"A terrific biography of a rock innovator that hums with juicy detail
and wincing truth. . . . Page after page groans with the folly of the
'60s drug culture, the tragedy of talent toasted before its time, the
curse of wealth and the madness of wasted opportunity."*--The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution*****
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE LOS ANGELES TIMES -
NAMED ONE OF THE FIVE BEST ROCK BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY 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. Parsons' 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 "Cosmic American Music." Parsons had everything--looks,
charisma, money, style, the best drugs, the most heartbreaking
voice--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 Parsons' mythic life its due. From interviews with
hundreds of the famous and obscure who knew and worked closely with
Parsons-many who have never spoken publicly about him before-Meyer
conjures a dazzling panorama of the artist and his era.
Praise for Twenty Thousand Roads
"Far and away the most thorough biography of Parsons . . . skewers any
number of myths surrounding this endlessly mythologized
performer."--Los Angeles Times
**
"The definitive account of Gram Parsons' life-and early death. From the
country-rock pioneer's wealthy, wildly dysfunctional family through his
symbiotic friendship with Keith Richards, Meyer deftly illuminates one
of rock's most elusive figures."--Rolling Stone
**
"Meticulously researched . . . Though Meyer answers a lot of
long-burning questions, he preserves Parsons' legend as a man of
mystery."**--Entertainment Weekly
*"Meyer gives Parsons a thorough, Peter Guralnick-like
treatment."**--New York Post
**
