The shows were over, but for Phil Kaufman, the headache was just beginning. Then the road manager for the Flying Burrito Brothers, one of the bands credited with finding the common ground between rock & roll and honky-tonk country, Kaufman had just returned home to Los Angeles, after some Burrito-related work in 1969. In the trunk of his Ford Country Squire station wagon were the embroidered cowboy suits the band had worn onstage and on the cover of its first album, The Gilded Place of Sin. Named after Nudie Cohn, the...
- 7/20/2023
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
Forty-nine years ago, a front-page headline in Nashville’s Tennessean proclaimed “Marty’s a Mandolin Pro at 15,” heralding Marty Stuart’s teenaged role in Lester Flatt’s late-period band Nashville Grass. Stuart would also tour with Johnny Cash and achieve mainstream country success before establishing himself and his longtime band, the Superlatives, as stalwarts of the musically expansive Americana landscape.
Now a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Stuart’s efforts to honor country’s traditions while injecting his music with the rock & roll he began playing as...
Now a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Stuart’s efforts to honor country’s traditions while injecting his music with the rock & roll he began playing as...
- 5/19/2023
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
The Monkees, The Beach Boys, and The Byrds worked with the same group of musicians. Despite this, The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz felt only his group took heat for it. Notably, the musicians in question worked on one of The Beach Boys’ most famous albums.
The Monkees | Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer The Monkees’ Mike Nesmith revealed to the press that the Prefab Four didn’t record their own music
Bobby Hart co-wrote many of The Monkees’ songs. In his 2015 book Psychedelic Bubble Gum: Boyce & Hart, The Monkees, and Turning Mayhem Into Miracles, Hart discussed an incident that changed the trajectory of the Prefab Four’s career.
“During that first Monkees’ tour, an increasingly confrontational Michael Nesmith stoked the media fire in a Saturday Evening Post interview: ‘Tell the world we’re synthetic because, damn it, we are,'” Hart quoted. “‘Tell them The Monkees are wholly man-made overnight, and that millions...
The Monkees | Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer The Monkees’ Mike Nesmith revealed to the press that the Prefab Four didn’t record their own music
Bobby Hart co-wrote many of The Monkees’ songs. In his 2015 book Psychedelic Bubble Gum: Boyce & Hart, The Monkees, and Turning Mayhem Into Miracles, Hart discussed an incident that changed the trajectory of the Prefab Four’s career.
“During that first Monkees’ tour, an increasingly confrontational Michael Nesmith stoked the media fire in a Saturday Evening Post interview: ‘Tell the world we’re synthetic because, damn it, we are,'” Hart quoted. “‘Tell them The Monkees are wholly man-made overnight, and that millions...
- 2/13/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
“I’ve got to make the most of every minute I have,” David Crosby told Rolling Stone in 2018. “Wouldn’t you?” He was on his third or fourth life by then — the golden-voiced, long-haired, cantankerous, beatific American original who was there to invent folk-rock with the Byrds in the mid-Sixties, to redefine the supergroup with Crosby, Stills, and Nash a few years later, and to remain unquestionably himself through all the decades of gorgeous harmonies and outrageous opinions that followed. In his final years on this planet, Croz seemed renewed,...
- 1/20/2023
- by Jonathan Bernstein, David Browne, Kory Grow, Brian Hiatt, Angie Martoccio and Simon Vozick-Levinson
- Rollingstone.com
The music world is mourning the loss of another legend.
On Thursday, Jan Dance, the wife of David Crosby, shared the sad news that the musician and founding member of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young has died at age 81.
Read More: David Crosby Says He’s ‘Too Old’ To Tour Anymore
“It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away. He was lovingly surrounded by his wife and soulmate Jan and son Django. Although he is no longer here with us, his humanity and kind soul will continue to guide and inspire us,” she said in a statement to Variety.
“His legacy will continue to live on through his legendary music. Peace, love, and harmony to all who knew David and those he touched,” Dance continued. “We will miss him dearly. At this time, we respectfully and kindly ask...
