American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist Gram Parsons is best known for his work with the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers. He also popularized what he called “Cosmic American Music”, a hybrid of country, rhythm and blues, soul, folk, and rock. He recorded as a solo artist and with the International Submarine Band, the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers. His relatively short career was described by AllMusic as “enormously influential” for country and rock, “blending the two genres to the point that they became indistinguishable from each other.” His health deteriorated due to several years of drug abuse and he died in 1973 at the age of 26. The official cause of death was an overdose of morphine and alcohol.
