Ingram Cecil Connor III, known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist. He recorded as a solo artist and with the International Submarine Band, the Byrds, and the Flying Burrito Brothers, popularizing what he called "Cosmic American Music", a hybrid of country, rhythm and blues, soul, folk, and rock.
Parsons in 1972
Parsons's Nudie suit in the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville
Parsons' makeshift memorial in Joshua Tree, California
The Byrds were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member. Although their time as one of the most popular groups in the world only lasted for a short period in the mid-1960s, the Byrds are considered by critics to be among the most influential rock acts of their era. Their signature blend of clear harmony singing and McGuinn's jangly 12-string Rickenbacker guitar was "absorbed into the vocabulary of rock" and has continued to be influential.
The Byrds in 1965 From left to right: David Crosby, Gene Clark, Michael Clarke, Chris Hillman, and Jim McGuinn
A Rickenbacker 360 12-string guitar similar to the one used by Jim McGuinn in 1964 and 1965. By 1966, McGuinn had transitioned to playing the three pickup 370/12 model.
Producer Terry Melcher (left) in the recording studio with Gene Clark (center) and David Crosby (right). Melcher brought in session musicians to play on the "Mr. Tambourine Man" single because he felt that the Byrds hadn't yet gelled musically.
The Byrds' psychedelic mosaic logo