THE FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS (Sneaky Pete - behind Gib), Gib Guilbeau Skip Battin, John Beland & John Mauceri

There are a couple of tapes in circulation from this Italian tour and the set lists for both shows are little changed from the 1978-79 performances although the old "Swampwater" song "Ooh - Wee California" which they had twice demoed for Elektra was now added to the sets - John Beland having played on the original 1971 version on RCA.

Following their return from Italy a change in the band's management with Martyn Smith taking over as the band's manager heralds the start of a completely new direction. Aided by the Criterion demos, Martyn Smith secures a major record deal with Curb Records who were affiliated with Columbia at that time.

THE BURRITO BROTHERS John Beland, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Gib Guilbeau & Skip Battin

In late summer of 1980, with Michael Lloyd as producer, recording commenced for the band's first Curb album but soon after recording started Mickey McGee left the band never to return with session drummer Ron Krasinski deputising.
As the sessions progressed Skip Battin became more disillusioned with the musical direction and his own contribution now reduced to a few harmony vocals threw in the towel returning to his base in Oregon to contemplate his next move.

In December 1980 Curb released a single coupling Gib & John's "She's A Friend Of A Friend" with a cover of the Don Gibson classic "Oh Lonesome Me" which gave everyone a great boost by reaching # 67 on the country singles chart.

The album "Hearts On The Line" appeared in January 1981 with the front cover photograph still including Skip along with Gib, John & Sneaky Pete and had obviously been taken before Skip's decision to leave.

Following on from the fruitful Criterion sessions one would have expected that the album be all Guilbeau / Beland songs but of the ten songs 4 were from outside sources, "Family Tree" by Frank Dycus & Max D. Barnes, "Isn't That Just Like Love" by Richard Leigh who also co - wrote "Does She Wish She Was Single Again" becoming the second single with the aforementioned Don Gibson song again the "B" side and charting even higher peaking at # 20.
The remaining 5 songs came from within the band with "She Belongs To Everyone But Me" (by Gib & John) and "Why Must The Ending Always Be So Sad" (by John) released as the third single giving them their highest ever chart position at # 16.
"That's When You Know It's Over", "Too Much Honky Tonkin'", "Damned If I'll Be Lonely Tonight", all from the pen of Gib & John with the help of Mickey McGee on the last song complete this strong album.

BURRITO BROTHERS - Hearts On The Line

- BURRITO BROTHERS: Hearts On The Line (COLUMBIA - CURB JZ 37004 (US) 1981) Produced by Michael Lloyd Band: Gib Guilbeau, John Beland, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Skip Battin Guests: Mickey McGee, Charlie Harwood, Elmo Peeler, Ron Krasinski, John Hobbs, David Wheatley Tom Hensely, Alan Estes, Mark Hudson, Dolly Parton & Kim Carnes Tracks: That's When You Know It's Over / She's A Friend Of A Friend / Isn't That Just Like Love / She Belongs To Everyone But Me Why Must The Ending Always Be So Sad / Family Tree / Damned If I'll Be Lonesome Tonight Does She Wish She Was Single Again / Too Much Honky Tonkin' / Oh Lonesome Me

THE BURRITO BROTHERS Gib Guilbeau, Sneaky Pete Kleinow & John Beland

Despite enjoying chart success with the singles album sales were disappointing and so they continued touring in support of the Curb album with only three "original" members and a succession of short term members.
It is possible that drummer Ron Krasinki & bassist Dennis Belfield were employed during this period because when the band entered the studios to record the next Curb album they participated in the sessions.

THE BURRITO BROTHERS Mark Vidito, Charlie Harwood, Gib Guilbeau John Beland, Mickey McGee & Sneaky Pete

Following the loss of Sneaky Pete on completion of the recording sessions for the second Curb LP, Gib & John take the decision to operate as a duo and use a "hired" band for live shows, a policy that would continue for the rest of their career as a duo.

THE BURRITO BROTHERS Charlie Harwood, Gib Guilbeau, Mark Vidito Sneaky Pete, John Beland & Ted Zambetti

A live tape recorded in Washington in late September reveals a set list taken from the entire history of the band stretching back to the Gram Parsons era but also featuring the newer "duo" material.

THE BURRITO BROTHERS Skip Edwards, Richard Bowden, Gib Guilbeau Ted Zambetti (on drums), John Beland & Mark Vidito

The year ends on a couple of high spots with "Billboard" & "Record World" magazines presenting the band the best "Crossover group" & "Best New Vocal Group" awards.

December sees the release of the first single from the upcoming second album with the "A" side being "If Something Should Come Between Us" coupled with "Damned If I'll Be Lonely Tonight" from the first album, the single soon follows it's predecessors into the country charts reaching # 27.

The second album for Curb "Sunset Sundown", soon followed in January 1982 again produced by Michael Lloyd and follows the formula of the first album with mainly Guilbeau / Beland compositions and three outside songs, "I'm Drinking Canada Dry", "What's One More Time" & "Save The Wild Life" coming from Nashville based songwriters. The remaining songs including the single are all written by Gib & John all with a nod back to the Criterion period with "Louisiana", "Closer To You", "Run To The Night", "How'd We Ever Get This Way", "Coast To Coast" & "When You're Giving Yourself To A Stranger", all of which would appear 8 years later in demo form on the Hollywood Nights release.

