Sweetheart of the Rodeo was a commercial failure upon its release and was seen as a betrayal by much of the Byrds’ fan base. Gram had joined the group in February, and he had moved on by the time the album was released with an eye toward his next project, the Flying Burrito Brothers. However, since he didn’t do this with all of Gram’s songs, it’s been suggested McGuinn was also also trying to lessen the newcomer’s stamp on the group. This resulted in Roger McGuinn recording his own vocals over Parsons’ on a few songs in order to avoid legal issues. Further adding to the strain was the concern that Parsons was still under contract from his ISB days. Tensions arose over Parsons stepping on toes regarding the band’s direction, including genre and personnel recruitment, as well as demanding more money. It was all over with Gram Parsons about as quickly as it came together. The Byrds performing at the Grand Ole Opry The band was in for a rude awakening as the Nashville establishment, including disc jockeys and the Grand Ole Opry audience, was not kind to a “hippie band” supposedly undermining true country music. Much of the album, including the two Dylan songs, was recorded in Nashville. With guitarist Clarence White on board for the sessions they were already leaning in a country/bluegrass direction, but Gram Parsons was obsessed with country music, and his enthusiasm for it rubbed off on the others enough that Sweetheart became a purely country record – the first major country rock album by an established band.
The album was originally intended by McGuinn to be a review of American music featuring bluegrass, Appalachian, country, jazz, R&B, rock, and even futuristic/electronic sounds. What Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman didn’t realize was that Parsons had an agenda of sorts: to bring country and western music into the rock ‘n’ roll world, to make it hip. They auditioned Parsons, fresh out of the International Submarine Band, on piano, but he quickly showed that his place was up front with a guitar. Interested in taking their sound a little more toward country they hired Gram Parsons, whom Chris Hillman happened to meet while standing in line in a Beverly Hills bank. More significantly, David Crosby had been fired from the group during its recording, and original drummer Michael Clarke was gone as well and replaced by Hillman’s cousin, Kevin Kelley. The shift had already begun with January’s The Notorious Byrd Brothers and its mellower, more pastoral sound. McGuinn and Hillman have only announced five tour dates so far, but the pair has confirmed that additional dates will be revealed in the near future.The winds of change in the music world were really picking up speed by the second half of 1968, and nowhere was it any more evident than with the Byrds on their second release from that year and sixth overall, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, released 50 years ago today. Most notably, it helped the launch the career of Gram Parsons, who brought a country sensibility to the band just prior to the recording of the album. Recorded in the spring of 1968, Sweetheart of the Rodeo marked a stylistic departure for The Byrds, who had risen to prominence with a potent blend of folk and psychedelia. “The concert will include songs that led up to that groundbreaking trip to Nashville and all the songs from the album.” “We’re all looking forward to taking the fans through the back pages of the recording,” McGuinn continued. We are honored that it has left a strong, long-lasting impression on country and rock music.” “It was truly a pivotal moment in our lives taking a turn toward the music we always felt a strong kinship with. “On March 9, 1968, Roger McGuinn and I along with many fantastic musicians began recording the Sweetheart of the Rodeo album at Columbia Studios in Nashville,” Chris Hillman reportedly said in a statement. The shows will find the two founding members of the pioneering ‘60s rock band teaming up with Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives to perform songs from the LP and tell stories about the making of the 1968 record.
The byrds sweetheart of the rodeo series#
Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman will celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Byrds seminal country-rock album Sweetheart of the Rodeo with a series of tour dates this summer and fall.
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