He then accompanied the Rolling Stones on their 1971 U.K. tour in the hope of being signed to the newly formed Rolling Stones Records ; by this juncture , Parsons and Richards had mulled the possibility of recording a duo album . Moving into Villa Nellcôte with the guitarist during the sessions for '' Exile on Main Street '' that commenced thereafter , Parsons remained in a consistently incapacitated state and frequently quarreled with his much younger girlfriend , aspiring actress Gretchen Burrell . Eventually , Parsons was asked to leave by Anita Pallenberg , Richards ' longtime domestic partner . Decades later , Richards suggested in his memoir that Jagger may have been the impetus for Parsons ' departure because Richards was spending so much time playing music with Parsons . Rumors have persisted that he appears somewhere on the legendary album , and while Richards concedes that it is very likely he is among the chorus of singers on " Sweet Virginia " , this has never been substantiated . Parsons attempted to rekindle his relationship with the band on their 1972 American tour to no avail
1972 American tour
The Rolling Stones American Tour 1972
Gram Parsons