Sneaky Pete Kleinow’s harmonic driving pedal steel wail is a cornerstone of cosmic country and rock. His playing took the traditional Nashville form and added a California spin, incorporating various effects and fuzz boxes with the more traditional reverb and tremolo that give the pedal steel its unique sound. “Christine’s Tune” (see below) from the debut Flying Burrito Brothers record is a prime example.
A Michigan native who came to LA in the ’60s to work as an animator—his credits include work on the original
Gumby,
Gremlins,
The Empire Strikes Back, and both
Terminator movies—Kleinow fell in quick with a few local musicians who were gaining some momentum. A working relationship with Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons would form the basis of not one but two vastly successful bands, the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers who Kleinow helped found and played with through their third record and then later on in the 1980s.
Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, and dozens others owe a debt of gratitude to Kleinow. Though his total session credits are too numerous to mention here is a roundup of some of the greatest hits of this pedal steel great. If you dug
last week’s alt-country overview you are sure to dig this companion piece. And be sure to check out the
Sneaky Pete anthology CD from Sundazed records.
The Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo set the tone for cosmic country rock. It was around this period that Hillman and Parsons would meet their future bandmate during a gig with the Ventures. Though he gigged with the Byrds steadily throughout the Parsons-era lineup, Kleinow never became a full-fledged member of the band and when Hillman and Parsons split to form a new group Kleinow would join them. Here’s a clip of the band joined by Earl Scruggs in ’68 tackling “You Ain’t Goin Nowhere.”
The Flying Burrito Brothers’ The Guilded Palace of Sin is where country rock begins and ends. It set a standard that though often imitated with panache still remains unsurpassed. As a founding member, Kleinow’s playing is heavily featured here. The pair of arrangements on the Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham covers—“Dark End of the Street” and “Do Right Woman”—are essential and “Christine’s Tune,” as noted above, takes this unwieldy instrument to a new height. Here’s the band doing “Six Days on the Road” at a live TV appearance.
Dillard & Clark also circled in the Byrds orbit. The duo consisted of founding Byrds guitarist and songwriter Gene Clark and banjo player Doug Dillard of the bluegrass-tinged brotherly band the Dillards. This project netted a pair of phenomenal albums
The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark and
Through the Morning, Through the Night. Kleinow appeared on some of Gene Clark’s later albums but so far as country rock playing goes these two records are a high watermark. Though live footage is hard to come by here’s a clip of the Gene Clark song “Polly” from
Through the Morning, Through the Night.