On Thursday, Jan Dance, the wife of David Crosby, shared the sad news that the musician and founding member of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young has died at age 81.
Read More: David Crosby Says He’s ‘Too Old’ To Tour Anymore
“It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away. He was lovingly surrounded by his wife and soulmate Jan and son Django. Although he is no longer here with us, his humanity and kind soul will continue to guide and inspire us,” she said in a statement to Variety.
“His legacy will continue to live on through his legendary music. Peace, love, and harmony to all who knew David and those he touched,” Dance continued. “We will miss him dearly. At this time, we respectfully and kindly ask...
- 1/20/2023
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
David Crosby, the iconic musician known for The Byrds as well as co-founding Crosby, Still & Nash with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, has died at the age of 81.
The news of David Crosby’s death was announced by his wife, Jan, in a statement to Variety. “It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away,” reads the statement. “He was lovingly surrounded by his wife and soulmate Jan and son Django. Although he is no longer here with us, his humanity and kind soul will continue to guide and inspire us. His legacy will continue to live on through his legendary music. Peace, love, and harmony to all who knew David and those he touched. We will miss him dearly. At this time, we respectfully and kindly ask for privacy as we grieve and try to deal with our profound loss.
The news of David Crosby’s death was announced by his wife, Jan, in a statement to Variety. “It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away,” reads the statement. “He was lovingly surrounded by his wife and soulmate Jan and son Django. Although he is no longer here with us, his humanity and kind soul will continue to guide and inspire us. His legacy will continue to live on through his legendary music. Peace, love, and harmony to all who knew David and those he touched. We will miss him dearly. At this time, we respectfully and kindly ask for privacy as we grieve and try to deal with our profound loss.
- 1/19/2023
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
David Crosby, the two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who sang for The Byrds before co-founding a supergroup with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash — later adding Neil Young — has died. He was 81. His wife Jan announced the news today.
Related: Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries
“It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away,” she said in a statement. “He was lovingly surrounded by his wife and soulmate Jan and son Django. Although he is no longer here with us, his humanity and kind soul will continue to guide and inspire us. His legacy will continue to live on through his legendary music. Peace, love, and harmony to all who knew David and those he touched. We will miss him dearly. At this time, we respectfully and kindly ask for privacy as we grieve and try to deal with our profound loss.
Related: Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries
“It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away,” she said in a statement. “He was lovingly surrounded by his wife and soulmate Jan and son Django. Although he is no longer here with us, his humanity and kind soul will continue to guide and inspire us. His legacy will continue to live on through his legendary music. Peace, love, and harmony to all who knew David and those he touched. We will miss him dearly. At this time, we respectfully and kindly ask for privacy as we grieve and try to deal with our profound loss.
- 1/19/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
You know you’ve become a rock institution when you’re awarded a photo-heavy coffee table book that will test the budgets of your fans. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Queen, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, and many more have been awarded that high-end treatment, and the latest recipients will be the Byrds.
On September 20, the group will release The Byrds: 1964-1967, which crams 500 photos (some previously unseen), into 400 pages, all documenting the legendary L.A. band that created folk-rock, country-rock, and arguably psychedelic rock too. Focusing on the original lineup of Roger McGuinn,...
On September 20, the group will release The Byrds: 1964-1967, which crams 500 photos (some previously unseen), into 400 pages, all documenting the legendary L.A. band that created folk-rock, country-rock, and arguably psychedelic rock too. Focusing on the original lineup of Roger McGuinn,...
- 6/29/2022
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
Left out of most obituaries about renowned country music talk-show host Ralph Emery, who died Saturday, was his infamy among many rock fans for having gotten into a tiff in the late 1960s with the Byrds. Their beef even resulted in Emery being dismissed, by name, in a Byrds track — “Drug Store Truck Drivin’ Man,” which had Gram Parsons and Roger McGuinn attempting to get the last laugh in song.
