The Dillards - Roots and Branches 1972

After the Dillards started out as a bluegrass band in the early sixties, turning their music more towards to the popular country-rock of the late sixties (the fantastic albums "Wheatstraw Suite", 1968 and "Copperfields", 1970), the not so known album from 1972 did also have its moments. Let's hear "One A.M" (I bought this album from an ebay seller together with the Flying Norwegians debut album a couple of months ago. The LP is in perfect condition and smells like incense :-)


Here's also a live video from '78.

Rick Roberts and the Flying Burrito Brothers

As allmusic.com states it, Rick Roberts had the good fortune to become part of the Flying Burrito Brothers while they were still within hailing distance of their origins -- and the bad fortune to emerge in country-rock just as the latter was starting to become passé". Well, that might be slightly true, but good country/singer-songwriter, country-rock and southern rock emerged  heavily outwards the 70s. Rick Roberts was born in Florida 1949, and moved around Washington DC, South Carolina and Colorado playing guitar and singing at different clubs. He hitchhiked his way to California in 1969, and played in small clubs in the Los Angeles area. He was spotted by Ed Tickner, the manager of the Flying Burrito Brothers, looking for Gram Parsons successor after he left the band. A difficult position to fill, he finally agreed on joining after being persuaded by Chris Hillman. The Flying Burrito Brothers third album (1971) became a good album with Roberts writing a good share of the songs with and without Hillman. Here's one of the really good ones, "Colorado".

.."Why are you crying".

It's quiet hard finding original songs from FBB 3rd on youtube, so my suggestion check it out. Here's by the way a 1971 live concert of FBB with Rick Roberts.


When Chris Hillman left the Flying Burrito Brothers to join Manassass in 1971 Rick Roberts lead the Burrito's for a European tour before recording his debut solo album: Windmills. David Aderle was assigned to be the producer and the cream of the L.A. country-rock community centered around the Troubadour was recruited. They were all "friends" of Rick Roberts and very good musicians and they came up with a lot of ideas that added a great deal to the album. The album's title derives from the dedication to a Dutch/American girl Rick Roberts met while touring the Netherlands with the Burrito's.

The musicians on Windmills are: Don Henley (Eagles), Bernie Leadon (Flying Burrito, Eagles), Randy Meisner (Eagles), Jackson Browne, Al Perkins (Flying Burrito), Joe Lala, Chris Hillman (Byrds, Flying Burrito), DallasTaylor, David Crosby (Byrds, CSN), Mother Hen, Byron Berline, Lee Sklar, MikeUtley, Marc Benno and of course Rick Roberts.

Here's "Davy McVie" from "Windmills".

Settling in Boulder Colorado Rick Roberts recorded "She is a song" at a small independent studio. Fresh from Manassas Chris Hillman assumed production duties. Rick Roberts called on local players to grace the second album including Joe Walsh's Barnstorm and members of Poco. The musicians are: Paul Harris, George Grantham, Al Perkins, Kenny Passarelli, Joe Lala, Joe Walsh, Chris Hillman, Joe Vitale, Rusty Young, Steve Fromholz and Rick Roberts.

Touring solo to promote the second album Rick Roberts performed at Max's Kansas City early 1973, where he ran into Gram Parson's Fallen Angel Band. Befriending Jock Bartley, a member of the Fallen Angels, they hooked up back in Boulder recruiting the musicians to form a group that became Firefall. Michael Clarke from the FBB and the Byrds also started out with Firefall.

"Glad to be Goin'" from "She is a Song".


"Lights" from "She is a Song".


Also check out Rick Roberts biography at Allmusic.com.

Johnny Cash - St. Quentin

This is for the rebels, the souls, the country lovers, and myself. St. Quentin may you rot and burn in hell ;-)

Mickey Newbury

Mickey Newbury will be a treasure through this musical joyride, means we will meet him again. His melodies and lyrics will consist. Today, I'll give to you one of his best songs. This song's for all the people who like the melancholic singer-song-writers. This is for you!

Gene Parsons - "Kindling" 1973 (a hidden treasure)

A damn cool picture on the cover of this album. Remember myself carving wood as a child and being real proud :-). Gene Parsons (drums, banjo, harmonica, guitar and vocals for The Byrds 1968-1972) released this album after the disbandment of the group. "Kindling", released in 1973, really has some great tunes on this album, despite the 27 minutes, but it's done effectively.
Here's "Take a City Bride".


...and "Monument".

"These days"

.. and so Tom Rush also did a cover of a Jackson Browne song (made perfectly for Nico's 1967 album "Chelsea Girl", songs made by Jackson Browne, John Cale (Velvet Underground), Sterling Morrison (Velvet Underground), Lou Reed (Velvet Underground), Bob Dylan and Tim Hardin) ).  (who is Nico? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nico) ) Jackson himself included this on his 3rd album "For Everyman" in 1973. This is the Rush's version of one of the most beautiful songs ever written, Jackson Brown's " These Days" (Jackson wrote this song when he was 16). . This is 1970! :

Tom Rush - Lost my drivin' wheel

Tom Rush was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1941. Studied english at the Harvard university, started releasing songs in the early sixties, and made a lot of great singer-song-writer tunes over the years. In the 70s his music was heading more towards southern rock. This one is great (made by David Wiffen? ) Anyhow, Tom does it well:

