Biography
Rick Roberts enjoyed the timing that placed him in the Flying Burrito Brothers while the ensemble still stood near its founding character, yet he also confronted the drawback of surfacing in country-rock precisely when that style began to lose currency. Born in Florida during 1949, Roberts reached maturity surrounded by the initial surge of rock & roll and gravitated during the 1960s toward the folk-rock approach of the Byrds and the Beau Brummels. He adopted the guitar, discovered he possessed more than adequate vocal ability, and revealed an aptitude for composing songs. As a teenager Roberts relocated repeatedly, residing in Washington, D.C., South Carolina, and Colorado while accumulating stage experience in whatever venues would host him. He finally gambled on wider success by hitchhiking to California in 1969, where he performed in modest Los Angeles clubs and formed connections with the next wave of folk-rock musicians who shared those bills and awaited their own breakthroughs.
At one such appearance, manager Ed Tickner noticed him. In early 1970 the Burritos sought a replacement for co-founder Gram Parsons, whose unpredictable conduct had led to his dismissal. Roberts displayed an emotionally direct voice, handled acoustic guitar capably, and appeared the strongest candidate. Tickner and co-founder Chris Hillman agreed, although Roberts himself hesitated. His prior work had stayed within folk-rock, and the Burritos’ heavier country leanings did not immediately suit him or seem like territory he could navigate well. Hillman, who had himself shifted from bluegrass to the Byrds’ rock idiom in 1964, nevertheless urged Roberts forward, and before long he became a central contributor to their sound.
Filling the position proved difficult. Even in 1970 Parsons already commanded an emerging cult following, and listeners who had purchased the band’s first two albums required time to accept Roberts as lead singer. His arrival nevertheless allowed the group to produce a third and then a fourth studio album. As frequently happens with personnel shifts, earlier recordings retained greater artistic interest while later efforts leaned more commercial and the live performances gained strength. In subsequent decades most new listeners encountered the Roberts-era albums later than the Parsons ones, though those later records sold sufficiently to maintain A&M Records’ interest through 1972. Roberts imparted a somewhat pop-oriented character through his vocals and compositions, which figured prominently on the self-titled third album. That adjustment broadened the band’s appeal to rock audiences and carried them through another tour and the live album Last of the Red Hot Burritos (1972).
Hillman’s departure in 1971 to form Manassas with Stephen Stills created an ironic reversal for the musician who had once been reluctant to join. The remaining members dispersed, leaving Roberts to preserve the Burritos name for a European tour. He assembled Kenny Wertz, Byron Berline, and Roger Bush from Country Gazette plus Alan Munde, Don Beck, and Erik Dalton. Although Roberts had originally been the hesitant participant, he now stood as the only established member on that trek; the lineup satisfied promoters, and Ariola, the band’s European label, issued a live album afterward. Roberts nevertheless recognized that prospects for the Burritos remained narrow, so after returning to the United States he recorded his first solo album, Windmills. The release highlighted his voice and guitar while also featuring contributions from Los Angeles country-rock associates including Don Henley, Randy Meisner, and Bernie Leadon of the Eagles (then still an emerging pop/rock act far from their later mega-platinum stature) and Jackson Browne. Despite Roberts’ earlier discomfort with the Burritos’ country emphasis, the album’s most striking tracks—“In a Dream,” “In My Own Small Way,” and a version of Harlan Howard’s “Pick Me Up on Your Way Down”—all benefited from abundant pedal steel guitar by Al Perkins. A second solo album appeared in 1974, yet neither release generated strong public response despite the quality of the playing, singing, and material.
In 1974 Roberts and former Byrds/Burritos drummer Michael Clarke reunited as the nucleus of Firefall, a pop-inflected country ensemble based in Boulder, Colorado, that also included guitarist Jock Bartley (who had worked with Gram Parsons) and bassist Mark Andes of Spirit. The group became one of the more commercially durable country-rock acts of the mid-1970s, scoring major singles with “You Are the Woman” and “Just Remember I Love You.” Those tracks received the sustained AM radio exposure the Burritos had never achieved, enabling Firefall to release six albums before disbanding at the start of the 1980s. Roberts subsequently toured with Chris Hillman during Hillman’s early return to folk and bluegrass. He also participated briefly in Michael Clarke’s attempt to revive the Byrds name, joining a tribute band in the late 1980s before leaving along with other members who objected to the later adoption of the official “Byrds” designation. In 2005 the British label Gottdiscs reissued Roberts’ two 1970s solo albums together on a single CD.
