Gram Parsons Trivia Quiz

Answer: Winter Haven, Florida

His mother's family owned a lot of property in Winter Haven, Florida, so she went there for his birth. He was raised in Waycross, Georgia, where his father worked.

Answer: Ingram Cecil Connor III

Snively was his mother's maiden name. His father was Ingram Cecil Connor jr., more commonly known by his nickname 'Coon Dog' Connor. Gram and his sister Avis were legally adopted by his mother's second husband, Robert Ellis Parsons, in 1958.

Answer: True

The two met when Gram was with The International Submarine String Band, who had a (very tiny) bit part in Fonda's film 'The Trip' - there's barely a glimpse of them during a key nightclub scene. In an interesting side note, director Roger Corman deemed the band "not acid enough" and they lip-synced a song by another band - the Electric Flag.

In the film credits, the music is credited to "The American Music Band". Fonda recorded Gram's song 'November Nights', which was released on the Chisa label, and the B-side was his version of Donovan's 'Catch The Wind'.

Answer: The Byrds

Gram played with all of these bands, but appeared at the Opry with The Byrds on March 10, 1968. They played Merle Haggard's 'Sing Me Back Home' and were announced to play his song 'Life In Prison' when Gram aggravated announcer Tompall Glaser by choosing to play his own 'Hickory Wind' instead.

Answer: True

Turns out, Gram DID record with Frank Zappa - he appears on the 1971 LP 'Motel Shot'. This wasn't listed in my source material, so thanks to ripper1 and the editors here on FunTrivia for helping me out on this one. Sorry for any confusion this may have caused any quiz takers out there.

Answer: False

False, but he is widely credited with helping to influence the country sound the band adopted on albums such as 'Beggar's Banquet' and 'Let It Bleed'. He is also rumored to be in the background vocals of 'Sweet Virginia' on 'Exile On Main Street', and was a frequent guest at the house in France during the recording of that album.

Answer: Nudie's Rodeo Tailors

Nudie's also did suits for, among others, Hank Williams, Porter Waggoner and the famous gold suit worn by Elvis Presley on the cover of '50,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong'. The shop was still called 'Nudie's Rodeo Tailors', even though Nudie himself had retired by the early to mid-60's, and his head tailor Manuel did the actual work on the suits worn by the band.

Answer: False

One of their best known songs, it was written by a friend of Gram from his brief time as a Harvard student in Boston - Tom Brown. The song chronicled Brown's romance with his wife, but it's been said that he also had Gram in mind while working on the lyrics - the title was inspired by a photo he'd seen of a sad-eyed Gram, "the king with a head full of speed".

Answer: True

Delaney and Bonnie recorded with many of rock's elite, most notably Eric Clapton on 'Delaney & Bonnie, and Friends', and Gram was known to jam with them from time to time while getting together his next project, The Flying Burrito Brothers. Not many of those jams got put on tape, but he does appear playing guitar and doing background vocals on "Motel Shot", 1971. Gram is credited on "Motel Shot" by Delaney and Bonnie.

Answer: True

This concert is considered by many 'infamous' due to the fact that the Hell's Angels killed an audience member - a young man named Meredith Hunter - during the song 'Under My Thumb' (NOT during 'Sympathy For The Devil' as has been widely reported). The Flying Burrito Brothers are briefly seen onstage in the concert film 'Gimme Shelter', and Gram was on the helicopter with the Stones when they left the site.