GREG HARRIS (Part 3)

Gene Humphrey and Dale Davis impressed by Greg's guitar playing on the Sneaky Pete Kleinow solo album for Shiloh records offered him a solo record deal for Shiloh Records.

Gene Humphrey remembers:

Greg's first solo album "Acoustic" was released 1979 with David Vaught, Chet McCracken, Doug Atwell, Peter Washer and Larry McNeely.

	GREG HARRIS: Acoustic
	- GREG HARRIS: Acoustic (Shiloh SLP 4090) Produced by Greg Harris with Greg Harris, David Vaught, Chet McCracken, Doug Atwell Peter Washer & Larry McNeely. Side A: Fingernail moon/Norwegian wood/New banjo/Devil's dream/ San Antonio rose - Salt creek Side B: Minor swing/All I can do/Dixie breakdown/Feb. 24th/Away in a major

Note: 1988 Shiloh Records released a CD with the title "The Best Of Shiloh And More, Vol. 1" with 3 Greg Harris songs from his "Acoustic" album, songs from the "Sneaky Pete" album with Greg, "Live In Tokyo" with Greg and songs from Gib Guilbeau, Gram Parsons and the Burritos on tour 1976.

THE BEST OF SHILOH AND MORE

- THE BEST OF SHILOH AND MORE, Vol. 1: Various artists (Shiloh SCD 4093) from "Greg Harris: Acoustic": Norwegian wood/New banjo/Devils dream from "The Flying Burrito Brothers: Live In Tokyo": Rollin' my sweet babies arms/White line fever from "Sneaky Pete Kleinow: Sneaky Pete": Love of the common people/Cannonball rag/Trains in the station from "International Submarine Band": Blue eyes/Luxury liner from "Gib Guilbeau: Toe tappin' music": Toe tappin' music/Home of the blues/Lodi from "The Flying Burrito Brothers: From Another Time": Wheels/Christine's tune/Sin city

The Flying Burrito Brothers with Mickey McGee rejoining in June 1979 continued touring but in July Sneaky Pete's other commitments as a film animator left the band as a four piece (Harris, Guilbeau, Battin, McGee) who completed a short tour of Texas in July & August.

In the late summer of 1979 Greg recorded two songs which were eventually released on the CD re-release 1994 of his second solo album "Electric".
Those songs were "Who's gonna love you" a song Greg wrote with Gib Guilbeau and "It hurts to be in love" which Greg wrote with John Durrell.

By the fall of 1979 Greg was also playing guitar with "Byron Berline and Sundance". The band included John Hickman on banjo, Bruce Johnston on fiddle, George Hickman on bass, Dennis Fetchitt and Byron Berline on fiddle, Mark Cohen on drums, Greg Harris on guitar and Skip Conover on dobro.

BYRON BERLINE & SUNDANCE Hickman - Johnston - Fetchitt - Berline - Greg Harris - Conover

In December 1979 Hoyt Axton and The Flying Burrito Brothers played in the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium at a benefit-concert for the "Chumash Indians" which really marked the end of Greg's first tenure with the Flying Burrito Brothers.
Gib Guilbeau and the remaining members persuaded his ex-colleague from Swampwater John Beland to join and taking a different and more commercial musical direction.

At the same time were plans for an all-star-tour with Greg Harris, Gene Parsons, Byron Berline and Eric White, but this tour didn't happen.

Greg had a chance to join Emmylou Harris' "Hot Band" after Ricky Skaggs left, but it also didn't happen.

Greg Harris remembers:

In early 1980 to promote his "Acoustic" album Greg along with David Vaught on bass, Doug Atwell on Fiddle & Chet McCracken on drums played a number of shows as "Greg Harris & Friends".

Later in the year Greg & David along with new drummer Jim Goodall joined West Coast based country pop singer/songwriter Becky Hobbs and began touring as Hobbs & Harris . In July '81 Becky and Greg toured the United States military bases in West Germany backed by two English musicians.
Greg also did solo shows with his band now known as "The Bandini Brothers" (David Vaught and Jim Goodall) and from time to time Skip Edwards, Al Perkins, Sneaky Pete Kleinow and Jay Dee Maness played steel guitar in the band.

