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MUSICIANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE BYRDS
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Herb Pedersen
Michael Penn
Al Perkins
Tom Petty
John Phillips
Guitarist and banjoist Herb Pedersen got his start playing bluegrass around Southern California around 1960. His group, the Pine Valley Boys, played the same bluegrass circuit as Chris Hillman, and the two future partners met around this time.
Pedersen left for Nashville in 1961, and in short order got a gig playing on Carl Tipton's Bluegrass TV Show. He played with David Grisman in the Smokey Grass Boys in 1963, then backed up duo Vern and Ray in the mid '60s. In 1967, he briefly subbed for the hospitalized Earl Scruggs in Flatt & Scruggs. Later that year, Pedersen replaced Doug Dillard in the Dillards after his departure. Pedersen played on the group's country rock crossover albums, Wheatstraw Suite (Elektra, 1968) and Copperfields (Elektra, 1970).Pedersen left the Dillards in 1970 and joined the Country Gazette for a time in 1971. He appears on their LP Traitor in Our Midst (United Artists, 1972). In the '70s, Pedersen became a top session man, playing with Linda Ronstadt, Buck Owens, Johnny Rivers, the Earl Scruggs Revue and Emmylou Harris, among others. He also appeared on Chris Hillman's solo LP Slippin' Away (Asylum, 1976). He released two solo albums, Southwest (Epic, 1976) and Sandman (Epic, 1977), then played with the Dillards again on Decade Waltz (Flying Fish, 1979), which he also produced. During the late '70s, Pedersen also played with John Denver's band.In the '80s, Pedersen appeared on Chris Hillman's solo albums and released one of his own, Lonesome Feeling (Sugar Hill, 1984) before founding the Desert Rose Band with Hillman. Pedersen played and sang harmony on all the band's albums.After the Desert Rose Band broke up, Herb Pedersen and Bill Bryson joined Billy Ray Lathum and Kenny Blackwell in a bluegrass band called The Laurel Canyon Ramblers. Their first album was Rambler's Blues (Sugar Hill, 1995); a second release appeared in '96. Pedersen and his bandmates have an official Laurel Canyon Ramblers site.Pedersen continued working with Hillman as well, getting equal billing with him on both Bakersfield Bound (Sugar Hill, 1996) and Out of the Woodwork (Rounder, 1997).Michael Penn
Michael Penn, brother of actors Sean Penn and Chris Penn (and ex-in-law of Madonna) has released two fine albums of modern power pop, March (RCA, 1989) and Free For All (RCA, 1992). On many songs, including the 1989 hit single "No Myth," Penn's vocal style bears a strong resemblance to Roger McGuinn's. Penn added harmonies to McGuinn's comeback album, Back from Rio (Arista, 1991). For more on this talented singer/songwriter, see the Unofficial Michael Penn Home Page.
Al Perkins
Steel guitarist Al Perkins is closely associated with Chris Hillman and has played with most of the big names in California rock. He started out in the '60s in Shiloh with future Eagle Don Henley. After recording one album in 1970, that group broke up in April 1971.
Perkins then moved over to the Flying Burrito Brothers, replacing Sneaky Pete Kleinow. At that time the Burritos consisted of Chris Hillman, Rick Roberts, Bernie Leadon, and Michael Clarke. In October 1971, Clarke, Hillman, and Perkins left the Burritos. Chris Hillman and Al Perkins joined Stephen Stills in Manassas. There they recorded two albums, Manassas (Atlantic, 1972), US #4, and Down the Road (Atlantic, 1973); US #26.In September of '73, Hillman, Perkins and keyboardist Paul Harris quit Manassas to start the Souther Hillman Furay Band. That outfit released two albums on Asylum and lasted until April 1975, when its principals went solo.In the early '80s, Perkins reunited with Hillman for his two acoustic solo LPs, serving as steel guitarist on the first and producer of the second. Hillman, Perkins and Leadon then released one album of "Christian bluegrass" under the name Ever Call Ready. Perkins also guested on Life Goes On (NA, 1992), the final album by Hillman's Desert Rose Band.Tom Petty
From the time of his first album in 1977, Tom Petty's admiration for the Byrds has been plain. Both his singing and his guitar playing are clearly influenced by Roger McGuinn. Petty has recorded Byrds songs, including "So You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star" and "Feel A Whole Lot Better." He has also cited Grievous Angel (Reprise, 1974) as his favorite album.
Petty has been friendly with McGuinn since the former Byrd covered Petty's very Byrdsy single "American Girl" on Thunderbyrd (Columbia, 1977). McGuinn has opened for the Heartbreakers various times, and Petty co-wrote and performed on "King of the Hill," the single from McGuinn's solo album Back from Rio (Arista, 1991). Heartbreakers Stan Lynch, Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench also performed on the album. Lynch had also served as drummer for the 1990 Nashville Byrds sessions that appear on The Byrds Boxed Set.There are a host of Tom Petty web pages, including the Heartbreakers Web Party.John Phillips
John Phillips was connected to the Byrds several ways. As leader of the Journeymen in Greenwich Village in the early '60s, Phillips knew both Jim McGuinn and Gram Parsons. The Phillips song "Creeque Alley" recalls the early '60s folk scene and specifically notes that "McGuinn and McGuire [were] getting higher and higher...."
In 1965, Phillips followed the Byrds to Los Angeles with his new group, the Mamas and the Papas. With the success of "California Dreamin'" in 1966, Phillips and company joined the rock elite that lived in Laurel Canyon. Later that year, Michelle Phillips split from John temporarily and had a brief affair with Gene Clark.Eventually, Phillips became a close friend of Gram Parsons; Parsons and Phillips were riding their motorcycles together when Parsons had his motorcycle accident in 1970.[Back to top.]
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