Editing Gram Parsons (section)

===The Flying Burrito Brothers (1969–1970)===
{{Main|The Flying Burrito Brothers}}
[[File:Country Music Hall of Fame (5981921715).jpg|thumb| Parsons's ''[[Nudie suit]]'' in the [[Country Music Hall of Fame]] in Nashville]]
Returning to Los Angeles, Parsons sought out Chris Hillman, and the two formed [[The Flying Burrito Brothers]] with bassist [[Chris Ethridge]] and [[pedal steel]] player [[Sneaky Pete Kleinow]]. Their 1969 album ''[[The Gilded Palace of Sin]]'' marked the culmination of Parsons' post-1966 musical vision: a modernized variant of the [[Bakersfield sound]] that was popularized by [[Buck Owens]] amalgamated with strands of soul and [[psychedelic rock]]. The band appeared on the album cover wearing [[Nudie Cohn|Nudie]] suits emblazoned with hippie symbols, including [[marijuana]], [[Tuinal]], and [[Seconal]]-inspired patches.<ref name="Grdn">{{cite news |last1=Robinson |first1=John |title=Naked talent |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/feb/28/popandrock.gramparsons |access-date=24 August 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=28 February 2004}}</ref> Along with the Parsons-Hillman originals "Christine's Tune" and "Sin City" were versions of the [[soul music]] classics "[[The Dark End of the Street]]" and "[[Do Right Woman, Do Right Man]]", the latter featuring David Crosby on high harmony. The original songs were the result of a productive songwriting partnership between Parsons and Hillman, who were sharing a bachelor pad in the [[San Fernando Valley]]. The pronounced gospel-soul influence on this album likely evolved from the ecumenical tastes of bassist Chris Ethridge, who co-wrote "Hot Burrito No. 1/I'm Your Toy" and "Hot Burrito No. 2" with Parsons.

Original drummer [[Eddie Hoh]] was unable to perform adequate takes due to a substance abuse problem. He was dismissed after two songs and the band used  session drummers, including former International Submarine Band drummer Jon Corneal and [[Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show|Popeye Phillips]]. Before commencing live performances, the group settled on original Byrds drummer [[Michael Clarke (musician)|Michael Clarke]].

''[[The Gilded Palace of Sin]]'' was commercially unsuccessful. Critic [[Robert Christgau]] called it "an ominous, obsessive, tongue-in-cheek country-rock synthesis, absorbing rural and urban, traditional and contemporary, at point of impact." Parsons suffered from fear of flying and the band toured via train. The band members lost most of their money in a perpetual poker game and their concerts were met with bewilderment. Parsons was taking [[psilocybin]] and [[cocaine]], so his performances were erratic. The most successful appearance was in Philadelphia, where the group opened for the reconstituted Byrds. Midway through their set, Parsons joined the headline act and fronted his former group on renditions of "Hickory Wind" and "[[You Don't Miss Your Water]]".

After returning to Los Angeles, the group recorded "The Train Song", written during an increasingly infrequent songwriting session on the train and produced by 1950s R&B legends [[Larry Williams]] and [[Johnny "Guitar" Watson]]. Despite a request from the Burritos that the remnants of their publicity budget be diverted to the promotion of the single, it also flopped. During this period, Ethridge departed, saying that he did not share Parsons' and Hillman's affinity for country music. He was replaced by lead guitarist [[Bernie Leadon]], while Hillman reverted to bass.

By this time, Parsons's drug use had increased to the point where new songs were rare, and much of his time was spent partying with the Rolling Stones, who were in America finishing ''[[Let It Bleed]]''. As the Stones prepared to play the nation's largest venues, the Burritos played to dwindling nightclub audiences. But they were booked as one of the acts at the [[Altamont Music Festival]]. They played a short set, including "[[Bony Moronie]]" and "[[Six Days on the Road]]", which was included in the event's documentary ''[[Gimme Shelter (1970 film)|Gimme Shelter]]''.

With mounting debt incurred, A&M hoped to recoup some of its losses by marketing the Burritos as a straight country group. Manager Jim Dickson instigated a session where the band recorded honky tonk staples and contemporary pop covers in a countrified vein, but this was scrapped in favor of a second album of originals on an extremely reduced budget.

Faced with a dearth of new material, most of the album was hastily written in the studio by Leadon, Hillman, and Parsons, with two ''Gilded Palace of Sin'' outtakes thrown into the mix. The resulting album, ''[[Burrito Deluxe]]'', was released in April 1970. Although it is considered less inspired than its predecessor, it is notable for the song "Older Guys" and for the band's take on "[[Wild Horses (Rolling Stones song)|Wild Horses]]".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tSy9OPq-XD0C&q=wild+horses+burrito+brothers&pg=PP112|title=Flying Burrito Brothers' The Gilded Palace of Sin|first=Bob|last=Proehl|date=15 December 2008|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA|access-date=19 December 2017|via=Google Books|isbn=9781441143495}}</ref>

Like its predecessor, ''Burrito Deluxe'' under-performed commercially but also failed to carry the critical cachet of the debut. Disenchanted, Parsons left the Burritos in mutual agreement with Hillman; under Hillman, the group recorded one more album before dissolving in 1971.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.americansongwriter.com/2012/05/pieces-of-the-sky-the-legacy-of-gram-parsons/|title=Pieces Of The Sky: The Legacy Of Gram Parsons|magazine=[[American Songwriter]]|access-date=4 June 2012}}</ref>