BURRITO BROTHERS - Sunset Sundown

- BURRITO BROTHERS: Sunset Sundown (COLUMBIA - CURB FZ 37705 (US) 1982) Produced by Michael Lloyd Band: Gib Guilbeau, John Beland Guests: Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Ron Krasinski, Dennis Belfield, John Hobbs, Larry McNeely, Tom Scott Alan Estes, Billy Thomas, Lynn Nilles & Chad Stuart Tracks: If Something Should Come Between Us / Louisiana / I'm Drinking Canada Dry / When You're Giving Yourself To A Stranger What's One More Time / Run To The Night / How'd We Ever Get This Way / Coast To Coast / Closer to You / Save the Wild Life

On December 12 1981 the band appeared on Tom T. Hall's "Pop Goes Country" TV show perforrming "If Something Should Come Beween Us" which has subsequently been released on DVD.

THE BURRITO BROTHERS John Beland & Gib Guilbeau

A couple more shows were recorded in 1982 for radio transcription releases for distribution to radio stations. The first at the Sundown Club in Manhattan with Jerry Reed joining the band for a couple of songs was recorded for the "Silver Eagle Cross Country Music Show&uqot; and a second show again in New York from the Lone Star Cafe for "The Country Sessions" series but no actual recording dates are available. Like the Gilley's show above all circulate on vinyl and copies do appear on the collectors market occasionally.

The second single from "Sunset Sundown" came out in April with "Closer To You" backed with "Coast To Coast" to reach # 40 on the single chart. A third one was released in July "I'm Drinking Canada Dry" b/w "How'd We Ever Get This Way" this one peaking at # 39.

The band were now well into the classic routine - tour, record, tour etc. and the time soon came around to record the next album, and with Gib & John now based in Nashville the production duties passed to John Thompson & Randy Scruggs. The change of producers signalled a different approach to recording with Gib & John having less input and the use of established Nashville studio musicians.

However problems lay ahead because after the release of the initial single from the album with the song "Blue & Broken Hearted Me" b/w "Our Roots are Country Music" and with Gib & John performing the single's "A" side on the "He Haw" TV show the record charted to a highest position # 48.

EARL & THE BURRITO BROTHERS

No reason has ever been given for the non appearance of the album but problems between Curb & Columbia records seem the most likely.
Promotional "white label" pressings of the album do exist and there is no doubt that this is certainly the strongest album made Gib & John and hopefully, sometime in the future, it will officially see the light of day.
Most of the songs were written by Guilbeau & Beland except "My Abandoned Heart" a song left unfinished by Lefty Frizzell and completed by Gib & John, "Blue & Broken Hearted Me" by Cannon & Squires and "Louisiana Lonely" written by Donbald L. Earl and Scott Phelps.

BURRITO BROTHERS - Taste Of The Country - Unreleased!!!

- BURRITO BROTHERS: Taste Of The Country (COLUMBIA - CURB FZ 38283 (US) UNRELEASED 1983) The release of the duo's third album scheduled for early 1983 was cancelled but white label promo copies do exist. Several tracks have been commercially released. Produced by Randy Scruggs & John Thompson Band: Gib Guilbeau, John Beland Guests: Earl Scruggs, Charlie McCoy ... Tracks: Our Roots Are Country Music / Louisiana Lonely / You Made A Grown Man Cry Tonight / Blue & Broken Hearted Me Mountain Rose / Cheatin' Kind Of Love You're All There Is / My Abandoned Heart / There Is A Comfort / A Taste Of The Country

Much later in 2001 Gib Guilbeau released a retrospective solo album titled "Classic Guilbeau 1968 - 86" on Beau Town Records which contained three songs from this Curb album, "Blue & Broken Hearted Me", "My Abandoned Heart" & "You Made A Grown Man Cry". A further unreleased song "She's Got A Honky Tonk Heart", a duet with Mel Tillis was almost certainly recorded at the sessions for this album.

Around the same time as recording this album, John Thompson & Randy Scruggs were producing an album for Randy's father, Earl Scruggs, titled "Top Of The World" where a number of country stars including Ricky Skaggs & Rodney Dillard each sang a couple of songs. Gib & John were invited to contribute a couple of songs "Could You Love Me One More Time" & "Lay Me Down In Dixie" and are credited on the record sleeve as The Burrito Brothers. In return, Earl Scuggs played banjo on at least one song on the unreleased album.

