OHC NEWSLETTER

October – December 2022
Gram Parsons Guitar Pull by Dave Griffin

Ingram Cecil Connor III, known to the world as Gram Parsons, spent the first 12 years of his life in the small, South Georgia railroad town of Waycross.
It was here in Waycross that he hunted and fished the Okefenokee Swamp with his daddy, “Coondog” Connor; took his first piano lessons from Bessie Maynard; and at 9 years of age, saw The Louvin Brothers and met Elvis at the Waycross City Auditorium.
In the late Sixties, Gram Parsons’s musical vision changed the course of modern music, blending honky-tonk, bluegrass, and folk music with a rock and roll attitude that he called Cosmic American Soul.
Writing and recording with The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers; teaching The Rolling Stones the high lonesome harmonies of American country music; and mentoring his partner in song, Emmylou Harris…his musical influence, although short-lived, still inspires musicians and fans around the world to this day.
GP’s genre-shifting musical legacy will once again be calling music lovers, artists, and fans back to his childhood home of Waycross, Georgia Oct. 13-15 as the 25th Annual Gram Parsons Guitar Pull and Tribute Festival gets underway at the Okefenokee Fairgrounds.
A spectacular weekend celebrating the music of Waycross’s own Gram Parsons, this year’s Guitar Pull, presented by Safe at Home Productions, features as headliners Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr and Benji Shanks, as well as Ian Dunlop, bassist and band mate of Parsons in The International Submarine Band. 23 additional artists from around the country will round out the entertainment over three days.
The weekend tribute officially begins on Thursday Oct. 13 at 7 pm with Uncle Dave’s Waycross Stagecoach featuring original sets from The Pine Box Dwellers, The Page Brothers, Fester Hagood, Levi Lowery, and Uncle Dave, ending with an Allstar Tribute to Roots of Country Music.
General Admission tickets and RV Camping is available online at www.gpgpfest.com. Weekend passes for Waycross residents may be purchased locally at Breezy’s Boutique and James Engraving.
On-site RV and primitive camping will be available. Tent camping is free upon festival admission.
Arts and crafts, clothing, music, and food vendors will scatter the grounds as well, leaving concert- goers plenty of opportunities to shop during the festival. Be sure to bring a comfortable lawn chair or blanket and cooler, if you wish. Pets are welcome; but please make sure they are leashed.
Make your plans to attend this year’s 25th Annual Gram Parsons Guitar Pull and Tribute Festival. Come rain or shine, you won’t be disappointed.
For tribute information or sponsorship inquiries, contact Dave Griffin of Safe at Home Productions Inc. by emailing rebelaires@yahoo.com.
Visit www.gpgpfest.com for vendor submissions, schedule of performance times, and links to artist websites.

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