Photo by Alysse Gafkjen
MUSIC
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By
JEFF NIESEL
C L A S S IC
Chris Hillman dissects the Byrds’ groundbreaking 1968 album, Sweetheart of the Rodeo SINGER-BASSIST CHRIS HILLMAN, a third-generation native of California, launched his career back in the early 1960s with the bluegrass act the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers. He would then go on to found the Byrds, a truly innovative country-rock group that also featured singer-guitarist Roger McGuinn and the late singer-guitarist Gram Parsons. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the band’s influential album, Sweetheart of the Rodeo. To mark the occasion, Hillman and McGuinn have teamed up with Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives to play the album in its entirety. They perform at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 3, at the Akron Civic Theatre. “The Byrds’ Sweetheart of the
Rodeo recording stands as a milestone in American music,” says Stuart in a press release announcing the tour. For the tour, Stuart is playing the famous 1954 Fender Telecaster originally owned by country-rock pioneer Clarence White, a contributor to the recording. “I bought my first copy of the record in 1972,” Stuart says. “Upon my first listen, I was mesmerized at the effect of the combined power that country music, rock ’n’ roll, bluegrass, gospel and folk music had on me. From that day forward, I considered Sweetheart of the Rodeo a blueprint as to how I should live my musical life. It is truly an honor for me and the Superlatives to get to go out and play music from Sweetheart with Roger
[McGuinn] and Chris [Hillman]. We love and greatly admire both of them, and I have to believe this is a show not to be missed.” Reached via phone, Hillman echoes Stuart’s enthusiasm. “It’s been such a blast and every night has gotten better,” he says. “We’re having a great time, and the songs have taken on a whole new meaning 50 years later. We haven’t changed anything. It’s the same arrangements as when we recorded the songs in 1968, but the execution now is so much better, and we have Marty and His Fabulous Superlatives, which is one of the best bands I’ve ever been around or played with. They’re so good.” The show features two segments.
The first segment includes songs that led up to Sweetheart of the Rodeo. The second segment features the album in its entirety. An encore will feature a few Byrds hits. “We were doing country songs back in 1966,” says Hillman. “It was a clear-cut pathway to get to the point of going to Nashville in 1968 for Sweetheart of the Rodeo. The album didn’t even get reviewed positively when it came out. It was not the best-selling Byrds record at all. It was probably the worst-selling Byrds album, but it did become accepted. I do believe it was the first country-rock album, and it opened the floodgates. It’s never about having millions of dollars and Grammys. It’s more about treating music as an art form and | clevescene.com | October 3 - 9, 2018
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