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THE FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS
1985 - Present
Burrito Discography
Burrito Bibliography
BURRITO SCORECARD:
The Peace Seekers
Gene Parsons: vocals, guitar
Skip Battin: vocals, bass
Greg Harris: vocals, guitar
Jim Goodall or Ed Ponder: drums
Sneaky Pete Kleinow: pedal steel
Flying Burrito Bros. v. 7.0
Sneaky Pete Kleinow: pedal steel
Skip Battin: vocals, bass
Greg Harris: vocals, guitar
Jim Goodall: drums
Cabin Fever (US)
Relix 2008
October 1985
Encore - Live from Europe
Relix 2022
1986
Skip & Sneeky in Italy
Moondance
1986
Burrito Bros. v. 8.0
John Beland: vocals, guitar
Gib Guilbeau: vocals, fiddle
Back to the Sweetheart of the Rodeo
aka The Burrito Bros. Farewell Album
Disky
December 1987
Flying Burrito Bros. v. 9.0
Gib Guilbeau: vocals, fiddle
Sneaky Pete Kleinow: pedal steel
Southern Tracks
Voodoo
October 1993
Tracks by v. 8.0 and 9.0.
Flying Burrito Bros. v. 10.0
John Beland: vocals, guitar
Gib Guilbeau: vocals, fiddle
Sneaky Pete Kleinow: pedal steel
Flying Burrito Bros. v. 10.1
John Beland: vocals, guitar
Gib Guilbeau: vocals, fiddle
Sneaky Pete Kleinow: pedal steel
Larry Patton: vocals, bass
Rick Lenow: drums
Flying Burrito Bros. v. 10.2
John Beland: vocals, guitar
Gib Guilbeau: vocals, fiddle
Sneaky Pete Kleinow: pedal steel
Brian Cadd: keyboards
Chris Ethridge: bass
George Grantham: drums
or Ronnie Tutt: drums
Flying Burrito Bros. v. 10.3
John Beland: vocals, guitar
Gib Guilbeau: vocals, fiddle
Sneaky Pete Kleinow: pedal steel
Larry Patton: vocals, bass
Gary Kubal: drums
California Jukebox
Ether/American Harvest
August 1997
The Peace Seekers
The seeds of the next Burrito resurrection were planted in the fall of 1983, while John Beland and Gib Guilbeau were still charting as the Burrito Brothers. Erstwhile members of the '74 to '79 incarnations reconvened under the name the Peace Seekers (named after a Reagan-era missile). The initial members were Gene Parsons, Skip Battin, Greg Harris and Ed Ponder. This combo toured the States in 1983 and '84. Sneaky Pete Kleinow would sometimes sub for Parsons, and Jim Goodall sometimes subbed for Ponder. Parsons, Battin, Harris and Goodall toured Europe in the summer of '84, and actually did a series of shows there with Roger McGuinn. They opened for McGuinn, doing a country-rock set, then rejoined McGuinn after his solo set for a run through the Byrds' big singles.
The Flying Burrito Brothers v. 7.0
When Kleinow heard that Beland and Guilbeau had split up, he seized the opportunity to reclaim the Burrito franchise and by February of '85 Kleinow, Battin, Harris and Goodall were touring as the (once more) Flying Burrito Brothers. Musically, they picked up where they had left off in 1979 -- there was no hint of the Beland era in the set list. Presumably this choice reflected divergent musical tastes rather than any moral qualms about exploiting the past work of others.
Many of the band's gigs were as openers for Gene Clark's dubious 20th Anniversary Tribute to the Byrds. During the shows, various members of the headliner act (John York and Rick Roberts, for example) would sit in with the Burritos; while Kleinow and Battin sometimes joined Clark's band as well.This batch of Burritos played together through much of 1985. Two of those shows were later released as Cabin Fever (Relix, 1985) and Encore - Live from Europe (Relix, 1986). Another show with Battin and Kleinow accompanied by a pair of Italian country-rockers was issued as the limited release Skip & Sneeky in Italy (Moondance, 1986). This version of the band was still gigging as late as August of 1986, though Battin had left by this time.The Burrito Brothers v. 8.0
Meanwhile, Beland and Guilbeau reunited, per their 1985 agreement, to record one final album as the Burrito Brothers, intended for the European market. Back to the Sweetheart of the Rodeo (Disky, 1987) hit the stores in December of '87. In the States, the LP was called The Burrito Bros. Farewell Album. (Several years later, this album was reissued on Sundown with a passel of bonus tracks.)