But, lest Emery be remembered forever by Byrds buffs as a villain in the story, Emery invited McGuinn onto his highly rated cable series “Nashville Now” 17 years later for a reconciliation — albeit a deeply awkward one — that was captured for posterity and can be viewed on YouTube. The sight of the very, very proud Emery admitting his ingrained bias against rock music and extending a sort of olive branch to McGuinn years later manages to be both cringe-worthy and kind of touching.
But, lest Emery be remembered forever by Byrds buffs as a villain in the story, Emery invited McGuinn onto his highly rated cable series “Nashville Now” 17 years later for a reconciliation — albeit a deeply awkward one — that was captured for posterity and can be viewed on YouTube. The sight of the very, very proud Emery admitting his ingrained bias against rock music and extending a sort of olive branch to McGuinn years later manages to be both cringe-worthy and kind of touching.
- 1/16/2022
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
Tony Rice, the bluegrass guitarist and vocalist known for his elegant, innovative flatpicking, died Friday at his home in Reidsville, North Carolina. He was 69. Rice’s death was confirmed by the International Bluegrass Music Association, which inducted him into its Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2013.
Born David Anthony Rice in Virginia on June 8th, 1951, Rice learned about bluegrass from his father, an amateur musician who raised his family in Los Angeles, and Tony’s older brother Larry Rice, who played mandolin. When Tony was 20, he joined his sibling as...
Born David Anthony Rice in Virginia on June 8th, 1951, Rice learned about bluegrass from his father, an amateur musician who raised his family in Los Angeles, and Tony’s older brother Larry Rice, who played mandolin. When Tony was 20, he joined his sibling as...
- 12/27/2020
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Chris Hillman couldn’t have chosen a better song title for this excerpted chapter from his upcoming memoir, Time Between — out November 17th via BMG. The chapter, which covers the end of the Sixties, is called “Sin City,” a song off the Flying Burrito Brothers’ 1969 debut, In the Gilded Palace of Sin.
Below, Hillman recounts the founding of the Burrito Brothers, his relationship with bandmate Gram Parsons and more, but casts it against the tumultuous backdrop of 1969, including the Manson murders and Altamont — tragedies that, in 2020, still resonate in harrowing ways.
Below, Hillman recounts the founding of the Burrito Brothers, his relationship with bandmate Gram Parsons and more, but casts it against the tumultuous backdrop of 1969, including the Manson murders and Altamont — tragedies that, in 2020, still resonate in harrowing ways.
- 8/19/2020
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Laurel Canyon is a very real place, but it comes off almost as a Brigadoon-style dream in the commemoration of the L.A. rock scene of the late ’60s and early ’70s that is director Alison Ellwood’s “Laurel Canyon.”
The first half the two-part docuseries on Epix, which premiered May 31, threw a spotlight onto the Byrds, Doors, Buffalo Springfield, Mamas and the Papas, Love, Frank Zappa and others who drove the counterculture in the years leading up to Woodstock, and how they were folksy neighbors in L.A.’s least urban enclave. In part 2, which bows Sunday night, Ellwood delves into the world of Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Linda Ronstadt, the Flying Burrito Brothers and, of course, the nascent band that previously was the subject of her “History of the Eagles” doc.
Variety spoke with Ellwood between the twin premieres about the making of the ravishingly well-received doc.
The first half the two-part docuseries on Epix, which premiered May 31, threw a spotlight onto the Byrds, Doors, Buffalo Springfield, Mamas and the Papas, Love, Frank Zappa and others who drove the counterculture in the years leading up to Woodstock, and how they were folksy neighbors in L.A.’s least urban enclave. In part 2, which bows Sunday night, Ellwood delves into the world of Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Linda Ronstadt, the Flying Burrito Brothers and, of course, the nascent band that previously was the subject of her “History of the Eagles” doc.
Variety spoke with Ellwood between the twin premieres about the making of the ravishingly well-received doc.
