 Alan Munde / Byron Berline / Roger Bush / Kenny Wertz |
Alan Munde / Byron Berline / Roger Bush / Kenny Wertz |
 Byron |
 Byron / Roger / Kenny |
This first album "A traitor in our midst" set the style for all their later records and performances, containing a mixture of traditional and original bluegrass instrumentals together with songs that would not usually be given a completely acoustic treatment. It was cut at the old World Pacific studios at 8713 West-3rd. Street LA, California.
The Gazette line-up was Byron Berline, Roger Bush, Alan Munde and Kenny Wertz. Guests were Herb Pedersen, Skip Conover and Chris Smith.
A lot of songs on that album came from the time before Country Gazette was formed. With "Keep on pushing" and "Tried so hard" two Gene Clark compositions they played often with "Dillard and Clark", the song "Aggravation" is from the "Dillard and the Expedition" time written by Doug Dillard, Byron Berline and Roger Bush. "I might take you back again" and "If you're ever gonna love me" from "The Kentucky Colonels" shows.
Alan Munde points out: "We at first were going to have Clarence White overdub lead guitar but Jim Dickson felt that it was not needed and Clarence felt the same way"
| COUNTRY GAZETTE: A Traitor In Our Midst |  |
|---|---|
|
- COUNTRY GAZETTE: A traitor in our midst (United Artists UAS 596) Produced by Jim Dickson with Byron Berline, Alan Munde, Roger Bush & Kenny Wertz guests: Herb Pedersen, Skip Conover & Chris Smith
Side A: Lost Indian/Keep on pushin'/I wish you knew/Hot Burrito breakdown/I might take you back again/Forget me not |
A few singles from that album were released:
 |
COUNTRY GAZETTE: Singles |  |
|---|---|---|
|
- COUNTRY GAZETTE: Keep on pushin'/Hot Burrito breakdown (50982) with Byron Berline, Alan Munde, Roger Bush & Kenny Wertz
- COUNTRY GAZETTE: Swing low sweet chariot/I wish I knew
- COUNTRY GAZETTE: Sound of goodbye/ ? |
Note: Two unreleased songs from the sessions were released 2010 on the Sierra Records release: Silver Meteor.
These tracks are "All his children" and "The great filling station holdup"!
Shortly after the release Kenny Wertz told the band he want to quit. Country Gazette had released that first album and were at the begining of a big tour - the band could change Kenny's mind.
On that tour around the States the band showed what they can. Byron Berline on fiddle and mandolin, Kenny Wertz played beside the guitar also from time to time banjo, Roger Bush on bass, sometimes the banjo and he did all the talking for the audience and Alan Munde on banjo and also guitar. They had a wide repertoir and played also rock and pop songs but ever with their acoustic instruments.
 Munde / Berline / Bush / Wertz |
 Munde / Berline / Bush / Wertz |
1972 sessions were done at Byron Berline's house. Musicians were the Country Gazette members Byron Berline, Roger Bush and Alan Munde together with Roland White (who became a Gazette member 1974), Clarence White (who played as a guest on the second Gazette album "Don't give up your day job"), Skip Conover (who played a lot of sessions with the Gazette), John Hickman, Vern Gosdin and Don Parmley both singing a few songs.
 Poster 1974 |
 Hot Burrito Revue '73 |
1972 CBS/FOX released a movie with the title "Welcome home, soldier boys" (CBS/FOX1287) aka "Five days home". "Country Gazette" performed a few songs in that movie. One song is "Farther along".
In February 1973 The Gazette was off to the Netherlands again with The Flying Burrito Brothers/Hot Burrito Revue. But now again with Sneaky Pete Kleinow. Those shows were the last in this line-up: Byron Berline, Alan Munde, Kenny Wertz, Roger Bush, Rick Roberts, Eric Dalton and of course original member Sneaky Pete Kleinow. He played the steel guitar and not Don Beck like the year before. The shows were extremely successful - they played around 12 shows in Holland.
