Died On This Date (December 16, 1997) Nicolette Larson / Popular Country Singer
themusicsover Nicolette Larson
July 17, 1952 – December 16, 1997
Nicolette Larson was a country and pop singer who is perhaps best remembered for her 1978 hit single, “Lotta Love,” a cover of the Neil Young song. Larson’s angelic voice lead to numerous vocal sessions over the years. She can be heard singing back-up on records by the likes of Commander Cody, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young and the Doobie Brothers. In 1978, Larson released her debut album, Nicolette, which prompted Rolling Stone magazine to cite her as the best female vocalist of 1978. Larson’s last hit single was a country one, 1985’s duet with Steve Wariner, on “That’s How You Know When Love is Right.” Later vocal credits include records by Dolly Parton, Weird Al Yankovic, and Jimmy Buffett. Nicolette Larson was 45 when she died on December 16, 1997 from complications of cerebral edema.
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Gram Parsons was a highly influential singer-songwriter who helped launch what would later be called country rock and then alt-country or Americana. Parsons began playing the guitar as a teenager to escape a less than ideal home life. The first group he played with, the Shilohs, were a folk band in the tradition of the Kingston Trio. When the band broke up, he and other Boston area folk musicians formed the International Submarine Band with whom he began to develop a sound the borrowed the best from country, folk and rock. They enjoyed moderate success, primarily getting airplay on the up-and-coming progressive radio stations. In 1968, Parsons was asked to join the Byrds as a replacement for David Crosby and Michael Clarke. He started on keyboards but soon switched to guitar, helping guide the group down a more country rock path. Parsons left the Byrds in the summer of 1968. He joined back up with the Byrds’ Chris Hillman soon after to form the Flying Burrito Brothers whose debut, The Gilded Palace of Sin would be a direct influence on the likes of the Eagles, Dwight Yoakam and later, Wilco and Ryan Adams. By the early ’70s, Parsons was working as a solo artist while recording and performing with good friend, Emmylou Harris. It was during this period that Parsons’ inner demons were taking control in the form of substance abuse. He was also spending more and more time in an area he had become fond of, Joshua Tree National Monument in the desert outside of Los Angeles. He liked to go there and take LSD while searching for UFOs. It was during one of these trips that Gram Parsons apparently overdosed on morphine and alcohol and died at the age of 26.
Warren Zevon was one of rock’s greatest songwriters. He could write a better song title than most can write full songs. He first gained prominence as part of the same ’70s Los Angeles rock community that spawned the Eagles, Jackson Browne, and Linda Ronstadt, Zevon crafted songs that were beautifully ironic and at times, darkly humorous. He was, as the saying goes, a songwriter’s songwriter. Over the years he gave us such classic tunes as “Send Lawyers, Guns and Money,” “Werewolves Of London,” “Poor Poor Pitiful Me,” “Hasten Down The Wind,” and “Carmelita.” Throughout most of the ’80s and ’90s, Zevon could be seen from time to time filling in for Paul Shaffer on Late Night With David Letterman. In 2002, Zevon was diagnosed with a cancer that has been linked to asbestos. Instead of seeking traditional treatment, Zevon set out to create his final masterpiece, The Wind. The album featured a list of friends paying him back for the impact he had had on them. That list included Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, 