The Flying Burrito Brothers
Artist

The Flying Burrito Brothers

Genre: Rock, Country-Rock
Origin: U.S.A
Active: 1969 - 1990
The Flying Burrito Brothers played a pivotal role in bridging rock and country traditions, and their 1969 debut release, The Gilded Palace of Sin, essentially established the foundational model for country-rock. Although the ensemble enjoyed only a short-lived peak period, the modest catalog they produced went on to exert considerable influence across both rock and country landscapes. Later in the 1970s the Flying Burrito Brothers regrouped without originators Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman, sustaining performances and recordings through assorted lineups well into the 1980s.

A loose collective of Los Angeles players originally convened simply to jam together. Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman adopted the Flying Burrito Brothers moniker upon launching their own project after departing the Byrds. Parsons had already nudged the Byrds in a country direction during his short tenure, an effort documented on the 1968 album Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Once Sweetheart appeared, he exited the Byrds, with Hillman following soon after. The pair then brought in pedal steel guitarist “Sneaky” Pete Kleinow and bassist Chris Ethridge, enlisting assorted session drummers to cut their first album.

Issued in spring 1969, the Flying Burrito Brothers’ debut The Gilded Palace of Sin moved only about 40,000 copies yet cultivated a loyal audience that encompassed numerous key Los Angeles musicians, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones. Around the same period Parsons struck up a close friendship with Stones guitarist Keith Richards, which gradually eroded his commitment to the Burritos. Before the second album sessions, Ethridge departed and Bernie Leadon stepped in; the group also secured ex-Byrd Michael Clarke as its steady drummer.

The second album, Burrito Deluxe, reached stores in spring 1970. Following its appearance Gram Parsons exited and Californian songwriter Rick Roberts took his place. Roberts’ initial outing with the band, simply titled The Flying Burrito Brothers, arrived in 1971. Shortly afterward Kleinow withdrew to pursue session work while Leadon left to join the Eagles. In their stead the Burritos added pedal steel guitarist Al Perkins and bassist Roger Bush, later incorporating guitarist Kenny Wertz and fiddler Byron Berline as well. This configuration captured the live set The Last of the Red Hot Burritos, issued in 1972. Before that record surfaced the group fractured: Berline, Bush, and Wertz formed Country Gazette, while Hillman and Perkins joined Manassas. Roberts recruited a fresh lineup for a 1973 European tour, then disbanded the act to launch a solo career; he would later help form Firefall alongside Michael Clarke.

A double-album compilation, Close Up the Honky Tonks, surfaced in 1974 amid rising curiosity about Gram Parsons. Capitalizing on that collection and the growing Parsons cult, Kleinow and Ethridge launched a new Flying Burrito Brothers lineup in 1975. They enlisted Floyd “Gib” Gilbeau on vocals, guitar, and fiddle, bassist Joel Scott Hill, and drummer Gene Parsons, resulting in the Columbia Records release Flying Again that same year.

Ethridge quit after Flying Again, making way for Skip Battin, who played on the 1976 follow-up Airborne. Also in 1976, A&M Records issued Sleepless Nights, a set of previously unreleased Gram Parsons-era recordings.

Over the two decades after their 1975 reunion the Flying Burrito Brothers maintained an intermittent schedule of performances and recordings, experiencing periodic personnel shifts. The 1979 Regency Records live album Live From Tokyo yielded their first country-chart success with a cover of Merle Haggard’s “White Line Fever,” which entered the charts in 1980. That same year the act shortened its name to the Burrito Brothers upon signing with Curb Records. The Burrito Brothers’ Hearts on the Line produced three modest country hits in 1981. Their second Curb album, Sunset Sundown, appeared in 1982 and likewise generated three minor chart entries. After that release Kleinow departed to work as an animator and special-effects artist in Hollywood. The remaining members, guided by Gib Gilbeau and John Beland, continued until that configuration dissolved in 1985, the very year Kleinow assembled yet another edition. For the next three years this iteration toured both America and Europe. The group split once more in 1988, though occasional reunions for tours and recordings persisted through the 1990s, among them 1999’s Sons of the Golden West.