1981 Appaloosa Records released Skip Battin's second solo album "Navigator" which has Greg Harris playing electric guitar on "Willow in the wind".

SKIP BATTIN: Navigator
- SKIP BATTIN: Navigator (Appaloosa AP 014) Produced by Skip Battin & Brian Elliott with Skip Battin, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Greg Harris, David Hines, Brian Elliott, Jack Bruno Gail Kantor, Nadra Thomas & Bryan Poland. Side A: Skyscrapper sunset/Willow in the wind/China moon/Here comes love/Lonely weekends Side B: Captain video/Zig zag/North by northwest/American east/Citizen Kane

In spring 1981 Greg cut his second solo album with the Bandini Brothers and guest Byron Berline "Electric". This album recorded with Jim Goodall, David Vaught, Skip Edwards, Doug Atwell, Chet McCracken and others was released by the Italian Appaloosa label 1982. Greg recorded songs by Randy Newman, Hank Williams, Ralph Stanley, the Louvin Brothers, Michael Smotherman and self-written songs.

	GREG HARRIS: Electric
	- GREG HARRIS: Electric (Appaloosa AP 024) Produced by Greg Harris & David Vaught with Greg Harris, David Vaught, Jim Goodall, SkipEdwards, Byron Berline Chet McCracken, Peter Wasner, Doug Atwell & Lon Price. Side A: Roll on brother/Jambalaya/Ease on by you/How mountain girls can love/Drivin' Wheel Side B: Cash on the barrelhead/Don't you worry/Rider in the rain/Somethin' for free/Makin' it right

Note: The "Electric" CD re-release 1994 by the Appaloosa label has four bonus tracks. 2 unreleased songs Greg recorded in 1979 (see above) and two songs from his first solo album "Acoustic".

A few months after the recordings for the "Electric" album Greg recorded two songs for an unreleased single project "Lover's leap" and "Livin' on love" both songs written by Greg Harris.

Greg remembers:

To promote his "Electric" album he toured Italy during the summer of 1982 and was backed by local singer/songwriter/multi instrumentalist Ricky Mantoan and his fellow Italian musicians Vincenzo Rei Rosa and Walter Tomaino. A tape from the tour circulates which shows the set list to include in addition to tracks from "Electric" a mixture of Burrito, Byrds & traditional bluegrass and country songs.

Note: At this Italy tour 1982 Greg sings a song with the title "1982". When Skip Battin toured Italy in 1983 he sings the same song and introduces the songs as being written by Greg Harris.

At the end of the Italy tour Greg returned to USA to play with Skip Battin, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Ed Ponder and John Serena on bass at the "HUI-Festival" in Eugene/Oregon as "Skip Battin & Friends". Other performers were Dan Hicks, Hoyt Axton, Maria Muldaur, Taj Mahal, Mason Williams & Byron Berline.

Greg Harris

1983 Greg signed with the Oak label and recorded one single "Blue eyes" and "Come a little closer" which was produced by Greg Harris and David Vaught. Jim Goodall played drums, Skip Edwards steel guitar and keyboards and Doug Atwell fiddle. This single was released 1984:

Greg remembers:

1983 "Battin, Kleinow & Friends" played in various combinations in USA. Members were Skip Battin, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Greg Harris, Gene Parsons and Ed Ponder.

1984 Appaloosa Records released Skip Battin's third solo album "Don't go crazy" again with Greg Harris (playing fiddle and banjo), Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Jim Goodall and others.

SKIP BATTIN: Don't go crazy
- SKIP BATTIN: Don't go cracy (Appaloosa AP 034) Produced by Skip Battin with Skip Battin, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Greg Harris, Irv Kramer, Ben Benay Jim Goodall & Danny O'Brien. Side A: Santa Ana wind/Wintergreen/Don't go down the drain/Do not disturb/Relax with me Side B: Non E Francesca/La gatta/Speranza/Fango/Tonight

1984 Greg had plans to record an album produced by Emmylou Harris' husband Brian Ahern with Emmylou and the Everly Brothers as guests. However the album was aborted because Brian and Emmylou marriage broke up and only two songs were recorded at Brian's "Magnolia Studios", "Lights on" and a song written by Michael Smith "Tomb of the unknown love". Those songs were produced by Greg Harris, Brian Ahern and Greg Humphrey.