One of the Country Gazette gigs took place on Friday February 16 1973, at "Het Turfschip" in Breda. The line-up of Country Gazette was: Byron Berline (fiddle, mandolin, guitar, vocals), Alan Munde (banjo), Roger Bush (bass, banjo, vocals), Kenny Wertz (guitar, banjo, vocals). This show was live broadcasted on Dutch radio.
Also during the same tour Country Gazette appeared on Television in a show called: "Een van de acht" (One of the eight). This was a popular saturday night amusement show, hosted by Mies Bouwman. During one of these shows, they played two songs to promote their single "Keep On Pushing" and "Hot Burrito Breakdown".
 |
back: |
Country Gazette went into the studio to record their second album "Don't give up your day job" produced again by Jim Dickson, which was released 1973 after they'd toured Europe and U.K. in September, October and November 1973. Line-up again Berline, Bush, Wertz and Munde with a lot of guests: Herb Pedersen, Clarence White (on 5 songs), Leland Sklar and ex-Flying Burrito Brother Al Perkins.
They recorded songs from various musical genres. Stephen Stills "The fallen eagle", Graham Nash's "Teach your children", Lester Flatt's and Earl Scruggs' "Down the road",
Elton John's "Honky cat", Don McLeans "Winterwood", a Herb Pedersen composition and own songs.
 Original cover (UA) |
COUNTRY GAZETTE: Don 't give up your day job |  Sunset cover |
|---|---|---|
|
- COUNTRY GAZETTE: Don't give up your day job (United Artists UA-LA090-F) Produced by Jim Dickson with Byron Berline, Alan Munde, Roger Bush & Kenny Wertz guests: Clarence White, Herb Pedersen, Leland Sklar & Al Perkins
Side A: Huckleberry Hornpipe/The fallen eagle/I don't believe you met my baby/Deputy Dalton/Teach your children/My Oklahoma |
Note: This album was released in Holland on Sunset Records (5022) with a different cover. Picture almost like FBB "Blue-Grass Special" cover.
A few singles were released from that album:
 Honky Cat single |
COUNTRY GAZETTE: Singles |  Japanese single |
|---|---|---|
|
- COUNTRY GAZETTE: Honky Cat/My Oklahoma (XW 390) with Byron Berline, Alan Munde, Roger Bush & Kenny Wertz guests: Herb Pedersen, Clarence White, Leland Sklar
- COUNTRY GAZETTE: My Oklahoma/Down the road (XW 354)
- COUNTRY GAZETTE: Teach your children/Huckleberry hornpipe (XW 227)
- COUNTRY GAZETTE: Honky cat/Down the road (Toshiba EMI/LLR-10482 - Japan release) |
United Artists Records released a 14 track compilation album 1979 under the title "From the beginning" of the first two albums ("A traitor in our midst" & "Don't give up your day job"). This album was also released on Sunset Records (SLS 50414) in Italy and UK:
| COUNTRY GAZETTE: From the beginning |  |
|---|---|
|
- COUNTRY GAZETTE: From the beginning (United Artists ORL-8234) Produced by Jim Dickson with Byron Berline, Alan Munde, Roger Bush & Kenny Wertz and guests from the first two albums
Side A: Keep on pushin'/Sounds of goodbye/Huckleberry Hornpipe/My Oklahoma/Hot Burrito breakdown/Aggravation/The fallen eagle |
On April 4th 1973 Clarence White was at Bob Baxter's "Guitar Workshop" TV-show. Guests with Clarence White was his brother Roland and the Gazette members Byron Berline and Alan Munde. Sierra Records released a video of that performance 1998.