Top Songs

  1. 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito BrothersWild Horses20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito Brothers · 200120th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito Brothers6:19
  2. The Gilded Palace Of SinHot Burrito #1The Gilded Palace Of Sin · 1969The Gilded Palace Of Sin3:40
  3. 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito BrothersDark End Of The Street20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito Brothers · 200120th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito Brothers3:48
  4. Live In Amsterdam 1972ColoradoLive In Amsterdam 1972 · 1975Live In Amsterdam 19724:41
  5. 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito BrothersSin City20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito Brothers · 200120th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito Brothers4:08
  6. 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito BrothersWheels20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito Brothers · 200120th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito Brothers3:01
  7. 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito BrothersDo Right Woman20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito Brothers · 200120th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito Brothers3:56
  8. Hot Burritos! The Flying Burrito Brothers Anthology (1969 - 1972)Tried So HardHot Burritos! The Flying Burrito Brothers Anthology (1969 - 1972) · 2000Hot Burritos! The Flying Burrito Brothers Anthology (1969 - 1972)3:09
  9. From Another TimeWhite Line FeverFrom Another Time · 1991From Another Time3:22
  10. Live In Amsterdam 1972My UncleLive In Amsterdam 1972 · 1975Live In Amsterdam 19722:33
  11. 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito BrothersHot Burrito #220th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito Brothers · 200120th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito Brothers3:16
  12. 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito BrothersLazy Days20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito Brothers · 200120th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito Brothers2:58
  13. Live In Amsterdam 1972Six Days On the RoadLive In Amsterdam 1972 · 1975Live In Amsterdam 19724:06
  14. The Gilded Palace Of SinJuanitaThe Gilded Palace Of Sin · 1969The Gilded Palace Of Sin2:31
  15. The Gilded Palace Of SinDo You Know How It FeelsThe Gilded Palace Of Sin · 1969The Gilded Palace Of Sin2:09
  16. Farther Along: The Best Of The Flying Burrito BrothersI Shall Be ReleasedFarther Along: The Best Of The Flying Burrito Brothers · 1988Farther Along: The Best Of The Flying Burrito Brothers1:33
  17. Live In Amsterdam 1972Four Days Of RainLive In Amsterdam 1972 · 1975Live In Amsterdam 19723:49
  18. Hot Burritos! The Flying Burrito Brothers Anthology (1969 - 1972)Older GuysHot Burritos! The Flying Burrito Brothers Anthology (1969 - 1972) · 2000Hot Burritos! The Flying Burrito Brothers Anthology (1969 - 1972)2:29
  19. Hot Burritos! The Flying Burrito Brothers Anthology (1969 - 1972)Can't You Hear Me CallingHot Burritos! The Flying Burrito Brothers Anthology (1969 - 1972) · 2000Hot Burritos! The Flying Burrito Brothers Anthology (1969 - 1972)2:23
  20. Live In Amsterdam 1972Shenandoah Valley BreakdownLive In Amsterdam 1972 · 1975Live In Amsterdam 19722:31

Albums

The Best of Flying Burrito Brothers

The Best of Flying Burrito Brothers

2012
The Masters

The Masters

2011
Authorized Bootleg / Fillmore East, New York, N.Y. – Late Show, November 7, 1970

Authorized Bootleg / Fillmore East, New York, N.Y. – Late Show, November 7, 1970

2011
The Red Album

The Red Album

2009
The Definitive Collection

The Definitive Collection

2007
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito Brothers

20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Flying Burrito Brothers

2001
Hot Burritos! The Flying Burrito Brothers Anthology (1969 - 1972)

Hot Burritos! The Flying Burrito Brothers Anthology (1969 - 1972)

