Country Rock

From the early days, rock 'n' roll and country were always first cousins — but it was not until the late '60s and into the early '70s that the rockin' rebels truly stormed the country stronghold. The Band ("Up on Cripple Creek"), the Byrds ("One Hundred Years from Now"), Bob Dylan ("Lay Lady Lay"), and Gram Parsons ("Brass Buttons") led the charge. The movement unfolds, and splinters, in Next Steps.

Several bluegrass outfits started to go electric in the mid-'60s, and thereby pioneered a brand of Southern California country rock that would be championed and perfected by the likes of the Flying Burrito Brothers ("Older Guys") whose heritage, in turn, can be traced back through the stellar work of Gram Parsons with both the International Submarine Band and the Byrds. Complete the full country rock picture in Deep Cuts.

The family tree of classic country rock has several key players at its roots. Along with Gram Parsons, there was Gene Clark, who pushed innovations through The Byrds and Dillard & Clark as well as his solo material; Poco ("Picking up the Pieces") rested on Richie Furay and Jim Messina, formerly of Buffalo Springfield; and the New Riders of the Purple Sage ("Glendale Train"), with Jerry Garcia on pedal steel guitar, was joined at the hip to the Grateful Dead.

Country rock is one of the most appealing hybrids in all of popular music. If the harmonies and bourbon-smooth acoustic chords were borrowed from country's deep well of tradition, then the irreverent delivery and electric energy belonged to the ethos of the late-'60s cultural revolutionaries. These Country Rock Essentials chart a fascinating course through the roots melodies of Dylan's The Basement Tapes and Nashville Skyline, the country dabblings of the Band, and the mainstream tunes of Kris Kristofferson and Linda Rondstadt. Gram Parsons died in '73, but the country rock flame he fuelled is eternal.