Hickory Wind: The Life and Times of Gram Parsons

From Publishers Weekly
This entertaining biography examines the eventful life of singer/guitarist Gram Parsons, who collaborated with the Byrds on the album Sweetheart of the Rodeo , founded the Flying Burrito Brothers with Chris Hillman and worked with country singer Emmylou Harris. Although Parsons achieved only minimal stardom prior to his 1973 drug-related death at age 26, his fusion of country and rock influenced such bands as the Eagles and the Grateful Dead. Fong-Torres ( The Motown Album ) describes the free-spirited, flamboyant musician's privileged but troubled Southern background and interviews individuals including the Byrds' Roger McGuinn, the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards and loyal road manager Phil Kaufman, who, according to Parsons's wishes, attempted--unsuccessfully--to cremate Parsons's body in Joshua Tree National Monument, a park in California. Fong-Torres drops music-biz names and reports on the colorful 1960s and '70s fast lane with finesse; Parsons's profound, continuing impact is felt in admiring testimonies from friends and fans. Photos not seen by PW. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Parsons must receive the lion's share of the credit (or blame) for defining California "country rock." Before his early death in 1973, he recorded with the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and as a solo. Although he was not appreciated during his lifetime, his work is now seen as influential. As important as he may have been as an artist, Parsons personally was little more interesting than most other late-1960s burnouts, and his life proves thin stuff for a book-length biography. Fong-Torres, a respected rock music journalist and Rolling Stone alumnus, does his best to fashion a sensational narrative out of Parsons's 27 years, but falls short. His efforts to depict Parsons's early life in the South as a Tennessee Williams-style family drama, for example, is forced at best. Fans will love this book, but it holds little appeal for others. For larger music collections.- James Stephenson, Soc. of the Cincinnati Lib., Washington, D.C.Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Review
"The cream of the crop [of rock books]...Fong-Torres writes a fan's appreciation of Parsons that does not skimp on the harsh truth."--Steve Morse, The Boston Globe

"A saddening piece of reading, but one which members of Parsons' large cult will find essential."--Musician Magazine

"The first clear picture of a musical genius."--South Bend Tribune (Indiana)



Review
"The cream of the crop [of rock books]...Fong-Torres writes a fan's appreciation of Parsons that does not skimp on the harsh truth."--Steve Morse, The Boston Globe

"A saddening piece of reading, but one which members of Parsons' large cult will find essential."--Musician Magazine

"The first clear picture of a musical genius."--South Bend Tribune (Indiana)



Book Description
Gram Parons lived hard and died young, and left behind a musical legacy that has influenced generations of rock and country legends. Ben Fong-Torres's moving account of his story--from his poor-little-rich-kid childhood; through his seminal time with the Byrds and his own bands, the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Fallen Angels; to days and nights spent with the likes of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Emmylou Harris--is a classic of rock biography. This newly expanded edition updates the text and discograph, adds rare new photographs, and concludes with an intriguing epilogue that answers some lingering questions about Gram's untimely death--and raised a few more.



From the Publisher
"The cream of the crop [of rock books] ... Fong-Torres writes a fan's appreciation of Parsons that does not skimp on the harsh truth." -Steve Morse, THE BOSTON GLOBE "A remarkable job of tracking the life of Mr. Parsons... The writing is clear and the tales ring true as he follows a seminal figure of country rock from his birth into a citrus-moneyed family in Winter Haven, Florida, to his drug-related death in the high desert town of Joshua Tree, California." --ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION "A saddening piece of reading, but one which members of Parsons' large cult will find essential." -MUSICIAN magazine "The first clear picture of a musical genius." --SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE (Indiana)


About the Author
Ben Fong-Torres, a former editor of ROLLING STONE, is also the author of THE RICE ROOM: GROWING UP CHINESE, FROM NUMBER TWO SON TO ROCK 'N' ROLL. He lives in San Francisco, California.


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Parsons must receive the lion's share of the credit (or blame) for defining California ``country rock.'' Before his early death in 1973, he recorded with the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and as a solo. Although he was not appreciated during his lifetime, his work is now seen as influential. As important as he may have been as an artist, Parsons personally was little more interesting than most other late-1960s burnouts, and his life proves thin stuff for a book-length biography. Fong-Torres, a respected rock music journalist and Rolling Stone alumnus, does his best to fashion a sensational narrative out of Parsons's 27 years, but falls short. His efforts to depict Parsons's early life in the South as a Tennessee Williams-style family drama, for example, is forced at best. Fans will love this book, but it holds little appeal for others. For larger music collections.-- James Stephenson, Soc. of the Cincinnati Lib., Washington, D.C.


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