Again some sessions were done around April 1973 at Byron Berline's house. Byron Berline, Roger Bush, Herb Pedersen, Roland & Clarence White taped songs like:
When Clarence White started to record his first solo album the Gazette members Byron Berline and Roger Bush, early days Gazette member Herb Pedersen, Clarence's brother Roland White (future member of Country Gazette) helped him recording a few songs. Additional musicians were Leland Sklar, Ed Green and Ry Cooder. Produced were those recordings by Jim Dickson. They recorded "Never ending love", "Last thing on my mind", "Alabama jubilee" and "Why you been gone so long". Those songs were recorded June 28-29 1973 - 16 days later Clarence died when he was hit by a car after a gig in Palmdale (July 15, 1973). Those songs were released by Sierra Records on the album "Silver Meteor".
Note: Two more songs were recorded for Clarence's solo album "Waterbed" and "Lucky me". Those songs are still unreleased!
1973 Skip Battin recorded his second solo album "Topanga Skyline" for Atlantic records which was released 2009 by Sierra Records.
Musicians on that album were Byron Berline, Roger Bush and Alan Munde from Country Gazette, Herb Pedersen, Roland White (future Gazette member), Al Perkins, Chris Ethridge (ex-Flying Burrito Brothers) Mike Botts and Bob Beeman, produced by Al Hersh.
Sierra Records released that album 2009!
| Skip Battin: Topanga Sykline |  |
|---|---|
|
- SKIP BATTIN: Topanga Skyline (Atlantic Records - unreleased / released by Sierra Records 6031) Produced by Al Hersh with Skip Battin, Al Perkins, Roger Bush, Byron Berline, Alan Munde, Roland White Mike Botts, Chris Ethridge, Herb Pedersen & Bob Beeman
Recorded tracks: Salty dog blues/Bolts of blue/Stoned sober/Relax with me/Relax with me (second version) |
 The New Kentucky Colonels |
 Roland, Eric & Clarence |
But before that tour started the Kentucky Colonels (Clarence, Roland and Eric White and Herb Pedersen) did a few shows in Europe. Herb Pedersen had to leave in Holland right before group headed for Sweden and Alan Munde replaced him on the banjo.
One Swedish show was released as The White Brothers (The New Kentucky Colonels): "Live in Sweden" on Rounder Records (0073) with Alan Munde on the banjo. This album was released fall 1976.
| The White Brothers: Live in Sweden, 1973 |  |
|---|---|
|
- The White Brothers: Live in Sweden, 1973 (Rounder Records 0073) with Clarence, Roland & Eric White, Alan Munde
Side A: Tell me baby why you been gone so long/Banjo boy chimes/Last thing on my mind/Sally Goodin/Take a whiff on me/Rawhide/If you're ever gonna love me |
In the liner-notes to the "Live in Sweden" album is written about Alan Munde:
 "Country Store" |
 "Bluegrass Gospel" |
Another interesting release with "Country Gazette" members is an album by LeRoy (Mack) McNees (former "Kentucky Colonels" dobro player) and brothers Steve & Dave Hatfield "Bluegrass Gospel According To Steve, LeRoy & Brother Dave" released on Manna Records (MS-2023) 1974. Guests on that album are Gazette members Byron Berline and Roger Bush, Roland White (future Gazette member), Al Perkins (played in the Flying Burrito Brothers 1971 line-up with Gazette members Kenny Wertz, Byron Berline and Roger Bush), John Hickman, Tom Keene & John Parker.
Note: Another album was released 1976 as "Steve, LeRoy and Brother Dave" (SLBD-001) including Berline, Bush, Roland White, Al Perkins & John Hickman.The album "Steve and LeRoy sings: Life's Railroad To Heaven" released on Crown Sound (CS-004) was recorded with Roger Bush.
Here are some pics from 1973 when "Country Gazette" performed in York/PA and shared the stage with other artitst like Doug Dillard, John McEuen (of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), Bill Keith, Jim Rooney etc ... .
 Jim Rooney/Bill Keith/Alan Munde/unknown/Doug Dillard/unknown |
 Byron & Alan on the mandolin |
 Byron & Doug Dillard |
 Sam Bush & Byron |
 Bill Keith & Alan & Doug |