Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello, The Black Crowes and other artists will pay tribute to Gram Parsons at a sold-out concert at Los Angeles’ Troubadour on November 11. The event, titled “A Song for Gram,” comes three days before Parsons is inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the early influence category.
The tribute was planned around what would have been Parsons’ 80th birthday on November 5 and his upcoming induction. His daughter, Polly Parsons, said the estate had already been considering a birthday celebration, and the Hall of Fame news made it natural to bring the occasions together.
Harris will headline the show. She sang on Parsons’ two solo albums, including the posthumously released “Grievous Angel.” She described him as an artist ahead of his time and credited him with introducing her to country music and the experience of playing with a band.
The lineup also includes Costello, Margo Price, The Head and the Heart, Grace Potter, Jesse Welles, Madison Cunningham, Grahame Lesh, Harper Simon and Jim Lauderdale. Beachwood Sparks will provide the backing music. Organizers said they chose performers whose work carries forward Parsons’ musical spirit.
Parsons helped bring country and rock together as a member of The Byrds, co-founder of The Flying Burrito Brothers and a solo artist. Costello said he has performed Parsons’ songs since he was 19 and recalled recording two of them for his 1981 album “Almost Blue.”
The event is being produced by Polly Parsons, Vector Management’s Ken Levitan and Nicki Loranger, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame executive Rick Krim and Rolling Stone co-editor Shirley Halperin, in partnership with the Parsons estate and the Hall of Fame. Halperin said she joined the effort after Polly mentioned difficulties organizing the concert.
Proceeds will benefit Friendly House Foundation, a Los Angeles sober-living home for women, and Backline, which offers mental health and wellness resources to music industry professionals and their families. The concert will not be recorded or filmed, with organizers describing it as a one-night experience in an intimate venue.
Sources: Billboard.