After making a name for himself as a writer, singer and comedian, Jim Carlton couldn’t just sit back and relax. He decided to tackle a bigger project and wrote a book about some of the greatest musicians anywhere.

Carlton, who’s written for big names like The Smothers Brothers, Pat Paulson and Joan Rivers, to name a few, wrote the book, “Conversations with Great Jazz and Studio Guitarists.”

The book is a sort of memorial for his friend, Gram Parsons, who died early at the age of 26 more than 30 years ago. He’s done more than just that, releasing a CD of recordings of Parsons when he was a teenager in 1965 and 1966.

But Carlton has strong friendships with Roger McGuinn, Tom Petty and Steven Stills. He talks with Growing Bolder about those relationships and delves into the relationship with the late Gram Parsons.