Chris Hillman & Herb Pedersen

IT TAKES TWO

Overlooked pair of old-timers are still finger-pickin’ good

Any decent list of rock ‘n’ roll’s unsung heroes had better contain Chris Hillman. There’s simply no room for negotiation. A charter member of the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, along with stellar, lower magnitude outfits such as Manassas (with Stephen Stills), Souther- Hillman-Furay, McGuinn-Clark-Hiliman and the Desert Rose Band, the native Southern Californian has been around the block and back.

Suffice to say that Hillman’s always been the kind of cat who’s too busy blending in to stand out. As a folk-rockin’ Byrd, he lacked the high-wattage star power of a Roger McGuinn or a David Crosby, but his songwriting, harmony vocals and electric bass lines never missed a mark. (Not to mention that Hillman’s lead vocal turn on “Have You Seen Her Face?” ranks as a legit Byrds’ greatest-hits moment.) Same deal during his tenure with the Burritos, whose impact on the thriving present-day alt-country scene defies calculation. Hillman may have been overshadowed by romantically wasted songwriting partner Gram Parsons’s ghost-on-the-shoulder aura, but he’s never received ample credit for his essential role in shaping the band’s groundbreaking Buck-Owens-meets-Bob-Dylan sound.

Now, fellow truth seekers, let’s dig even deeper. Even if you recognize Hillman’s name and mug from x-number of album covers in your old crate of vinyl LPs, you may not realize that the man’s roots run deep in bluegrass. Along with being a superb singer, he’s a stinky hot mandolin player and fine acoustic guitarist whose pre-Byrds endeavors included stints in SoCal youthgrass bands with names like the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers and the Golden State Boys.

This is where another unjustly obscure singer ‘n’ picker of distinction enters the picture. Herb Pedersen, then a teenaged member of another fledgling bluegrass unit, the Pine Valley Boys, met an equally wet-behind-the-ears Hillman on hoot night at L.A.’s Troubadour in 1963. The pair forged a musical bond and friendship that thrives to this day. While Hillman blazed his trail across the frontier of country rock, Pedersen established himself as a versatile sideman (guitar, dobro, banjo, etc.) and harmony singer nonpareil with Linda Ronstadt, Vince Gill, David Grisman, James Taylor and countless others. Pedersen’s dance card also lists a full-time gig in the ’70s with the Burrito-flavored Dillards, and current service with the Laurel Canyon Ramblers, arguably California’s finest contemporary bluegrass act. In the 1980s, he and Hillman hooked up in the Desert Rose Band and cranked out a string of mainstream country hits.

The old amigos recently connected again to record Way Out West (Back Porch), a rollicking collection of California-style country and Appalachian breakdowns. Original gems include a pair of breakneck instrumentals, “Back Porch Boy” and “Sugar Cane,” plus a full grab-bag of shit-kickers including Hillman’s “That’s the Way it Was” and Pedersen’s “Our Love it Don’t Come Easy.” Cool covers include Roger Miller’s “Invitation to the Blues,” Boudleaux & Felice Bryant’s “Problems,” the Louvin Brothers’ “You’re Learning” and a buoyant honky-tonk retooling of the Drifters’ “Save the Last Dance for Me.” Throughout, the ensemble pickin’ is impeccable and the harmonies sweet and seamless.