Grievous Angel: Gram Parsons and the Country Rock Movement
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
GRIEVOUS ANGEL: GRAM PARSONS AND THE COUNTRY ROCK MOVEMENT BY JOHN F. STANISLAWSKI DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Musicology in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2014 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Professor Jeffrey Magee, Chair Associate Professor Gayle Sherwood Magee Associate Professor Gabriel Solis Associate Professor Jim Hansen ABSTRACT The country rock movement emerged in Southern California in the mid-1960s and was comprised of musicians who, through diverse musical practices and conceptual means, sought to fuse elements of country music with other popular genres. Developing amidst the social and political turmoil that defined the era, country rock provided a space for musicians and listeners to negotiate both musical and cultural boundaries. This dissertation provides a critical analysis of the life, legacy, and music of one of the movement’s central figures: Gram Parsons. Since his death in 1973 at the age of 26, interest in Parsons has steadily increased such that today he is hailed by many critics and fans as the “father of country rock” and the movement’s most influential artist. Much of this posthumous recognition is rooted in idealizations of Parsons’s Southernness, experiences of familial tragedy, fusions of country, rock, blues, and soul, or what he famously called, “cosmic American music,” and the bizarre details of his death. Intended to forge links between Parsons’s biography, music, and idiosyncratic personal style, these elements have been foregrounded by listeners in a way that has allowed Parsons to transcend the limited commercial success he received during his lifetime to attain a nearly mythical status. Though provocative, the myths and originator narratives that surround Parsons paint an incomplete picture of his life and work, and ultimately, limit understanding of Parsons while failing to acknowledge the many musicians and complex social forces at work within country rock as a whole. In this light, the purpose of this study is twofold: first, to critically assess Parsons’s musical career and contribution to country rock, and second, to investigate how aspects of Parsons’s life, both real and fictionalized, have contributed to his posthumous acclaim and singular position within country rock’s historical narrative. By virtue of the oppositions that ii are perceived to coalesce in Parsons’s life, persona, and music—country/city, region/nation, lower class/upper class, hippy/redneck, libertine/gentlemen, sacred/secular—he provides an excellent case study of the tensions that not only undergirded country rock in the tumultuous late 1960s and early 1970s, but that continue to inform conceptions of genre, authenticity, and musical meaning within discourses of popular music today. Through analyzing recordings, biographies, interviews, popular press articles, and a variety of media from an interdisciplinary perspective, this study demonstrates how an integrated musicological approach to understanding individual artistry and musical hybridity can both reflect and illuminate its objects of inquiry. iii To my grandmother, Ruth Marie Gutknecht, for her guidance and grace (1917-2014) iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS More than any project I’ve taken on before, this dissertation proves the old proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Indeed, years in the making, this study—at times, a friend and refuge, at others, an enemy, or at the very least, a sloppy roommate who I had to confront— could not have been completed without the help of teachers, colleagues, friends and family, and of course, my subject, Gram Parsons, whose music continues to inspire in me personal reflection and joy. Thank you to the Musicology department at the University of Illinois, whose generous funding and faith in me as a teaching assistant allowed me to pursue my interests at the graduate level. Money and opportunity alone can only go so far, however. My biggest thanks to the department must go to its unwavering commitment to its students and faculty, intellectual vigor, to blurring the line between the “historicals” and the “ethnos,” and ultimately, for pointing me in the right direction. I have had the great privilege of working with a dissertation committee comprised of brilliant and passionate scholars. My advisor Dr. Jeffrey Magee has been a tireless source of support and confidence. His comments, suggestions, and encouragement to “just write” have not only made me a better scholar, but writer as well. Thanks Dr. Magee for helping me get my writing off the couch and into the gym. Likewise, Dr. Gayle Sherwood Magee’s guidance, insight, and critical eye have shaped my life as an intellectual, citizen, and my awareness of my place in the bigger picture. My first graduate seminar was Dr. Gabriel Solis’s seminar on rock music. His passionate engagement with the literature, the music, and most importantly, his