edition (October 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560256737
• ISBN-13: 978-1560256731
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #582,013 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sad but intriguing tale, June 3, 2006

By	Carolyn L. Carter "MadMom" (Centralia, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I really enjoyed this book and found it the most user friendly of all the books written about country rock legend Gram Parsons. It presents him in a realistic light, warts and all. He was a remarkably talented young man who had it all. Unfotrunately the one thing he lacked was self-discipline and that ended up being the end of him. Nonetheless, the musical and social/personal journey he had in his short life make for great reading. I highly recommmend it. I found it fun to be playing some GP music softly in the background while I read it. This really made some cool ambience.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gram Parsons Revisited, March 9, 2007

By	Raven "Andy" (Baltimore) - See all my reviews

Definitely worthwhile for any Gram Parsons, Flying Burrito Bros., ISB, Byrds, etcetra fan. A lot of info you already knew, but just from another or different perspective.

What I really liked were the many different interviews with many of those
who were influenced by Gram, such as Emmylou Harris, Jay Farrar, Keith Richards and many more.

The only negative; errors a good editor should've discovered.
It's Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup not "Sweet Soul Music" Conley that wrote "That's All Right Mama".
And it's Joan not John Baez.

Or did I get the only copy with these typo's?
Hopefully.

Otherwise, still worth 5 stars in my opinion. A keeper!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Making money off GP, February 14, 2007

By	Karla "GRITS with Good Music" (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

Save your money. There's nothing new here except the author's thoughts attributed to Gram as if she could read his mind. Buy the Ben Fong-Torres book and just look at the pictures in this one.