The Last Supper: Nat Freedland’s Cosmic Visions

The historical ‘Country Rock Summit meeting’ as the photo has been coined in Sid Griffin’s 1985 book Gram Parsons: A Music Biography has long been the subject of a debate on whether the photo is authentic. Most claim the photo to be authentic, due to the image surfacing in 1985, which predates any digital tampering like photoshop. Some believe it to be a hijacking of country rock history, considering that even in the Victorian period, many found ways to alter images. The photo may simply be a collage of press images, however in Sid Griffins 1985 book, the photo is credited to Nat Freedland, a writer for the The Los Angeles Free Press, and his well known column Wailing Nat Freedland for the underground scene in Los Angeles. In this column, which he would frequently write about the accumulating country rock scene. 

During Freedland’s time with the Press, Freedland went to a local diner to assemble Dillard and Clark, The Flying Burrito Brothers, members of Poco  and the new members of The Byrds post Sweetheart of The Rodeo along with Jon Corneal who had accompanied The Burrito Brothers  during the early sessions of Gilded Palace of Sin. It is assumed that the photo never hit The Sunset Strip due to the apprehension of country music during the rock n roll decade, and the coveted photo was ultimately scrapped.

Those who think the photo is tampered or posthumously created often credit it to the odds of 11 country rock musicians being in one diner. The country rock pioneer’s roots started in folk soil, with the earliest Byrd  to set flight being Chris Hillman, with his commercial success in The Scottsville Squirrel Barkers, a band in which 16 year old Gram Parsons was fan of. Hillman would find his way into The Byrds, touring and playing with Gene Clark. 

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Clark first emerged in his local folk band, The New Christy Minstrels, before forming The Byrds in 1964, with Roger McGuinn and David Crosby. After Clark’s departure of The Byrds, and Crosby making his exit. During The Notorious Byrd Brothers, Hillman and Mcguinn were now on the prowl for their new members, with a faithful visit to the bank luring Gram Parsons into The Byrds for the album, Sweetheart of The Rodeo and a tour cut short after Parson’s flea from the flock. 

Back in Los Angeles, Parson’s would audition for a position in Poco, but was let go within a couple of days due to his “leading man” mentality. Richie Furay, the founder of Poco  and a previous member of Buffalo Springfield  had been tipped off by friends of Parson’s  pre audition, ultimately finding Parson’s mentality to be true. Parson’s reconnecting with Hillman after the South Africa tour. The duo set out for new frontier as the flying burrito brothers.

Parson’s  close friend and mentor, Clarence White, was the session rhythm guitar player for The Everly Brothers, landing his permanent touring position with the post Sweetheart Byrds. Clarence shared the new Byrds title with Gene parsons. Jon Corneal  was a session drummer and friend of Parson’s, playing on Parson’s first album Safe At Home as The International Submarine Band, and as an early member of The Flying Burrito Brothers, before finding his place with Dillard and Clark.

The close knit intertwining of what would come to be Cosmic American Music went further than a recording booth. The world famous Palomino club north Hollywood would be the safe haven, where these musicians could mingle, drink and enjoy their beloved pedal steel guitar in Los Angeles. Alongside this was the underground club The Topanga Corral, where they could sit in the audience to hear eachother, often bringing eachother on stage and helping one another work doing session work. 

The lack of photos from the historical evenings in underground and more harsher clubs like The Aces, Palomino Club and The Topanga Corral can make the Nat Freedland image almost mythical, and all the more rare, though it was at a dinner and not sharing the stage. The familiar nature of these Byrds  and Burritos  shows friendship and musical companionship through the struggle of bringing country rock to main stream music.