When you do a little digging into the influential California country-rock singer songwriters and bands that bridged the time between the end of the hippie-dippy 1960s and the more cynical and realist early 1970s, there is one band that keeps popping up as a significant progenitor of that unique sound. The Flying Burrito Brothers.
The initial lineup included future songwriting legend Gram Parsons and fellow former member of The Byrds, Chris Hillman with the band releasing the genre-defying and perhaps genre defining album The Gilded Palace of Sin, which features the hits Sin City, Wheels and Devil In Disguise. Within a year, the lineup had also changed to include future member of the Eagles Bernie Leadon. Parsons left in 1971 and died in 1973, but his writing and the music created by the first generation of The Flying Burrito Brothers has been cited as kick-starting the ‘peaceful easy feeling’ country-tinged rock that would be perfected and popularized by the likes of The Eagles, Jackson Browne and Linda Ronstadt among many others.
There has literally been nearly six dozen members come through the band’s various iterations over the past 51 years, sometimes calling themselves Sierra, Burrito Deluxe (the name of the band’s 1970 sophomore release) The Burritos, and from 1980 to 1987 and again since 2012, they are simply The Burrito Brothers.
The current lineup is headed by keyboardist/vocalist/songwriter Chris James, who has been in the band since 2009, while pedal steel guitarist Tony Paoletta joined in 2013, with Bob Hatter replacing James’ brother Fred in 2017. Drummer Peter Young was previously in the band throughout 2015 and 2016 and rejoined last year.
To celebrate the legacy of the Burrito Brothers name and music, the current version recently issued forth a new album of original songs, steeped in the traditional country-rock stylings of their past, but with a nod to the present and a hopeful outlook to the future.
The Notorious Burrito Brothers was released worldwide on U.K.-based The Store for Music and MVD Entertainment, which James said is the first time in decades that any band connected to the Burrito Brothers has had international distribution.
James and his bandmates believe they are just the current holders of the Burrito Brothers mantle, and will hold on to their part of the ongoing legacy of the band until another batch of musicians and songwriters comes in to take over and keep the name, the music and the importance of the band moving forward.
“Our feeling now, with all these years that have passed, and the changing mindsets of people and the changing pace of life is that this thing could be in danger of being forgotten if it isn’t carried forward. Our desire is to keep it alive. There’s a quote from Gram Parsons from an interview in 1973 when asked about the fact that [former colleague] Rick Roberts was leading a version of the Flying Burrito Brothers that didn’t have a single original member in it, although in just the fourth year since the first album. Rick was playing with guys who were later known better as Country Gazette, and they completed some tour dates in Europe, and it resulted in an album being released,” James said.
“And Gram was asked what he thought of that, from an interviewer that was thinking they might get some dirt. Well, Gram was 100 per cent positive and said, ‘I think it’s great. I am all for it. I think the idea should carry on whether I do it or anybody else does it. It’s got to keep going.’ And that quote is what we live by, essentially. I think we’re in a nice place – sort of a full circle kind of thing. I believe there were some versions of the Burrito Brothers where there was a different lineup for pretty much every album. It’s the most ever-changing, revolving door of personnel of any band, just about. It’s certainly up there with any other outfit. It’s ever-shifting and always has been.
“Each time that the group thought they hit a wall, there would be some promoter or record label wanting there to still be a Burrito Brothers and offering enough that somebody or some members from the previous lineup would add a couple of new guys and go out and add to it some more, which has happened, year after year after year. There were some temptations in there for the group to sort of update their sound or lean into some of the trends at the time, but that line of thinking has totally gone now. The main idea for the group was established with The Gilded Palace of Sin in 1969 and so our performances are good on the grounding of being very familiar and capable of doing those old songs. And then we also have a really strong conviction and level of musicianship and inspiration, as evidenced by this new album, to add to that with some pretty impressive new songs.”
There has to be something special to the notion that a band which has been able to continue through such a twisted, weaving, up and down roller coaster ride of a history and still have a following, regardless of what some critics may have said over the years.
“Everything that has happened with this name, from the first time Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman wrote together, through to the present band, has happened organically. No-one has ever had to be asked to join this band. The group has never had to seek out new members, there were always great musicians in the circle around the band or on the periphery that stepped in over time. It’s happened naturally in the way that professional musicians conduct their lives,” James said.
“Some of the detractors say horrible things like, well they’re not the REAL Burrito Brothers, which is just absurd. Because you wonder, well who in the world is? Unlike a lot of other bands, there is no single iconic lineup; it’s been changing all through these past 51 years and will continue to do so. And when our turn came, it was an honour and a thrill, and we know we’re the right people for the job and it’s keeping alive something well worth keeping. I believe this lineup is very important. There hasn’t been a Burrito Brothers lineup with a worldwide distribution label release in ages. What do you mean important? Gram, as wonderful as he was, is only on the first two albums and he himself has said he wanted it to carry on.