- 6/7/2020
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
Former member of The Byrds, Chris Hillman, shared details about his career and his stories from the new docu-series Laurel Canyon on Epix. Hillman sat down with uInterview’s Erik Meers, and explained what inspired him to become a musician. “I remember seeing Elvis on Ed Sullivan, but I really remember The Beatles on Ed Sullivan in February […]
The post Video Exclusive: The Byrds’ Chris Hillman On How The 60s Band Stayed Friends appeared first on uInterview.
The post Video Exclusive: The Byrds’ Chris Hillman On How The 60s Band Stayed Friends appeared first on uInterview.
- 6/2/2020
- by Marie Fiero
- Uinterview
Occasionally a high-profile film or TV documentary arrives at just the right time to appear as if it were created to address the frustrations created by another high-profile documentary, however coincidental the timing. That’s certainly the case with Alison Ellwood’s “Laurel Canyon,” a feature-length doc about the Los Angeles rock scene of the ‘60s and ‘70s that’s airing as a two-parter on Epix on May 31 and June 7. It’s not exactly an “answer song” to “Echo in the Canyon,” a much-debated 2018 theatrical release that covered a lot of the same ground, but it does address a few important questions left hanging by its predecessor. Like: “Where the hell was Joni Mitchell?” She’s in this one — there are two shots of her within the first minute of the credit sequence, to immediately reassure us there will be ladies of, and in, the canyon this time around.
The...
The...
- 5/31/2020
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
Epix’s two-part docuseries Laurel Canyon, directed by Alison Elwood, explores the musical community which nestled into the wooded area right outside the Sunset Strip. Chris Hillman, the first member of The Byrds, moved in after creating folk rock. The Monkees’ Mickey Dolenz threw ping pong tournaments next door to Alice Cooper. Frank Zappa planted his freak flag on the corner of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Lookout Mountain. And Michelle Phillips and John Phillips moved onto Lookout Mountain in 1965.
Their band, The Mamas and the Papas, practically invented the Southern California hippie sound, and Michelle was the catalyst. After hearing John Sebastian strum a tune which would become a major hit for his band The Lovin’ Spoonful, Michelle saw the direction the New Journeymen–the band she was in with her husband and other future Papa Denny Doherty–should go. Both sonically and geographically.
Michelle finished up John Phillips’ song...
Their band, The Mamas and the Papas, practically invented the Southern California hippie sound, and Michelle was the catalyst. After hearing John Sebastian strum a tune which would become a major hit for his band The Lovin’ Spoonful, Michelle saw the direction the New Journeymen–the band she was in with her husband and other future Papa Denny Doherty–should go. Both sonically and geographically.
Michelle finished up John Phillips’ song...
- 5/29/2020
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Laurel Canyon, the two-part docuseries Alison Elwood directed for Epix, opens as the Los Angeles folk music scene went electric and The Byrds found a place to nest. Rock and roller Bobby Darrin put a backbeat to folk tunes in the early ‘60s, but his then-guitarist Jim “Roger” McGuinn transformed the genre into folk rock by electrifying Bob Dylan songs with an electric 12-string Rickenbacker when he formed the Byrds. The band, which also included future David Crosby, Gene Clark, Michael Clarke and Chris Hillman, was known for a short while as “The American Beatles.” The Byrds put out one of the first psychedelic rock songs, and went on to create country rock.
They were also one of the first groups to move into the woody enclave above Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip, starting with their then-19-year-old bass player. They would soon be joined by The Monkees, The Mamas & The Papas,...
They were also one of the first groups to move into the woody enclave above Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip, starting with their then-19-year-old bass player. They would soon be joined by The Monkees, The Mamas & The Papas,...
- 5/27/2020
- by Chris Longo
- Den of Geek
Social distancing is easy for Bernie Leadon, who lives on a farm outside of Nashville. “It’s over 300 acres, so I can walk around with nobody there,” says the former Eagles guitarist. “So basically, I live in a park. I’m fortunate.”
Leadon is featured in the upcoming Laurel Canyon docuseries, which arrives on Epix in two parts on May 31st and June 7th. He hopped on the phone to discuss the film, his friendship with Gram Parsons, and the possibility of reuniting with the Eagles.