2000
Hot Burritos! The Flying Burrito Brothers Anthology (1969 - 1972)
The Flying Burrito Brothers · Album · 2000
Play
  1. Christine’s TuneThe Flying Burrito Brothers3:03
  2. Sin CityThe Flying Burrito Brothers4:09
  3. Do Right WomanThe Flying Burrito Brothers3:57
  4. Dark End Of The StreetThe Flying Burrito Brothers3:50
  5. My UncleThe Flying Burrito Brothers2:37
  6. WheelsThe Flying Burrito Brothers3:03
  7. JuanitaThe Flying Burrito Brothers2:30
  8. Hot Burrito #1The Flying Burrito Brothers3:37
  9. Hot Burrito #2The Flying Burrito Brothers3:17
  10. Do You Know How It FeelsThe Flying Burrito Brothers2:08
  11. Hippie BoyThe Flying Burrito Brothers4:56
  12. The Train SongThe Flying Burrito Brothers3:04
  13. Lazy DaysThe Flying Burrito Brothers2:58
  14. Image Of MeThe Flying Burrito Brothers3:20
  15. High Fashion QueenThe Flying Burrito Brothers2:07
  16. If You Gotta GoThe Flying Burrito Brothers1:50
  17. Man In The FogThe Flying Burrito Brothers2:31
  18. Farther AlongThe Flying Burrito Brothers4:00
  19. Older GuysThe Flying Burrito Brothers2:29
  20. Cody, CodyThe Flying Burrito Brothers2:45
  21. God's Own SingerThe Flying Burrito Brothers2:06
  22. Down In The ChurchyardThe Flying Burrito Brothers2:20
  23. Wild HorsesThe Flying Burrito Brothers6:20
  24. Six Days On The RoadThe Flying Burrito Brothers2:57
  25. Close Up The Honky-TonksThe Flying Burrito Brothers2:18
  26. Break My MindThe Flying Burrito Brothers2:22
  27. Dim LightsThe Flying Burrito Brothers2:55
  28. Sing Me Back HomeThe Flying Burrito Brothers3:50
  29. Tonight The Bottle Let Me DownThe Flying Burrito Brothers2:54
  30. To Love SomebodyThe Flying Burrito Brothers3:19
  31. White Line FeverThe Flying Burrito Brothers3:17
  32. ColoradoThe Flying Burrito Brothers4:52
  33. Hand To MouthThe Flying Burrito Brothers3:44
  34. Tried So HardThe Flying Burrito Brothers3:09
  35. Just Can't BeThe Flying Burrito Brothers4:59
  36. To RamonaThe Flying Burrito Brothers3:40
  37. Four Days Of RainThe Flying Burrito Brothers3:39
  38. Can't You Hear Me CallingThe Flying Burrito Brothers2:23
  39. All AloneThe Flying Burrito Brothers3:33
  40. Why Are You CryingThe Flying Burrito Brothers3:02
  41. Here TonightThe Flying Burrito Brothers3:30
  42. Ain't That A Lot Of Love (Live/1971)The Flying Burrito Brothers3:21
  43. Losing Game (Live/1971)The Flying Burrito Brothers2:57
California Jukebox

California Jukebox

1997
From Another Time

From Another Time

1991
Farther Along: The Best Of The Flying Burrito Brothers

Farther Along: The Best Of The Flying Burrito Brothers

1988
Airborne

Airborne

1976
Sleepless Nights

Sleepless Nights

1976
Sleepless Nights (Reissue)

Sleepless Nights (Reissue)

1976
Live In Amsterdam 1972

Live In Amsterdam 1972

1975
Flying Again

Flying Again

1975
The Last Of The Red Hot Burritos

The Last Of The Red Hot Burritos

1972
The Flying Burrito Brothers

The Flying Burrito Brothers

1971
Burrito Deluxe

Burrito Deluxe

1970
The Gilded Palace Of Sin

The Gilded Palace Of Sin

1969

Live Albums