students in that seminar and in the many courses I had the pleasure of taking with him since, v helped me tap the intellectual wellspring from which this study draws water. Of course, the bolo tie he wore to my defense also deserves a shout out. Last, but certainly not least, many thanks to Dr. Jim Hansen for taking part in this project. His love of words, ideas, and explorations of the bounds of genre and genius not only inspired content within this study, but also continues to fuel my love of fiction and those authors who dedicate themselves to “trying to say.” Beyond my committee members, thanks must also be reserved for my colleagues and friends who read infant chapter drafts and offered feedback. Matt Crain, Michael Siletti, Megan Woller, Steve Wilson, Travis Stimeling, and Jud Wellington all helped in this regard at different points of completion and this work is certainly better for it. Of course, no structure is complete without the nuts and bolts that hold it together and thus, I extend my thanks to Scott Neubert in Nashville, Kevin Mavis in Greenville, and Cody Jensen in Urbana. Scott, your insight as a pedal steel player helped me make sense of the many different playing styles that surfaced through Parsons’s work. Kevin, thanks for translating my chicken-scratched transcriptions into the magisterial notated forms that appear throughout this document. And Cody, Music 101 paid off—your drumming and rhythmic expertise has no equal. Thanks for helping me hear drums in a more nuanced way. Sanity and self-preservation are precious, fragile things. Luckily, I was able to keep mine relatively intact throughout my graduate studies with the help of mentors, friends, and bandmates. Colin and John, thanks for helping to keep this sinking ship in one piece as it bobbed and tumbled. My musicology cohort—Elizabeth Surles, Jessica Hajek, Renee Gordon Holley, Michael Siletti, Jon Hollis, Jud Wellington, Steve Wilson, Alex Woller, Megan Woller, Ian Middleton, Holly Holmes, Doug Fennig—and all the friends I’ve made during my years in central Illinois all played a part in my life that won’t soon be forgotten. Very near and dear to vi my heart is the time I spent making music, talking, laughing, and staying up too late with the Sonny Stubble boys—Charles, Jud, Matt, and Cody. You all were a constant and necessary reminder that music is more than just sound. And to all those folks that came out to see us, dance with us, and tip a few back with us, thank you. I know some of you had to endure my late- night “Gram ramblings” and musical show-and-tells more often than you might have liked, but thanks for indulging me. I am especially grateful to my family for all of their influence, encouragement, and faith in me. Cousins Jamye and Jody, you probably don’t know it, but riding around Milwaukee with you guys as a teenager and listening to bands like Radiohead, Offspring, and Green Day (none which had made it to central Wisconsin radio yet) were some of the most formidable moments in my life and I am grateful to you both for letting me tag along and feel cool for a little while. Of course my parents, Frank and Bonnie Stanislawski, have since the beginning been my biggest influences, musical and otherwise. This project began many, many years ago with them and wouldn’t have become what it is without the time we spent listening to George Strait at Christmas or the Rolling Stones on the way to school, and certainly not without the pains they took to keep my fingers on the piano and my nose in the books. My sister, Callie, also deserves a huge thank you. I remain in awe of her courage and collection of Bob Dylan albums. My wife and best friend, Elizabeth, stuck with me throughout this whole process. I don’t know how, but she did. Across great distances and span of time longer than either of us imagined, her love and support were steadfast and true. The impeccable journalistic eye with which she scrutinized portions of this project not only improved my writing, but helped flesh out my answers to the always pressing “so what?” Her presence throughout this work is immeasurable. And finally, our dog Penguin deserves the biggest treat in the land. She always vii knew to beg for a walk when I was stuck. I can’t help but think that she knew some fresh air would do me some good. And it often did. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION…...……..…………………………………………………………..…………1 CHAPTER ONE: Parsons’s “Identity Crisis” and the Roots of Country Rock………..………..36 CHAPTER TWO: A “Country Beatle”…………………………………………………..……...92 CHAPTER THREE: Lions and Lambs in Cosmic America…………..…………………….…153 CHAPTER FOUR: “A Land That Was Nearly Forgotten”: “Regressive” Southernness in Parsons’s Late Career………………….……….………210 CHAPTER FIVE: The Posthumous Life of the Grievous Angel……………………….……...263 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………………309 DISCOGRAPHY………………..……………………………………………………………...327 ix INTRODUCTION He’s a poet, he’s a picker, He’s a prophet, he’s a pusher, He’s a pilgrim and a preacher, and a problem when he’s stoned.