The Flying Burrito Brothers v. 9.0
Beland and Guilbeau had never intended to tour after releasing their album, so perhaps it should not be surprising that Guilbeau was soon recording with Kleinow again. The pair laid down a number of tracks in Memphis. Several years later, these tracks were among the ones that appeared on Southern Tracks (Voodoo, 1993). Other tracks on that compilation were by the Beland/Guilbeau duo, or by Beland alone. None of the tracks featured Beland, Guilbeau and Kleinow together.
The Flying Burrito Brothers v. 10.0
In early 1989, the two sets of Burritos fused back together. Beland, Guilbeau and Kleinow (who had remained on friendly terms with each other despite the ups and downs of the band) reunited for a few concerts for the first time since the early '80s. The decision to go with the "Flying" name showed that Beland had come around to Kleinow's approach: country rock that traded on the reputation of the late '60s Burritos and, to a lesser extent, the work of the late '70s Burritos. Not coincidentally, the Gram Parsons era was enjoying a revival of interest after the release of Farther Along (A&M, 1988).
The Flying Burrito Brothers v. 10.1
By late '89, this trio were augmented for live gigs by Larry Patton on bass and vocals and Rick Lenow on drums. Patton had played with Bobby Bare, whom Beland had been backing in the late '80s. Lenow was a friend of Guilbeau's son Ronnie; earlier in 1989, Poco had a Top 20 hit with their composition "Call It Love." These Burritos played mostly Gram Parsons songs and country standards, with only one or two numbers from the early '80s chart run of Beland and Guilbeau. The band had returned to the work style of the late '70s, where all the members had various projects going on and worked with the group part-time. They would reassemble now and then for tours, like one of Europe in 1990.
The Flying Burrito Brothers v. 10.2
By 1991, Beland, Kleinow and Guilbeau had added Australian rocker Brian Cadd on keyboards, Poco veteran George Grantham on drums, and original Burrito Chris Ethridge on bass. This version of the group recorded an album in 1991, which was released as Eye of the Hurricane (Sundown, 1993). Cadd shared much of the songwriting with Beland and Guilbeau. Grantham left to try another Poco reunion; old hand Ronnie Tutt handled the drums on the album.
The Flying Burrito Brothers v. 10.3
By 1997, Beland, Kleinow and Guilbeau had reunited with singer and bassist Larry Patton, and added drummer Gary Kubal. Kubal, like Beland and Patton, was a veteran of Bobby Bare's backing group. This quintet released California Jukebox (Ether/American Harvest, 1997). The album looked back to the band's roots by including such guests as Buck Owens, Charlie Louvin, Waylon Jennings, Sonny Landreth and Jo-El Sonnier. Former Burrito Al Perkins also appears. Covers include "Buckaroo" by Owens, "My Baby's Gone" by the Louvins, and "Back to Bayou Teche" by Landreth. The group also covers contemporaries Neil Young ("Dance, Dance, Dance"), Lowell George ("Willin'," the Untitled staple) and Rodney Crowell ("I Ain't Livin' Long Like This," a duet between Patton and Jennings). And in a nod to those inspired by the original Burritos, the quintet covers Son Volt ("Windfall") and Jayhawks ("Two Hearts").
And so the Burrito story continues. It seems likely that one or another ex-member will succumb to the temptation to revive the band at least every few years. At least it's clear they're not getting rich. Casual fans are advised to concentrate on the Gram Parsons era before venturing into the later material, where the worthwhile content is less frequent. For Americans, the place to start is the Farther Along compilation, still readily available. British fans can try the two CD set, Out of the Blue (Edsel, 1996).[Back to top.]
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