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Lifelong pals and longtime musical collaborators Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen are in the process of continuing the type of music they both grew up playing and singing. Friends since the age of 18 and former bandmates in The Desert Rose Band, the two recorded their first album together as a duo in 1995, followed by an album with bluegrass legends Larry and Tony Rice and another Hillman-Pedersen album in 2002.
"Herb is like a brother to me," comments Hillman, a former member of the Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers. "I’ve known him so long, and he knows me enough that if one of us begins a line, the other one will know exactly how it ends. It is truly like having a brother in the studio, and it really enhances the music and makes the singing experience so enjoyable."
Chris Hillman is a folkie who wound up in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. He is a journeyman sideman who wound up singing lead on 10 top-10 country smash hits. He is a bluegrass mandolin picker who detoured to three Gold Records in rock bands. He is a self-taught composer who wound up co-writing some of the cornerstone songs of the country-rock repertoire.
In the beginning, he was just another curly-headed, guitar-playing kid from Southern California. But his life in music has taken him through several of the major movements that have defined modern American pop -- folk-rock, hippie psychedelia, country-rock, jazz fusion, contemporary country and modern bluegrass. Arguably the pioneer of the genre known as "Country Rock", he is a living history of popular music.
Herb began his career in Berkeley, California in the early 60's playing 5 string banjo and acoustic guitar with people like David Grisman, Butch Waller, David Nelson, and Jerry Garcia. Herb has done well in adding his talents to the recordings of many folk and country music artists of today.
For the last 30 years, Herb has lived in southern California, and participated in select music groups, either in recording, or traveling on the road doing concerts. His own groups, like The Desert Rose Band, and The Laurel Canyon Ramblers, show why Herb is so respected in the industry.
From Carnegie Hall to the Ryman auditorium, Herb's been on the scene enjoying every minute of it. He hopes you do, too.
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