(CelebrityAccess MediaWire)
Gram Parsons will be honored in two live concerts this summer. "Return to Sin City: A Tribute to Gram Parsons" will take place on July 9 at the Santa Barbara Bowl in Santa Barbara, CA and July 10 at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, CA. The shows will be jointly produced by House of Blues Concerts and Nederlander West Coast. Norah Jones, Dwight Yoakam, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle and Jim Lauderdale are confirmed to perform. Many more are invited to participate, schedules permitting, including Keith Richards, Elvis Costello, Beck, Emmylou Harris, Ryan Adams, Ben Harper, Starsailor and The Old 97's.
Polly Parsons, armed with a fearless passion, is organizing "Return to Sin City: A Tribute to Gram Parsons" 30 years after her father's death. She is recruiting both close friends and ardent fans of her father as well as contemporary artists inspired by his work. Gram
Parsons did not see boundaries in music and Polly Parsons now feels compelled to further his
mission, breaking down perceived barriers of age and genre to bring together artists who audiences might not expect to be on the same stage together. The celebration of her father's music has been a lifelong dream for Polly Parsons, who was just six years old when her father died at age 26 of a morphine and tequila overdose.
A portion of the proceeds from the concerts will be donated to the Musicians' Assistance Program (MAP), which makes it possible for members of the music industry to receive treatment for drug and alcohol addiction regardless of their financial situation.
Los Angeles-based independent radio station KCRW will be the presenting radio station for both concerts. –Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen