Roberts, Rick Windmills & She is a song

While singer/songwriter Rick Roberts is perhaps best known for his work with country-rock pioneers The Flying Burrito Brothers and late 70s hit makers Firefall ,in between those two endeavors he recorded these two albums for A & M Records.
While hardly setting the charts on fire they remain good examples of the kind of appealing country-rock The Eagles would later take to the top of the charts.
When Chris Hillman left the Flying Burrito Brothers to join Manassas in 1971 Rick Roberts lead the Burrito's for a European tour before recording his debut solo album:Windmills.
David Aderle was assigned to be the producer and the cream of the L.A. country-rock community centered around the Troubadour was recruited.
They were all "friends" of Rick Roberts and very good musicians and they came up with a lot of ideas that added a great deal to the album.
The album's tittle derives from the dedication to a Dutch/American girl Rick Roberts met while touring the Netherlands with the Burrito's.
The musicians on Windmills are:Don Henley,Bernie Leadon,Randy Meisner,Jackson Browne,Al Perkins,Joe Lala,Chris Hillman,Dallas Taylor,David Crosby,Mother Hen,Byron Berline,Lee Sklar,Mike Utley,Marc Benno and of course Rick Roberts.

Settling in Boulder Colorado Rick Roberts recorded "She is a song" at a small independent studio.
Fresh from Manassas Chris Hillman assumed production duties.
Rick Roberts called on local players to grace the second album including Joe Walsh's Barnstorm and members of Poco.
The musicians are:Paul Harris,George Grantham,Al Perkins,Kenny Passarelli,Joe Lala,Joe Walsh,Chris Hillman,Joe Vitale,Rusty Young,Steve Fromholz and Rick Roberts.

touring solo to promote the second album Rick Roberts performed at Max's Kansas City early 1973,where he ran into Gram Parson's Fallen Angel Band.
Befriending Jock Bartley,a member of the Fallen Angels,they hooked up back in Boulder recruiting the musicians to form a group that became Firefall.

Gib Guilbeau Part 2 - Huh..., this town doesn't sound like Sin City

Gib Guilbeau - Gib Guilbeau sings
Gib's solo album, released in 1973 with guest occurances of Dave Kirby, Billy Sanford, Reggie Young, Peter Drake, Hargus Robbins, Henry Strzelcki, Ralph Grallant, Ray Edenton, Glen Kenner, Johnny Gimble, The Jordanaires



Flying Burrito Brothers - Flying Again
After Eddie Tickner, the former Burrito manager received booking interest from a number of clubs, founding members Pete Kleinow and Chris Ethridge agreed to re-form the Burritos. They hired Byrds drummer Gene Parsons, Joel Scott Hill from Canned Heat, and Gib Guilbeau to round out the refried Flying Burrito Brothers. Tickner then got the new band a deal with Columbia Records, of which Flying Again was their label debut in 1975. Line-up: Gib Guilbeau, Gene Parsons, Pete Kleinow, Joel Scott Hill, Chris Ethridge.

Flying Burrito Brothers - Airborne
After the release of Flying Again bassist and founding member Chris Ethridge left the band and was replaced for Byrds bassist Skip Battin. This left Pete Kleinow as the only original member in the band. 1976's Airborne was the band's second and last album for Columbia Records, as the label would drop the Burritos due to the lack of commercial success just after this album's release.
Line-up: Gib Guilbeau, Gene Parsons, Pete Kleinow, Joel Scott Hill, Skip Battin.
Guest occurances by Stevie Wonder, Vambo, Jimmi Seiter, Luis Cabaza, Jamie Faunt, Warren Pemberto.

Sierra - Sierra
Why not trying something new? In 1977 the Burritos changed their name to Sierra and the music style to the then popular Eagles/Poco vein. To their credit, the band wrote their own material, collaborating on one song with Felix Pappalardi(ex Cream, ex-Mountain). The first record announcement was in October 1977 and they toured as Sierra through December of 1977.
Line-up: Gib Guilbeau, Pete Kleinow, Bobby Cochran, Thad Maxwell and Mickey McGee.

Bernie Leadon - A Flying Heart Mirrors Progression

Ex-Eagles member Bernie Leadon is living history in todays view.
Leadons true love lay in country music, as he began playing in a California bluegrass outfit in 1962, the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers together with Chris Hillman (see +Byrds Fame).
After relocating to Florida by the mid '60s, Leadon joined the folk band, Hearts and Flowers, appearing on their second and final recording, 1968's Of Horses, Kids and Forgotten Women, before forming a new group, Dillard and Clark.
But once more, Leadon's tenure with the group would be fleeting, as he played on all of their 1968 debut, The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark, and only a few select tracks on their sophomore effort, 1969's Through the Morning, Through the Night. Up next for Leadon was a brief stretch with Linda Ronstadt's backing band, the Corvettes, before joining up with one of the first ever country rock outfits, the Flying Burrito Brothers, in the fall of 1969. Leadon remained a member of the Burritos for a few years - appearing on such albums as 1970's Burrito Deluxe, 1971's self-titled release, and 1972's Last of the Red Hot Burritos. Upon leaving the Burritos, Leadon signed on once more as a member of Linda Ronstadt's backing band, which included guitarist/singer Glenn Frey and drummer/singer Don Henley. Shortly thereafter, the trio decided to form their own group, the Eagles, which was rounded out with the addition of ex-Poco bassist Randy Meisner. The band perfected and popularized the Poco country rock style. The Leadon-era of the group lasted for a total of four albums (which many longtime Eagles fans consider the group's best) - 1972's self-titled debut, 1973's Desperado, 1974's On the Border, and 1975's One of These Nights - on which Leadon penned such underrated gems as My Man and Bitter Creek among others. But the band's never ending and grueling touring/recording schedule began to wear Leadon out, to the point where the guitarist decided to leave the group as a self-described act of survival. In 1977, the guitarist formed the Bernie Leadon/Michael Georgiades Band, who issued a lone album the same year, Natural Progressions, before splitting up. The '80s saw Leadon back Chris Hillman for a pair of releases, 1982's Morning Sky and 1984's Desert Rose, and form a Christian Bluegrass group, Ever Call Ready, who issued a lone self-titled release in 1985(->see +Byrds Fame).
Two years later, Leadon replaced John McEuen in the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - appearing on the recordings Hold On (1987), Workin' Band (1988), and Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. 2 (1989). Shortly after the dawn of the '90s, Leadon launched the novelty act Run C & W(->see +Eagles Fame), which specialized in doing country versions of rap songs (and issued two releases, 1993's Into the Twangy First Century and 1995's Row vs. Wade). In 2003, he released his solo CD, Mirror.

Flying Burrito Brothers - Live From Tokyo

Have made a lot of references to this band, but I've never shared an album of them. So here is a late one, released in 1979.
After the dropping of the band by Columbia Rec, the Flying Burrito Brothers pressed on as a touring act. Gib Guilbeau, Joel Scott Hill, Sneaky Pete Kleinow and Mickey McGee reunited with Skip Battin and Gene Parsons (playing guitar due to a wrist injury) and began tour as the Flying Burrito Brothers again. By 1979, Greg Harris and Ed Ponder were hired to replace Joel Scott Hill and Mickey McGee respectively. During this time, Gene Parsons also left the group and was not replaced.

Gib Guilbeau - On the way to Burrito Town, or was it Sin City?

1967 Gib Gilbeau & Gene Parsons - Louisiana Rain
Gib Guilbeau and Gene Parsons released a couple of singles in 1967-1968, and also recorded an album of material at the time that almost got released in 1968. It didn't appear in the late '60s, though, and eventually a slightly altered version of the original album came out, credited to Gib Guilbeau and titled Cajun Country, in the early '70s. This 25-track disc, has the album, the singles, a half-dozen previously unreleased Guilbeau & Parsons demos and outtakes and a 1969 Gib Guilbeau solo single. It's for a specialized collector market, for sure. But anyone seriously interested in the genesis of country/rock should hear this, both for its historic importance and for the quality of the music. Gib Guilbeau and Gene Parsons, as well as other musicians heard here like Clarence White and Wayne Moore (who played with Gillbeau and Parsons in Nashville West), were forging some country-rock directions on these recordings that anticipated the late-'60s work of the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers. Later Gene Parsons and Clarence White were members of the Byrds, Gib Guilbeau was a member of the later Flying Burrito Brothers.

1968 The Reasons (aka Nashville West) - Nashville West
Gene Parsons and Gib Guilbeau were hired for a recording session with the Gosdin Brothers' singing duo of Vern and Rex Gosdin. The session, being produced by Byrd Chris Hillman, included guitarist Clarence White, who had formerly played with the Kentucky Colonels. Parsons, Guilbeau and White then went on to play on sessions together. They became a band, joining with fellow session player, bassist-vocalist Wayne Moore, who played in the Castaways with Parsons and Guilbeau. The group was known by various names, including The Reasons, Gib Guilbeau and The Reasons, the Gary Paxton Band or Cajun Gib and Gene. Gene Parsons and Clarence White quit to be Byrds. The Nashville West moniker was taken from the name of the El Monte, California club where they sat as the house band. The album was reissued on CD by Sierra in 1997, and added four more tracks not included on the LP edition.

1970 Swampwater - Swampwater
Swampwater formed and started out as Linda Ronstadt’s backing group in 1969. In that time they featured Linda's first three solo albums. Eric White, Clarence’s brother was also in the band and prior to forming Swampwater had been in the excellent Kentucky Colonels. Swampwater made two distinct albums in the early 70’s. This album was different than many notable country rock acts of the time for adding cajun and swamprock elements. The album opens and closes with two certified country-rock classics, Louisiana Woman and Big Bayou. Guilbeau had recorded the classy Louisiana Woman with both Nashville West and on his 1970 album with Parsons, though the version heard on Swampwater is the best. Big Bayou is a hard rocking, white hot country song with pretty fiddle that has been covered by many popular artists including Rod Stewart. Other songs like the acoustic flavored Man From New Orleans are highlighted by beautiful harmonies and a tear in your beer ambience. Swampwater’s musicianship is high caliber and Guilbeau’s lyrics are always first-rate and thoughtful. Great songs like Kathleen, Desperation’s Back Again (an Everly Brothers homage) and River People are beautifully arranged and display superior craftsmanship. It’s really a wall of greatness, with each song just as good as the next. Swampwater mastered all the rural styles from cajun to folk-rock but just never received the breaks they so justly deserved. Their members were slugging it out in bars playing this sort of music years before anyone else had thought to do so. This album is a masterpiece and recommended to any true country fan.

1971 Swampwater - Swampwater
First, the album title is no error. These guys have two different albums with the same title!?
Their second album and another really good country-rock outing. This self-titled effort was released off RCA in 1971 and came packaged in a strange jacket. Swampwater’s lineup had remained the same since their debut.In comparison to that debut, there were a few more rock n roll tracks like the album opener Ooh-Wee California, the raw Dakota, and Ol’Papa Joe. These songs were good though, with well constructed guitar solos and strong bluegrass and cajun flavors. There were a few covers too but all were standouts like the excellent heartfelt version of One Note Man, a track with nice jangly Byrdish guitar solos and pretty fiddle, which gave the song real atmosphere. Guilbeau also resurrected Gentle Ways of Lovin’ Me, a track he had recorded on numerous occasions with many different bands. Swampwater turned in one of the best versions of this song which is highlighted by barrelhouse banjo and a delicate, sincere arrangement. Another great track, Headed For The Country, compared favorably with the country-rock era Byrds, and had beautiful, sad folk-like harmonies and fine guitar playing. All in all the album was strong, lacking any weak moments and showcased a great band that should have been at least as well known as Poco or Firefall.