...and No Regrets, made by Mr Rush (also played by The Walker Brothers) :


Walker Brothers Version:

Earl Scruggs & The Byrds

Todays pick. A movie clip from a Earl Scruggs documentary where he performs with the Byrds in the garden:

Skip Battin

Wanna go back to 1985 and have a chat with Skip Battin ? Bass player of the Byrds, New Riders of the Purple Sage and (the new) Flying Burrito Brothers. Check out this interview at http://americanmusicbelgium.homestead.com/skipbattininterview.html

Quickography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skip_Battin

...and some solo stuff from Skip:


... some bass lections from Skip (and drums from Gene Parsons) with the Byrds live:


...ending it with Skip's very early musical carrier in Skip & Flip. Just for the fun of it:

The Jayhawks - the Bunkhouse record 1986

Surely one of the best "retro" country rock albums of the 80s is The Jayhawks debut album, "The Bunkhouse record", named after their first record label. A kind of forgotten album compared to the recognition the newer Jayhawks got later. In it's own peculiar way, a fantastic album, and on the 'hawks' first album you can draw a lot of lines back to the country rock of the late 60s/early 70s, as the likes of New Riders of the Purple Sage, Gram Parsons, Flying Burrito Brothers, Buck Owens,  though served with new fluid 15-20 years later. Don't forget that 1986 (calculation made easy :-) was only 15 years later than the early 70s were country rock albums popped out, and The Jayhawks respectfully continued the sounds of that period.



Nice live clip even before the release. September 1985.



Six pack on the dashboard? Not my recommendation if your hands are on the wheel !


Youtube are missing many of the best songs of the Bunkouse record, so I recommend you go out buyin' it, listening to it on Spotify, elsewhere, or simply forever hold you peace. Check out all the song clips of the album on Allmusic: http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-jayhawks-aka-the-bunkhouse-album-mw0001468923

John Phillips

In 1969 John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas released "John, the Wolf King of L.A.", with most of Elvis Presley's band including James Burton (as did Gram Parsons later on his '73 and '74 albums). Here's a few nice ones from Papa John's first album:

Tip of the day for clip quality

A tip for the videos on this page is to click the "change quality" button in the youtube frame (looks like a gear) and put it to the highest (ex. 480p) which means the best picture and sound quality. Remember that !

Hearts and Flowers - California folk / country-rock

Eclectic folk country-rockers Hearts and Flowers was one short lived South California band releasing two albums in 1967-68, picking up the psychedelica and early country-rock from that era. Having the base in Los Angeles they played at Doug Weston's Troubadour and introduced Eagles co-founder Bearnie Leadon (also Flying Burrito Brothers) on their second album. He replaced Hearts and Flowers founder member Rick Cunha on guitar. Cunha later contributed to Emmylou Harris' albums "Pieces Of The Sky" (1975), "Elite Hotel" (1976) and "Luxury Liner" (1977). The two albums was "Now Is the Time for Hearts and Flowers" (1967) and "Of Horses, Kids and Forgotten Women" (1968) which both includes a number of cover songs, one of the songs from their second album, a great Arlo Guthrie cover of "Highway in the Wind":



Another song from their first album is this Carole King cover "Road to Nowhere". Nicely done with a psychedelic bluegrassy country-rock feel to it:



"I'm a lonesome Fugitive" written by Liz Andersnon (yes, orignally written for Merle Haggard) is another cover, and Donovan's "Try for the Sun":



Harry Nilsson's "She sang hymns out of Tune" from their 68 was also recorded by The Dillards the same year:



Hearts and Flowers was clearly one of the early country-rock creations as the 67 album really states, and is more in the "never form" on the 68 album. They performed some great covers flowering them with their own influences, but in lack of their own great creations they only gave us a small but important taste of 60s alternativ folk/country. Bearnie Leadon clearly extended that in his performances in The Flying Burrito Brothers and The Eagles !

The Flying Burrito Brothers live at Altamont 1969

Enjoy this clip taken from the Rolling Stones Altamont festival documentary Gimme Shelter. As some of you know, the festival didn't work out too well having the Hells Angels as security guards and ended with a homicide. As taken from notes beneath the video (in youtube view): "...The Flying Burrito Brothers got in a car crash on the way there while Sneaky Pete was driving, and when they got there Hillman was harassed by Hells Angels who didn't want to let him on stage even though he had his bass in hand."
Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane was also punched in the head and knocked unconscious by an Angel during the band's set.

Graham Nash - Songs for beginners

Graham Nash released his first solo album in 1971, much influenced by his british background from eg. the Hollies including the inspiration from american music (eg. Crosby, Stills, Nash (and Young)). Embedding a country sound mixed with a "naive" singer/songwriter sound, the album "Songs for beginners" includes this song with guest artist Jerry Garcia (piano and steel guitar) and David Crosby (electric guitar), among others. Sounds beautiful!




Another one, one of the songs featuring under the pseudonym Joe Yankee, Mr. Neil Young on piano. Mr. Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead on steel guitar and Mr. Chris Ethridge of The International Submarine Band and The Flying Burrito brothers on bass guitar: "Man in the Mirror".