“It’s important for us to do a good job. I have noticed that people who tend to be detractors do it on some grounds that they just decided, ‘no, no, no you can’t do that.’ The weird thing is, I think they are talking about Gram Parsons. So, in your mind if the true and only ‘important’ version of the Burrito Brothers has to have Gram Parsons, then what in the world has happened for the last 49 years? And, listen, I am always open to change. How could you not be if you’re in the Burrito Brothers.”
Each member of the current Burrito Brothers lineup is a veteran musician with loads of studio recording sessions, writing opportunities and live shows under their belt, so it comes as little surprise that the songwriting for The Notorious Burrito Brothers album was a team effort.
“Initially, I am sort of the one who is more inclined to start the process and get the ball rolling. I have had songwriter and publishing deals and stuff, and I am just one of those singer/songwriter types, more so than the other guys. What we usually do is take an idea I bring in as a starter and then let everyone work it over. For instance, with [the lead-off track] Bring It, I told Bob and Tony that I thought I had what I thought was a really solid idea for an album opener, and even a show opener because it’s saying, ‘come on everybody, let’s go, bring it on.’ I tossed it over to Bob and I thought it would be really cool to have one of those killer country rock kind of guitar riffs and he nailed it. We all just get along so well and respect and appreciate each other’s talents that pieces just start falling together,” James said.
“We did the same thing with Love Is A River. I suggested that we, in order to be more progressive and more artistic, how about we come up with a suite and tie four or five musical ideas together seamlessly. We started with a song that Bob and I had written way back when we were in a band together called Mister Hyde more than 20 years ago, and I always liked that song and it never got released and it’s a pretty melody and a cool idea. I suggested it be the centrepiece for this suite. Then we tacked on these other ideas. Tony wrote this really pretty melody in pedal steel guitar for the intro and we just kept collaborating and working together to create something I think is really special. Its like what The Beatles did on Side 2 of Abbey Road and that worked like a charm.”
The esteem in which James holds his bandmates bubbles over many times during the conversation, which is kind of a rarity in what many people see as a pretty jaded, business-first, ego-driven industry.
“Tony is a superstar, a consummate musician. He is so good on pedal steel. And it’s the same with Bob Hatter on guitar and Peter Young on drums, they always sound just right and are what I call subtly impressive. And what you’ve got is this sensibility where they always play to the song. They are so capable that their brilliant musicianship always does shine through, but you don’t really get the sense they’re showing off or trying to call attention to themselves by playing too much. But when you really listen you know that the more you hear it, they couldn’t possibly have played this stuff if they weren’t adept at it.”
Another reason why James is thrilled with the international aspect of the band’s new record deal, is that it gives the Burrito Brothers a chance to reach audiences outside of North America, those who appreciate the authenticity and musical integrity of the band, as well as their legacy going back to the Parsons and Hillman days.
“My gut and my heart tell me that there’s a likelihood of being received really nicely and getting a degree of respect that maybe isn’t quite as available here in the States. And, furthermore, our band is not really hell bent on being road dogs. We like to do live performances, but we’re not the kind of group that want’s to be out there on tour all the time, like 150 or 200 dates a year. We’re hoping that on the heels of this wonderful new album that we would be doing some cool, premium type shows and get out there to a degree. Although thanks to this pandemic thing, that has stopped cold for the time being,” he said.
“The head of our label, and all the folks that work at the label and our representative over there have been so wonderful to us. They are working hard to reintroduce the Burrito Brothers to the world, because, I think for many people, the group has kind of fallen off the radar to a degree. And it’s nice to feel that we have a chance to re-establish it. I believe it’s the best album that I have ever taken part n, and the best Burrito Brothers album in a long time. We know the kind of music we do isn’t really trendy or popular her in the States these days, so we consciously shifted our goal to chase a deal overseas and it looks like we might have hit the jackpot because it’s not just England its worldwide distribution. And the chance of somebody in different pockets and places responding to it is so much better than just wishing we could make a bit of headway on the American scene. I am not sure just how happening that is any more. It looks like it’s filled with urban music and rap and that sort of really boogie and Bro country that’s all over the place. We can’t relate to that very well. We aren’t that.”
What The Burrito Brothers is a band that has one foot in its illustrious and well-respected past, with their eyes set firmly on the future, where the name Burrito Brothers continues to have resonance, and continues to create music that is memorable, compelling, fun and connections with the mind, soul, heart and spirit.
For more information on the band, the new album The Notorious Burrito Brothers and any post-pandemic tour dates, visit www.TheBurritoBrothers.net.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, ON, who has been writing about music and musicians for 30 years. Besides his journalistic endeavours, he now works as a communications and marketing specialist. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
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