At one such appearance, manager Ed Tickner noticed him. In early 1970 the Burritos sought a replacement for co-founder Gram Parsons, whose unpredictable conduct had led to his dismissal. Roberts displayed an emotionally direct voice, handled acoustic guitar capably, and appeared the strongest candidate. Tickner and co-founder Chris Hillman agreed, although Roberts himself hesitated. His prior work had stayed within folk-rock, and the Burritos’ heavier country leanings did not immediately suit him or seem like territory he could navigate well. Hillman, who had himself shifted from bluegrass to the Byrds’ rock idiom in 1964, nevertheless urged Roberts forward, and before long he became a central contributor to their sound.
Filling the position proved difficult. Even in 1970 Parsons already commanded an emerging cult following, and listeners who had purchased the band’s first two albums required time to accept Roberts as lead singer. His arrival nevertheless allowed the group to produce a third and then a fourth studio album. As frequently happens with personnel shifts, earlier recordings retained greater artistic interest while later efforts leaned more commercial and the live performances gained strength. In subsequent decades most new listeners encountered the Roberts-era albums later than the Parsons ones, though those later records sold sufficiently to maintain A&M Records’ interest through 1972. Roberts imparted a somewhat pop-oriented character through his vocals and compositions, which figured prominently on the self-titled third album. That adjustment broadened the band’s appeal to rock audiences and carried them through another tour and the live album Last of the Red Hot Burritos (1972).
Hillman’s departure in 1971 to form Manassas with Stephen Stills created an ironic reversal for the musician who had once been reluctant to join. The remaining members dispersed, leaving Roberts to preserve the Burritos name for a European tour. He assembled Kenny Wertz, Byron Berline, and Roger Bush from Country Gazette plus Alan Munde, Don Beck, and Erik Dalton. Although Roberts had originally been the hesitant participant, he now stood as the only established member on that trek; the lineup satisfied promoters, and Ariola, the band’s European label, issued a live album afterward. Roberts nevertheless recognized that prospects for the Burritos remained narrow, so after returning to the United States he recorded his first solo album, Windmills. The release highlighted his voice and guitar while also featuring contributions from Los Angeles country-rock associates including Don Henley, Randy Meisner, and Bernie Leadon of the Eagles (then still an emerging pop/rock act far from their later mega-platinum stature) and Jackson Browne. Despite Roberts’ earlier discomfort with the Burritos’ country emphasis, the album’s most striking tracks—“In a Dream,” “In My Own Small Way,” and a version of Harlan Howard’s “Pick Me Up on Your Way Down”—all benefited from abundant pedal steel guitar by Al Perkins. A second solo album appeared in 1974, yet neither release generated strong public response despite the quality of the playing, singing, and material.
In 1974 Roberts and former Byrds/Burritos drummer Michael Clarke reunited as the nucleus of Firefall, a pop-inflected country ensemble based in Boulder, Colorado, that also included guitarist Jock Bartley (who had worked with Gram Parsons) and bassist Mark Andes of Spirit. The group became one of the more commercially durable country-rock acts of the mid-1970s, scoring major singles with “You Are the Woman” and “Just Remember I Love You.” Those tracks received the sustained AM radio exposure the Burritos had never achieved, enabling Firefall to release six albums before disbanding at the start of the 1980s. Roberts subsequently toured with Chris Hillman during Hillman’s early return to folk and bluegrass. He also participated briefly in Michael Clarke’s attempt to revive the Byrds name, joining a tribute band in the late 1980s before leaving along with other members who objected to the later adoption of the official “Byrds” designation. In 2005 the British label Gottdiscs reissued Roberts’ two 1970s solo albums together on a single CD.
Albums