Alison Ellwood, who directed the new docuseries,...
Leadon is featured in the upcoming Laurel Canyon docuseries, which arrives on Epix in two parts on May 31st and June 7th. He hopped on the phone to discuss the film, his friendship with Gram Parsons, and the possibility of reuniting with the Eagles.
Alison Ellwood, who directed the new docuseries,...
- 5/22/2020
- by Angie Martoccio
- Rollingstone.com
The day John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Brian Wilson and Mike Love met up and, in a half hour, wrote “The Warmth of the Sun,” triggered by the events of that day. But as Bob Dylan’s new epic “Murder Most Foul” shows, that Beach Boys song was the first, but far from the last, pop song recounting, or ruminating on, Kennedy’s death on November 22nd, 1963.
Across decades, artists, and genres, Kennedy’s murder has brought out an array of reactions, reflections and indignation in the pop world – sometimes...
Across decades, artists, and genres, Kennedy’s murder has brought out an array of reactions, reflections and indignation in the pop world – sometimes...
- 3/27/2020
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
Musicianship was the theme of the evening for the second of Marty Stuart’s three Artist-in-Residence performances at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on Wednesday. Titled “Psychedelic Jam-Bo-Ree” and featuring a multi-generational cast of guests, the emphasis felt tilted slightly more “jam” than “psych,” with Stuart and his band the Fabulous Superlatives flexing their instrumental chops.
In a way, the show was akin to Stuart’s annual Late Night Jam, held each June at the Ryman Auditorium during Cma Fest. That show mirrors the format of an old radio program,...
In a way, the show was akin to Stuart’s annual Late Night Jam, held each June at the Ryman Auditorium during Cma Fest. That show mirrors the format of an old radio program,...
- 9/19/2019
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
Byrds fans were dealt a disappointing bit of news yesterday when a representative for Roger McGuinn totally rebuffed David Crosby’s public offer to reunite the group. “Neither Roger or Chris [Hillman] entertain the idea of a Byrd’s reunion,” they wrote to Rolling Stone. “Roger was just tired of David crying about being hated. DC is not hated, but that doesn’t mean anyone wants to work with him.”
The dialogue began when Roger McGuinn took to Twitter to complain that David Crosby unfairly lumped him in with Neil Young,...
The dialogue began when Roger McGuinn took to Twitter to complain that David Crosby unfairly lumped him in with Neil Young,...
- 8/6/2019
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
David Crosby urged his former Byrds bandmate Roger McGuinn to reunite the group over the weekend, asking the singer on Twitter, “Want to do a couple of Byrds dates? I’ll just sing harmony. No talking?”
McGuinn didn’t respond to the tweet, but a representative did when reached for a comment. “Neither Roger or Chris entertain the idea of a Byrds reunion,” McGuinn’s rep wrote. “Roger was just tired of David crying about being hated. DC is not hated but that doesn’t mean anyone wants to work with him.
McGuinn didn’t respond to the tweet, but a representative did when reached for a comment. “Neither Roger or Chris entertain the idea of a Byrds reunion,” McGuinn’s rep wrote. “Roger was just tired of David crying about being hated. DC is not hated but that doesn’t mean anyone wants to work with him.
- 8/5/2019
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Marty Stuart has lined up three all-star evenings with entirely different themes for his stint as the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Artist-in-Residence, which begins September 11th in Nashville. Joining the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist throughout the series of intimate shows are fellow performers including Chris and Morgan Stapleton, Old Crow Medicine Show, John Prine, and Emmylou Harris.
The first of the three evenings, titled “The Pilgrim,” will take place September 11th and celebrate the 20th anniversary of Stuart’s album The Pilgrim. Joining him for the evening...
The first of the three evenings, titled “The Pilgrim,” will take place September 11th and celebrate the 20th anniversary of Stuart’s album The Pilgrim. Joining him for the evening...
