1978

PHIL KAUFMAN

Phil earned his name “The Road Mangler” for his strong temperament while working as Emmylou Harris’s road manager.

From the moment I met Phil at LAX Airport—when I arrived to audition for Emmylou’s band—I thought he was a most interesting character, and I was right!

After being on the road for a couple of years with him, I learned about his “storied” career. Singer Gram Parsons was the reason the Mangler and Emmylou connected. And after Gram’s untimely death, the Mangler would continue as Emmylou’s road manager.

It was the Mangler who infamously carried out the burning of Gram Parsons’s body, per his wishes, at Joshua Tree. He was also the one who hired the Hell’s Angels to be security for the Rolling Stones when they played at Altamont in California.

“Getting in the music business is a swell career move… I highly recommend it for all my enemies.”

The Mangler

The original Cherry Bombs backstage at The Warf in San Francisco (1980).

THE MANGLER IS SOME KIND OF CRAZY, BUT YOU CAN’T HELP LOVING THE GUY!

Mount Rushmore parking lot before a show in Rapid City, South Dakota.