	EARL SCRUGGS - Top Of The World
	- EARL SCRUGGS: Top Of The World (COLUMBIA 25097 (US) 1983) Contains 2 tracks sung by the Burrito Brothers (Guilbeau & Beland). Produced by Randy Scruggs & John Thompson Band: Earl Scruggs, Gib Guilbeau, John Beland (The Burrito Brothers) Earls Scruggs and Burrito Brothers tracks: Could You Love Me One More Time / Lay Me Down In Dixie

THE BURRITO BROTHERS at the Grand Ol' Opry Gib Guilbeau & John Beland

Since Gib & John started performing as the Burrito Brothers they always included a tribute to their country music hero, Lefty Frizzell, with a short segment of Lefty's songs such as "If You've Got the Money".
Lefty's widow Alice gave an unfinished song "My Abandoned Heart" to Gib & John along with her permission to complete it which they did and demoed it at Criterion subsequently released on the "Hollywood Nights" album. An alternate version recorded for the unreleased album remains unreleased.
They had long campaigned for Lefty to be inducted into the "Country Music Hall Of Fame" and their proudest moment came at the CMA Awards Show in September when Lefty was deservedly inducted.

But from a musical standpoint 1983 proved to be a major disappointment for Gib & John not being able to consolidate on the previous two years effort when the album release was cancelled.

The only music available on record this year was another live show in the Westwood One "Live From Gilley's" series and obviously this record was not available commercially.

But there was a light at the end of the tunnel when Curb Records terminated their connections with Columbia and signed a new distribution deal with MCA. The Burrito Brothers remained under the new set up and soon returned to the recording studios cutting a single with Brent Maher as producer.

The single released in January 1984 on MCA - Curb coupled John Fogerty's "Almost Saturday Night" with the duo's "Jukebox Kind Of Night" and reached # 49 on the charts.

Reunited with producer Michael Lloyd, they record three songs for an upcoming movie "Dream Chasers" of which, "My Kind Of Lady" b/w "Dream Chaser", were released as a single despite John Beland describing it as their worst ever release, still reached # 53 on the singles chart. The third song "They'll Never Take My Dreams From Me" has never been released but can be heard over the end credits for the film. These two singles proved to be the only releases during this brief association with MCA.

THE BURRITO BROTHERS Gib Guilbeau & John Beland

Promotion for the Paradise album had already started prior to the Paradise bankruptcy with The Burrito Brothers headlining a show in the popular "TNN" TV series "New Country" when Gib and John played a seven song set including five of the recently recorded songs . In addition to using the show's excellent "house" band Gib's son Ronnie Guilbeau joined the duo on guitar and vocals. During this show John introduced one song "A New Shade Of Blue" as the title track of the album.

In 1995, John Beland dusted off the tapes after languishing in the vaults for ten years and produced a thirteen track album for the UK label Sundown under the title "Double Barrel" with the songs all written by Guilbeau or Beland either solely, together and in Gib's case three co - written with Max D. Barnes.

BURRITO BROTHERS - Double Barrel

- BURRITO BROTHERS: Double Barrel (PARADISE PRL 004 (US) UNRELEASED 1984 / SUNDOWN CDSD 079 (UK) 1995 MAGIMID MM 77 (UK MID PRICE REISSUE) 2001) Paradise went bankrupt just before the release of this album although it did eventually surface in 1995 on the UK Sundown label. Produced by John Beland & Gib Guilbeau Band: Gib Guilbeau, John Beland Guests: David Hungate, James Hooker, Roger Hawkins, Ferrill Morris, Larry Sasser & The Jordanaires Tracks: She's Single Again / A New Shade Of Blue / Price Of Love / Ain't Love Just Like The Rain / One More Time / Sailor / No Easy Way Out Tonight / Hearts In My Eyes / Ain't Worth The Powder / Late In The Night / I'm Confessing / Let Your Heart Do the Talking

THE BURRITO BROTHERS John Beland, Gib & Ronnie Guilbeau

Five of the songs from Double Barrel were included on the Gib Guilbeau retrospective issued in January 2001 - see below.

In May 2001 Atlantic - Curb records released a budget priced 10 track CD "The Best Of The Burrito Brothers" containing previously released tracks from the Curb period most of which were on the CD format for the first time.

So the "Burrito Brothers" bow out of the story but like the Phoenix only to rise again.

Gib returns to California and settles in Palmdale taking life a little easier but continuing to write songs and occasionally performing sometimes with son Ronnie. John remained in Nashville working for the likes of Bobby Bare & The Bellamy Brothers.

During the latter years of the Gib & John duo from early 1983 until 1984 they used a Sherman Tx. based band called Wild Red Horse (later Red Horse) as their backing musicians, the band comprised of:

It's All Whiskey To Me / Waitin' On A Southern Train (Red Horse RHP 51084)

Soon after in late 1983 David, Danny & Bennie decided to cut the band to a four piece and brought in Greg Layman on drums with Tracy & Jimmie leaving the band. In 1984 the new line up returned to the studio and completed the album titled "Borderline" which was released on the AMI label. Further personnel changes included Charlie Jones on guitar & Jeff Williams on drums.

Later in 1986 Jimmie Grokett recorded a solo album titled "Country Lady" again with John Beland as producer which was planned to be released on the custom label of AMI / Tamara.
The title song was being readied for a release as a single and did receive a "Recommended" rating in Billboard in the November 26th 1986 issue, unfortunately the single was never released nationally although it did receive some airplay in Texas and Oklahoma. The album also remained in the vaults although a couple of the songs are posted on Jimmie's myspace website.

Here are the full details of the "Country Lady" album:

"Country Lady"