IT TAKES
TWO
Overlooked pair of old-timers are still finger-pickin' good
By Mike Thomas
Pacific Sun
November 20, 2002
Any decent list of rock
'n' roll's unsung heroes had better contain Chris Hillman. There's
simply no room for negotiation. A charter member of the Byrds and
the Flying Burrito Brothers, along with stellar, lower magnitude
outfits such as Manassas (with Stephen Stills), Souther- Hillman-Furay,
McGuinn-Clark-Hiliman and the Desert Rose Band, the native Southern
Californian has been around the block and back.
Suffice
to say that Hillman's always been the kind of cat who's too busy
blending in to stand out. As a folk-rockin' Byrd, he lacked the
high-wattage star power of a Roger McGuinn or a David Crosby, but
his songwriting, harmony vocals and electric bass lines never missed
a mark. (Not to mention that Hillman's lead vocal turn on "Have
You Seen Her Face?" ranks as a legit Byrds' greatest-hits moment.)
Same deal during his tenure with the Burritos, whose impact on the
thriving present-day alt-country scene defies calculation. Hillman
may have been overshadowed by romantically wasted songwriting partner
Gram Parsons's ghost-on-the-shoulder aura, but he's never received
ample credit for his essential role in shaping the band's groundbreaking
Buck-Owens-meets-Bob-Dylan sound.
Now,
fellow truth seekers, let's dig even deeper. Even if you recognize
Hillman's name and mug from x-number of album covers in your old
crate of vinyl LPs, you may not realize that the man's roots run
deep in bluegrass. Along with being a superb singer, he's a stinky
hot mandolin player and fine acoustic guitarist whose pre-Byrds
endeavors included stints in SoCal youthgrass bands with names like
the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers and the Golden State Boys.
This
is where another unjustly obscure singer 'n' picker of distinction
enters the picture. Herb Pedersen, then a teenaged member of another
fledgling bluegrass unit, the Pine Valley Boys, met an equally wet-behind-the-ears
Hillman on hoot night at L.A.'s Troubadour in 1963. The pair forged
a musical bond and friendship that thrives to this day. While Hillman
blazed his trail across the frontier of country rock, Pedersen established
himself as a versatile sideman (guitar, dobro, banjo, etc.) and
harmony singer nonpareil with Linda Ronstadt, Vince Gill, David
Grisman, James Taylor and countless others. Pedersen's dance card
also lists a full-time gig in the '70s with the Burrito-flavored
Dillards, and current service with the Laurel Canyon Ramblers, arguably
California's finest contemporary bluegrass act. In the 1980s, he
and Hillman hooked up in the Desert Rose Band and cranked out a
string of mainstream country hits.
The
old amigos recently connected again to record Way Out West (Back
Porch), a rollicking collection of California-style country and
Appalachian breakdowns. Original gems include a pair of breakneck
instrumentals, "Back Porch Boy" and "Sugar Cane,"
plus a full grab-bag of shit-kickers including Hillman's "That's
the Way it Was" and Pedersen's "Our Love it Don't Come
Easy." Cool covers include Roger Miller's "Invitation
to the Blues," Boudleaux & Felice Bryant's "Problems,"
the Louvin Brothers' "You're Learning" and a buoyant honky-tonk
retooling of the Drifters' "Save the Last Dance for Me."
Throughout, the ensemble pickin' is impeccable and the harmonies
sweet and seamless.
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