Exterior view of the Ryman, a multi story brick building with white details and a peaked roof.

Behind the Curtain of the Ryman, the Mother Church of Country Music

May 19, 2025, 3 Comments

Running through Nashville is the Cumberland River, and in the 1880s it meant Nashville was a rough and tumble river town with saloons, gambling, and of course riverboats. Thomas Ryman was a man of the river, owning a successful riverboat company, and not exactly a man of God, but all that changed on May 10,…

Guide to Gram Parsons’ Southern California

March 19, 2025, Leave a Comment on Guide to Gram Parsons’ Southern California

Today is a blog post that has literally been years in the making. As some of you may know, Gram Parsons is one of my favorite musicians, and I have been spending the last several years seeking locations linked to him across Southern California. Originally hailing from Winter Haven, Florida and growing up in Georgia,…

Myself, wearing a shirt featuring the cover of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, which is an image of a cowgirl surrounded by flowers, and jeans, standing just outside the door with a view of the other Tudor cottages behind me.

Spending my Birthday the Faux English Village Gram Parsons Once Called Home

April 24, 2024, Leave a Comment on Spending my Birthday the Faux English Village Gram Parsons Once Called Home

Charlie Chaplin was, and remains, an important icon of motion picture history. His on screen antics are classic, and his contribution to the industry in a variety of ways cannot be underestimated. One way he sought to improve production at his studio, which he built in 1917, was to provide housing for employees close to…

Myself, standing in front of the Canyon Country Store, wearing a cream cowboy hat, pink and yellow floral shirt, caramel colored fringe leather vest, and tan corduroys.

The Canyon Country Store, where 60s Music Legends Shopped and Rocked

April 27, 2022, 7 Comments

Separating the greater Los Angeles area from the San Fernando Valley are the Hollywood Hills, and running through them are various canyons, steep with homes built precariously into them. The most famous of these canyons is Laurel Canyon. Here the likes of Joni Mitchell, David Crosby, Jim Morrison, Chris Hillman, Gram Parsons, Frank Zappa, David…

Sweetheart of the Rodeo

July 31, 2018, 4 Comments

This year one of my favorite albums turns 50, The Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo, and to commemorate the milestone, co-founders of The Byrds, Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman decided to embark on a tour, along with Marty Stuart. They opened in LA last week, and I was overjoyed to snag tickets to the second…

This Old Town is Filled with Sin

June 12, 2014, 13 Comments

When I blogged about my Flying Burrito Brothers t-shirt I mentioned I had another Gram Parsons inspired outfit on the way once I got something back from the shoe repair. Well, it’s back! And it’s not shoes. It’s a jacket. On Gram’s tour with the Fallen Angels, a group of fans calling themselves the…

The Grievous Angel

March 17, 2014, 4 Comments

One of the things I really wanted to do this trip to Palm Springs was go to Joshua Tree. But not for the reason many would want to visit this gorgeous park. While most come for the beauty of the landscape, or for cycling or to climb the unique rock formations, my visit was a…