Most everyone is familiar with the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Elvis Presley.
Many area residents from today’s senior citizen set fondly recall the day when Elvis took the stage at the Waycross City Auditorium on February 22, 1956.
Among those in the crowd that evening was a budding musician who later gained fame in his own right. A starstruck nine-year-old Gram Connor, later to become known to the world as Gram Parsons, watched intently sporting slickedback hair just like the young man he saw on the stage.
Parsons went on to write his own music and play briefly with bands such as The Byrds and the International Submarine Band before culminating with his two solo albums. He will posthumously be inducted in November into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
Adding a touch of country to his rock ‘n’ roll music, Parsons effectively founded the genre of music called countryrock, although many prefer his self-proclaimed moniker “Cosmic American Soul.”
For his last albums, Parsons recruited a thenunknown Emmylou Harris, now a fam ous country vocalist and songwriter.
The Okefenokee Heritage Center is celebrating Presley’s visit to Waycross Saturday, September 26 with “Elvis Returns,” a concert by Elvis Tribute Artist Jordan Poole, a Georgia native. Poole’s performance and that of his opening act the County Line Ramblers will be at the same venue as the one 70 years ago.
Doors open for the OHC fundraiser at 5 p.m. with the show beginning at 6 p.m. with CLR followed at 7 p.m. by Poole. Tickets are $30 in advance at the OHC, 1460 N. Augusta Ave., or at www.okefenokeeheritagecenter. org and $40 at the door.
Parsons was born Ingram (“Gram” for short) Cecil Connor III in Winter Haven, Fla., November 5, 1946. Shortly after his birth, his parents moved to Waycross, where he attended elementary school at the old Williams Heights building.
Influenced by music at a very young age, Parsons entertained his boyhood friends on the stoop of the front porch of his parents’ house in Cherokee Heights.
As he aged, Parsons lived a fast-paced life that led him from two places he called home – Waycross and Winter Haven – to New York City and all the way to the California desert, and a special hotel called the Joshua Tree Inn. As fate played out, Parsons tragically passed away at age 26 in Room 8 of the inn on September 13, 1973.
The Gram Parsons legacy lives on today in many musicians who feel a connection to his influence, the County Line Ramblers, featuring Ashton Herrin, Jacob Monk, Scott Jacobs, and Jeff Jacobs, among them.
It’s also celebrated annually by Parsons devoté, Dave Griffin, who annually stages the Gram Parsons Guitar Pull & Music Festival, October 15-17. While it has primarily been put on at the Okefenokee Fairgrounds, this year sees a special return to where it all started — the backyard of their home at 950 Sunset Lane. To buy tickets, visit www.gpgpfest.com.
Parsons also is the subject of an OHC exhibit, open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday- Friday and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.
Comments