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By Jon Gosa

ALBANY — The life and death of flamboyant singer-songwriter Gram Parsons, born Ingram Cecil Conner III, is a story of tragic irony, but his patented brand of Cosmic American Music—a mix of rock, folk and country, has left an indelible mark on the world.

In honor of that music the Gram Parsons Guitar Pull, an annual tribute festival celebrating the artistry of the decadent South Georgia wastrel, returns to Waycross, the boyhood home of Parsons, for the 19th consecutive year on September 23-24.

The festival will feature artists from across the nation who are coming together to pay musical homage to an American songwriting legend.

Parsons, who grew up in the small, rural Georgia town as the privileged son of a wealthy family, endured several tragedies that would haunt him, and his music, for the rest of his short life (Parsons died from drug and alcohol abuse at age 26).

In 1958, when Parsons was only 12 years old, his father, Ingram Cecil “Coon Dog” Conner, a World War II flying ace, committed suicide two days before Christmas. Seven years later, in 1965, Parsons would lose his mother, Avis (Snively) Conner, to cirrhosis on the day of his high school graduation from Bolles, a prep school in Jacksonville, Florida.

“Parsons was different,” said former schoolmate David Prisant. “He and I were roommates at Bolles. You could tell he was one of those people who pushed the envelope a little more than most. He was extremely talented and really knew how to get along with people. I remember seeing the letter he wrote to the admissions office at Harvard. The letter read, ‘Dear Mr. Harvard…I want to go to college and major in English and people tell me you have a good college.’ He wrote English with a small “e,” but Gram got in.”

Parsons left the South for the Ivy League campus in Boston, but rarely attended classes and was subsequently kicked out of school after only one semester. However, it was during this time, after hearing Merle Haggard, that he developed a serious interest in country music.

The following year Parsons chased his muse west where he would later play with the Byrds, befriend the Rolling Stones, cut several deals with major record labels, sing haunting duets with Emmylou Harris, and spectacularly fail to ever chart a hit.

A career of false starts, alcohol and drug induced philandering and soul-agonizing introspection, along with the theft and fiery desecration of his body by long time friend and tour manager Phil Kaufman after his death in 1973, have given Parsons the status of cult hero, and created for his music, which many believe was ahead of its time, a mythology of overlooked genius.

“The music made by Gram Parsons…was characterized by first-night nerves, reckless disregard for rehearsals and an uncanny ability to pull something out of the hat,” wrote David Cavanagh for Uncut Magazine.

Unfortunately, like many great artists, Parsons never knew true success while he was alive. Many of the accolades and recognition awarded him came only after his death.

In 2003, the Americana Music Association honored Parsons with its “President’s Award” and, in 2010, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him as number 87 on its list of “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.”

“By the time I discovered Gram Parsons, unfortunately, it was about two months before he died,” said singer-songwriter and Waycross festival producer Dave Griffin. “I grew up very well-rounded musically starting off with daddy’s Hank Williams records. Then pop-radio and by high school started buying my own records and had my picks, stuff like Crosby, Stills and Nash, Kris Kristofferson, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Poco. My musical appreciation had gone full circle and reconnected with what the media was then calling country-rock. All of this was prior to my knowledge of Gram.”

In 1973, Griffin was working for a builder supply company and during a delivery to St. Simon’s Island discovered the connection between Parsons and his own hometown.

“I had finished my delivery and it was about lunch time,” Griffin said. “I grabbed a ham sandwich and a Penthouse and was sitting down by the pier in my pickup reading the album reviews. In the front of the magazine they always had stuff like film reviews, music reviews and book reviews. It sounds odd, but that’s what I went for first. So, this July ’73 issue album review was talking about GP, Parsons’ first solo record which came out in January of that year. I’m reading along, seeing this cat (Parsons) smiling back at me from the magazine and I turned the page and it says that much of the music was reminiscent of the music Gram listened to growing up in Waycross, Ga. I flipped out when I saw that.”

Inspired, Griffin sought out Parsons’ music and became a huge fan.

“It was overwhelming to learn Gram was from Waycross,” Griffin said. “It changed something inside all of us around here and made us say that this guy was ours, he was from our town. My God that is special itself, but when you add to that the fact the guy was talented as hell and was so pure with his writing and with his singing, that is what impressed the most. The purity of his music was almost like staring at the sun, you would have to turn away because it was so heartfelt, emotional and real. You could hear the crack in his voice. You could hear him sobbing almost on some of those songs.”

Then, in 1998, Griffin decided to gather local musicians together for the first Guitar Pull in his back yard. Parsons’ name would not officially become the driving force behind the festival until year three, but it was obvious from the start that Griffin’s affinity for the local hometown hero was an inspiration.

“Whenever me and my wife would go out, which we didn’t do much having kids and all, we would inevitably run into musicians who would always say let’s get together and pick some,” Griffin said. “That always seemed so hollow to me like saying, how are you doing, fine. So, right then and there I decided to do something about it. That first year I made myself put “first annual” on the flyer, because if we were going to do it once, we were going to do it again. We had about twenty five people that first year; no pressure, no schedule, just walk up, plug in your guitar and sing on the mic. We did it the second year and by the third year I had made it the Gram Parsons Guitar Pull. It just felt right honoring somebody from Waycross and because of how important he was to music at large and to my own personal music.”

By the fourth year the festival had grown so much Griffin knew he had to find a different venue.

“When you have over 250 people show up in your house and backyard it was gratifying and scary at the same time,” Griffin said. “Sunday morning when we got up there were about eight dirty foot prints in the Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom, so, between that and the number of people who showed up, I knew we had to move this thing to a public venue.”

Over the years, the festival has continued to grow, drawing musicians and music lovers from across the country.

This year 29 acts will perform over two days at the Okefenokee Fairgrounds.

“This is going to be a great event for everybody,” Griffin said. “It is kid friendly and there is going to be some wonderful music. Bring you a comfortable lawn chair, maybe an umbrella for some shade and your cooler. No drum circles please, but I hope everybody comes and has a really good time.”

The festival gates open at noon Friday and Saturday rain or shine. Advanced weekend passes are $40 and are available online at www.GPGPFEST.com through midnight Sunday. Gate prices are $25 per day with a $5 discount for students or military with valid ID’s; free admission for kids 12 and under. RV camping is available for a $30 fee and tent camping is free with admission.

For more information, including a list of the festival’s performers go to www.GPGPFEST.com or visit Gram Parsons Guitar Pull on facebook.