- 6/19/2019
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
The Flying Burrito Brothers’ 1969 debut never made it higher than 164 on the Billboard 200. But the album’s country-rock sound cast a shadow almost from day one, influencing artists ranging from the Rolling Stones to Tom Petty, Beck, Uncle Tupelo and entire generations of future Americana luminaries. The Burrito Brothers weren’t the first artists to hybridize country and rock. Buck Owens and His Buckaroos, for one, got there first, on songs like “Act Naturally.” But The Gilded Palace of Sin was druggier, sexier and more youthful — as much about the...
- 2/6/2019
- by Matt Wake
- Rollingstone.com
When Roger McGuinn phoned into Rolling Stone earlier this week, he was just a few hours away from playing his first Byrds concert in over a quarter century. Well, sort of. His current run of shows may include his fellow Byrd Chris Hillman and they may be playing the group’s most beloved album, 1968’s Sweetheart of the Rodeo, straight through in honor of its 50th anniversary in addition to a whole other set of Byrds classics, but they aren’t billing this precisely as a reunion. Instead, it’s...
- 7/27/2018
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Tracing the progression of rock ‘n’ roll as art in the 1960s, it’s easy to see how each of the great bands of the time attempted to build on and outdo what had come just before. The Beach Boys’ 1966 release “Pet Sounds” has often been cited by Paul McCartney as the springboard for the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper” the following year. And hearing that psych-pop landmark, what evolutionary choice did the Byrds have in 1968 but to blow the collective minds of the Haight-Ashbury generation with… an album of traditional country music.
“Sweetheart of the Rodeo” is widely regarded as the world’s first true country-rock album. That R&R&C&W landmark status makes it riper than any other effort in the Byrds’ catalog — even their earlier, far more successful efforts — for silver-haired, silver-anniversary commemoration. Fans are getting the desired “Sweetheart” deal with a tour headlined by ex-Byrds Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman,...
“Sweetheart of the Rodeo” is widely regarded as the world’s first true country-rock album. That R&R&C&W landmark status makes it riper than any other effort in the Byrds’ catalog — even their earlier, far more successful efforts — for silver-haired, silver-anniversary commemoration. Fans are getting the desired “Sweetheart” deal with a tour headlined by ex-Byrds Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman,...
- 7/26/2018
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
Released some 50 years ago, The Byrds’ album “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” is universally regarded as the big bang of country-rock, the first album to truly fuse the two genres in a way that baffled and alienated both the group’s rock fans, and was met with suspicion by the country musicians these young long-hairs idolized. Along with founding Byrds Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman (the latter of whom came up as a bluegrass musician), it showcased the talents of Gram Parsons — who would go on to be a pioneer of the genre before his 1973 death from a heroin overdose — as well as guitarist Clarence White, who died in a car accident that same year.
Yet the album’s influence was vast and the genres soon began fusing on a much more mainstream level: Johnny Cash soon recorded with Bob Dylan and featured rock musicians on his variety show; and country-rock...
Yet the album’s influence was vast and the genres soon began fusing on a much more mainstream level: Johnny Cash soon recorded with Bob Dylan and featured rock musicians on his variety show; and country-rock...
- 6/4/2018
- by Jem Aswad
- Variety Film + TV
Thirty-one years after his much-mythologized fatal OD in a desert motel room, Gram Parsons is shaking off the gilded shroud of legend to step into the spotlight and claim his musical legacy.
The country-rock visionary was the subject of two recent SoCal tribute concerts headlined by compadre Keith Richards. And this impressively researched documentary, which has aired on the BBC and opens Los Angeles' Don't Knock the Rock festival tonight, should stand for quite some time as Parsons' definitive film bio. It also serves as palate-cleansing antidote to the misguided indie feature Grand Theft Parsons, a semi-fictionalized look at the strange post-death trip that ended with a partial cremation in the singer-songwriter's beloved Joshua Tree National Monument.
