Gene, today and in 1969.jpg
Musician Gene Parsons, who will perform in Davis with the rest of the Mendocino Quartet on Oct. 13, returns to Davisville this week for a discussion that largely has two parts: the quartet, and a few memories about the first LP he recorded with the Byrds -- Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde.
Dr. Byrds followed the popular band's late 1968 country-rock breakthrough record, Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Dr. Byrds is not among Parsons’ favorite Byrds records – he prefers Untitled and Ballad of Easy Rider – but he agrees that the playing of Clarence White is one of the attractions of Dr. Byrds. White, a widely admired guitarist, died in 1973 at age 29 after he was struck by a drunk driver. “You hear a lot of Clarence in there [on Dr. Byrds],” Parsons says, “figuring out how he’s going to work with this band.”
The photo shows Parsons today and in 1969. The Mendocino Quartet -- Steven Bates, David Hayes, Gwyneth Moreland and Parsons -- will play at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 13 at the Odd Fellows Hall, 415 2nd St. in downtown Davis. Parsons previously appeared on Davisville in 2016 and 2009.