Remembering When Gram Parsons’ Influential Masterwork Arrived Months After His Death in 1974

Not even the fact that it was a posthumous album from an influential artist who once played for big-name bands could save Grievous Angel from a lackluster commercial result when it was released in 1974. Gram Parsons’ last recorded document sold next to nothing.

In the decades since its release, the album has grown to mythic proportions. Many point to it as the lodestar for alt-country and/or Americana. Amazing, really, considering that man who made it hardly seemed to be in any shape at the time to make a masterpiece.

Influence Amidst Chaos

Gram Parsons’ talent for weaving different genres into new musical formations was matched only by his tendency for self-destructive behavior. You could make the argument that he embarked upon a solo career in the 70s only because he’d worn out his welcome in the various bands he frequented. He passed through them and briefly ignited their output before moving on to his next stop.

His first solo album, GP, arrived in 1973 to general indifference. Those who bothered to listen heard Parsons holding court on an inspired set of originals and covers. These songs melded country, rock, soul, and just about any other roots music you could name.

A brief tour to promote this record encountered all sorts of problems. Emmylou Harris, whose singing alongside Parsons had proved so integral to the magic of GP, helped Parsons and the band get through it all. But shaky vibes accompanied the run-up to Gram’s sophomore solo album.

Fallen ‘Angel’

Parsons’ use of drugs and drink continued unabated leading up to the album’s 1973 sessions in San Francisco. Luckily, he’d surrounded himself with ace players. Several of the instrumentalists made their bones playing for Elvis Presley. Harris returned, this time an even more active partner in the recording process.

Light on material, Parsons returned to songs he’d written previously in his career to fill in the gaps. He included gems like “Brass Buttons”, “$1,000 Wedding”, and “Hickory Wind”. To that, he added some well-chosen country covers. “Return Of The Grievous Angel” and “In My Hour Of Darkness”, the two new songs he composed for the album, were gems.

Shortly after mixing for the album was done, Parsons lit out for Joshua Tree in California in an effort to cleanse himself of his demons. But those demons followed him there. In the wee hours of September 19, 1973, he died from an overdose at the age of 26.

‘Posthumous Changes’

After his death, Parsons’ widow Gretchen took over the oversight of the yet-to-be-released album. She cut several songs from the tracklist. Those songs included “Sleepless Nights”, which was originally scheduled to be the title track. In addition, she diminished Harris’ role in the proceedings. She removed Harris from the cover, allegedly because she didn’t like the closeness between the two musicians.

Because Parsons’ star had fallen to a great extent by the time of his death, the release of the album in January 1974 came with little fanfare. But Grievous Angel, full of mesmerizing, revelatory performances of stellar material, simply couldn’t stay hidden for long.

Most fans of roots music now acknowledge the debt owed to the LP for all the wonder and inspiration it has provided to countless artists. Gram Parsons didn’t live long enough to see any of that, of course. As posthumous albums go, few have ever left as big an imprint on music as Grievous Angel.

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