Twenty Thousand Roads: The Ballad of Gram Parsons and His

Twenty Thousand Roads: The Ballad of Gram Parsons and His Cosmic American Music

â‚¬Å“A terrific biography of a rock innovator that hums with juicy detail and wincing truth. . . . Page after page groans with the folly of the â‚¬60s drug culture, the tragedy of talent toasted before its time, the curse of wealth and the madness of wasted opportunity.â‚¬Ââ‚¬"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BYÂ THEÂ LOS ANGELES TIMES â‚¬Â NAMED ONE OF THE FIVE BEST ROCK BOOKS OF THE YEAR BYÂ ROLLING STONE

As a singer and songwriter, Gram Parsons stood at the nexus of countless musical crossroads, and he sold his soul to the devil at every one. His intimates and collaborators included Keith Richards, William Burroughs, Marianne Faithfull, Peter Fonda, Roger McGuinn, and Clarence White. Parsons led the Byrds to create the seminal country rock masterpiece Sweetheart of the Rodeo, helped to guide the Rolling Stones beyond the blues in their appreciation of American roots music, and found his musical soul mate in Emmylou Harris. Parsonsâ‚¬ solo albums, GP and Grievous Angel, are now recognized as visionary masterpieces of the transcendental jambalaya of rock, soul, country, gospel, and blues Parsons named â‚¬Å“Cosmic American Music.â‚¬Â Parsons had everythingâ‚¬"looks, charisma, money, style, the best drugs, the most heartbreaking voiceâ‚¬"and threw it all away with both hands, dying of a drug and alcohol overdose at age twenty-six.

In this beautifully written, raucous, meticulously researched biography, David N. Meyer gives Parsonsâ‚¬ mythic life its due. From interviews with hundreds of the famous and obscure who knew and worked closely with Parsonsâ‚¬â€œmany who have never spoken publicly about him beforeâ‚¬â€œMeyer conjures a dazzling panorama of the artist and his era.

Praise for Twenty Thousand Roads

â‚¬Å“Far and away the most thorough biography of Parsons . . . skewers any number of myths surrounding this endlessly mythologized performer.â‚¬Ââ‚¬"Los Angeles Times

â‚¬Å“The definitive account of Gram Parsonsâ‚¬ lifeâ‚¬â€œand early death. From the country-rock pioneerâ‚¬s wealthy, wildly dysfunctional family through his symbiotic friendship with Keith Richards, Meyer deftly illuminates one of rockâ‚¬s most elusive figures.â‚¬Ââ‚¬"Rolling Stone

â‚¬Å“Meticulously researched . . . Though Meyer answers a lot of long-burning questions, he preserves Parsonsâ‚¬ legend as a man of mystery.â‚¬Ââ‚¬"Entertainment Weekly

â‚¬Å“Meyer gives Parsons a thorough, Peter Guralnick-like treatment.â‚¬Ââ‚¬"New York Post
Country USA
Brand Villard
Manufacturer Villard
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 9780345503367
Color Multicolor
ReleaseDate 2008-09-16
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780345503367

Country	USA
Brand	Villard
Manufacturer	Villard
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	9780345503367
Color	Multicolor
ReleaseDate	2008-09-16
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780345503367

Twenty Thousand Roads: The Ballad of Gram Parsons and His Cosmic American Music

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