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3 unusual facts about Chris Hillman


Chris Hillman

During the mid-1960s the Byrds ranked as one of the most successful and influential American pop groups; they recorded a string of hits, including "Turn! Turn! Turn!", "Eight Miles High" and "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star".

Hillman released two solo albums, Slippin' Away and Clear Sailin, which included several songs co-written with Crawdaddy magazine editor Peter Knobler.

Parsons was out of the lineup by June 1970 (replaced by guitarist Rick Roberts) when the band toured Canada as part of the Festival Express tour, with Hillman reverting to bass guitar.


Bakersfield sound

Love of the Bakersfield Sound has never died, carried on by artists such as the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons of The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers in the 1960s-70s, Highway 101, Hillman and The Desert Rose Band, and Marty Stuart in the 1980s and '90s, and Big House, Dwight Yoakam, Red Simpson, Ferlin Husky.


see also

David Mansfield

Since The Alpha Band broke up, Mansfield has continued to work as a musician in sessions for Dylan, Burnett, Johnny Cash, Nanci Griffith, Roger McGuinn, Sam Phillips, Mark Heard, The Roches, Edie Brickell, Spinal Tap, Lucinda Williams, Dwight Yoakam, Victoria Williams, Loudon Wainwright III, Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen and others.

Desert rose

The Desert Rose Band, a country rock band founded by Chris Hillman, Herb Pedersen, and John Jorgenson