Chris Hillman
The country musician Chris Hillman ( born December 4, 1944 in Los Angeles ) is one of the most important pioneers of country rock. Known to the general public he is best known as the bassist for the Byrds.
Career
Chris began as a bluegrass musician. With a few friends from school he founded in 1961 the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers. Here he played mandolin. A little later he joined the Golden Gate Boys to Rex and Vern Gosdin. The group renamed itself several times. Under the name The Hillmen an eponymous LP was produced in 1963. Then you broke up.
Bassist for the Byrds
In Los Angeles, the highly talented musician David Crosby, Gene Clark and Roger McGuinn had come together to the Beefeaters. In 1964 it was decided to add a rhythm section. Were selected as a drummer Michael Clarke and Chris Hillman on bass. After the name change to The Byrds they made equal with their first single, Mr. Tambourine Man, a worldwide hit.
The silent Hillman remained as bassist behind the permanently to the musical supremacy battling Crosby, Clark and McGuinn almost unnoticed in the background. When country - man he had few opportunities to shape the direction. This only changed when Clark first and then Crosby left the Byrds. Hillman is to have each of the congenial Gram Parsons in the band succeeded. Together they were able to reorient against the will of the Byrds McGuinn on country music. 1968 was produced with Sweetheart of the Rodeo album, which is considered as a trigger of the California country -rock.
Guitarist for the Flying Burrito Brothers and Manassas
Parsons left the band before the release of Sweetheart of the Rodeo and the Flying Burrito Brothers joined them. Hillman followed a few months later. The burritos country-rock of the Byrds was maintained almost unchanged. Was recorded in 1969 with the album The Gilded Palace Of Sin another milestone of this new genre.
The sharp Parsons separated in 1971 from the burrito. The band clearly lost without the musical genius of quality. After two disappointing albums also Hillman left the band and joined the brief break from Stephen Stills Manassas group. Although well-known musicians were assembled, and the band with their first album, Manassas (1972 ), was very successful, it was a great future denied: You broke up already in 1973.
After the end of Manassas Hillman founded with JD Souther and Richie Furay, the Souther -Hillman - Furay band, but also had only a short time and broke up again after two plates. Under his own name two albums were produced with Slippin 'Away and Clear Sailin. In the following years he worked again for a short time along with former Byrds members; so arose in the late seventies from the recent collaboration with Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark, the three albums McGuinn, Clark & Hillman, City and McGuinn - Hillman. However, this formation was granted no longer stock.
Fronting the Desert Rose Band
Published in 1982 with Chris Hillman Morning Sky and 1984 with Desert Rose more solo albums. He then worked together a few times with the session musicians Herb Pedersen, John Jorgenson and Bill Bryson. In 1986, from the Desert Rose Band. Other members of the group were Steve Duncan and Jay Dee Maness.
For the first time in his career Hillman stood at the forefront position - and this time he and his colleagues were successful. Several albums and singles had made it onto the charts. Three songs reached even the top of the country charts. From the early nineties, sales eased and there was line-up changes. A year later, the band broke up.
Discography ( solo albums and collaborations with other musicians )
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