At a time when country music was decidedly unfashionable, the Florida-raised Parsons brought a passion for the genre to the burgeoning California rock scene. After seeing Elvis live, the teenage trust-fund rebel wanted only to make "cosmic American music." He left his booze-addled, citrus-empire family and found his place in Los Angeles' late-'60s heyday of the Troubadour and the Strip.
During his brief membership in the Byrds, Parsons made his mark with the Nashville-recorded album Sweetheart of the Rodeo. The effect of his friendship with The Rolling Stones, Richards especially, is evident in the country-flavored tracks on Exile on Main Street. The Flying Burrito Brothers, Parsons' post-Byrds venture, released a gorgeous rendition of Wild Horses before the Stones' version came out.
Richards is among the many musicians offering reminiscences in Fallen Angel. Fellow Byrd and Burrito Brother Chris Hillman is forthcoming about his admiration for Parsons' genius and frustration with his drug-fueled unreliability. Emmylou Harris, whose work with Parsons on his posthumously released Grievous Angel represents one of the most inspired vocal pairings ever recorded, shares her bemusement over the hard-drinking Parsons' lack of focus and preparation on their first tour together.
But resourceful director Gandulf Hennig ventures beyond the obvious talking heads, drawing emotional testimony from not only Parsons' wife and the girlfriend who was with him when he died, but friends of the family and bandmates from the young musician's prep-school days -- who attest to his unblinking self-confidence and sense of style even as a teen.
The only voice missing from the docu is Parsons'. There's ample performance footage but, other than excerpts from a letter, no direct quotes. Still, the concise narration written by Hennig and musician/journalist Sid Griffin (the Long Ryders) is a definite asset, and there's a grounded, shimmering power to the film's multivoiced interpretation of Parsons' short life and still-vital music.
The country-rock visionary was the subject of two recent SoCal tribute concerts headlined by compadre Keith Richards. And this impressively researched documentary, which has aired on the BBC and opens Los Angeles' Don't Knock the Rock festival tonight, should stand for quite some time as Parsons' definitive film bio. It also serves as palate-cleansing antidote to the misguided indie feature Grand Theft Parsons, a semi-fictionalized look at the strange post-death trip that ended with a partial cremation in the singer-songwriter's beloved Joshua Tree National Monument.
At a time when country music was decidedly unfashionable, the Florida-raised Parsons brought a passion for the genre to the burgeoning California rock scene. After seeing Elvis live, the teenage trust-fund rebel wanted only to make "cosmic American music." He left his booze-addled, citrus-empire family and found his place in Los Angeles' late-'60s heyday of the Troubadour and the Strip.
During his brief membership in the Byrds, Parsons made his mark with the Nashville-recorded album Sweetheart of the Rodeo. The effect of his friendship with The Rolling Stones, Richards especially, is evident in the country-flavored tracks on Exile on Main Street. The Flying Burrito Brothers, Parsons' post-Byrds venture, released a gorgeous rendition of Wild Horses before the Stones' version came out.
Richards is among the many musicians offering reminiscences in Fallen Angel. Fellow Byrd and Burrito Brother Chris Hillman is forthcoming about his admiration for Parsons' genius and frustration with his drug-fueled unreliability. Emmylou Harris, whose work with Parsons on his posthumously released Grievous Angel represents one of the most inspired vocal pairings ever recorded, shares her bemusement over the hard-drinking Parsons' lack of focus and preparation on their first tour together.
But resourceful director Gandulf Hennig ventures beyond the obvious talking heads, drawing emotional testimony from not only Parsons' wife and the girlfriend who was with him when he died, but friends of the family and bandmates from the young musician's prep-school days -- who attest to his unblinking self-confidence and sense of style even as a teen.
The only voice missing from the docu is Parsons'. There's ample performance footage but, other than excerpts from a letter, no direct quotes. Still, the concise narration written by Hennig and musician/journalist Sid Griffin (the Long Ryders) is a definite asset, and there's a grounded, shimmering power to the film's multivoiced interpretation of Parsons' short life and still-vital music.
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