The film-makers follow Gram's career from his early days in New York City, followed by his joining the Byrds, the birth and death of the Flying Burrito Brothers, and his short lived solo career where he worked with Emmylou Harris. At each stop along the way the people he played with say the same thing; when Gram was together he was the best.
His voice was the quintessential "high lonesome" which could make you feel the sadness of the world and rip your heart right out. Creatively he could be without equal as well. Hillman credits him as the driving force behind Sweetheart Of The Rodeo, one of the Byrds' best albums. Songs like "Drug Store Truck Driving Man" with its country sound but socially conscious lyrics were part of his distinctive sound and the change he wrought on the Byrds.
But even then, according to the film, he was more interested in fame and the rock star lifestyle than the work involved with achieving it. Through Chris Hillman he met Keith Richards and the Rolling Stones for the first time and that began his fascination with what he saw as the glamour of their career.
The Byrds had come to London England as a prelude to going on tour of South Africa, and Gram had asked Keith Richards to explain what the situation was like there. Keith laughs about the conversation in an interview saying if he knew it was going to cause him to leave the Byrds he might not have told Gram about apartheid.
Gram used the situation in South Africa as an excuse not to make the trip, telling them two hours before the flight was to leave. But in Chris Hillman's opinion he didn't want to go because he wanted to hang out with Keith Richards instead.
This pattern of abandoning his own work because he was attracted to the lifestyle of fame and adulation continued with his own group, the Flying Burrito Brothers. According to Hillman, who obviously didn't stay mad at Gram as he became part of the Burrito Brothers, Gram wrote some of the best music of his career during that time.
The filmmakers have pulled together old promotional clips from the time period of the Burritos performing together, and Gram's voice is amazing even in these battered old pieces of film. But it was also him that suggested the band go out and buy the really expensive Nudie suits (the rhinestone cowboy outfits associated with Country and Western music to this day) they wore on stage and in promotional shots.
Article comments
1 - John
Have the CD set. GP doesn't sound any better now than he did as a want to be star (just one old guys opinion). He is no 'genius' not of a Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, etc., level. When Sweetheart of the Rodeo came out it was the death of the Byrds. I see Chris Hillman play 1 or 2 times a year, he started down here (San Diego area). His vocal, writing and musical skills are so far above GP it's ridiculous and I don't like blue grass and am not fond of country.
GP was not the start of country rock no matter how hard the machine tries to portray this spin. Chris, Templeman, Leadon (all San Diegans) were country before Chris joined McGuinn, Crosby, White, etc... all San Diegan;s by the way. If anyone brought country into rock, it was probably Hillman's influences from his first or second San Diego band, the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers.
One guys rant ;-)
I did enjoy your article but don't agree with the level of GPs skill or influence.
2 - David
#1--he went to Harvard, not Yale.
#2--his wife's name is "Gretchen," not "Gertrude."
Errors like these, made with regards to basic factual info long available proir to this documentary, make this "review" seem not only unprofessional, but pointless, not to mention VERY poorly written. The grammar and spelling errors could have been spotted by a high school English student.
3 - Rodney Welch
Actually it's a pretty interesting and informative review and David's just an idiot. Good work, Richard.