GIB GUILBEAU (Part 6)

But this album, recorded in Memphis in September 1987 was never finished. They recorded only a few songs (6 and a half). Musicians on the album were: Gib, Sneaky, Ronnie Guilbeau and Ray Tapia (Ray sang the high harmony parts). Local Memphis musicians who performed on the album include Don Singleton on guitar, Bobby Turner on bass, Daniel Jones on drums and vocals and Fairlight programmer Mark Blumberg. Producers were Daniel Jones of Star Stage, Inc. and Gib Guilbeau. Larry McKeehan was associate producer.
Of the six songs only "Moonlight rider" has ever been released on the BURRITO BROTHERS "Back to the sweethearts of the rodeo" album which was recorded in Sheffield/Alabama in 1986/87 and the song "We shall rise above it" was recorded by "The Brothers" (Gib, Wayne, Darrell and Ernie) 2001 and released on their "Children of the fifties" CD.

First things first - what happened last month at Memphis Sound Productions studio was the beginning of a re-formation, not a reunion. Two members of the old Flying Burrito Brothers got back together on Beale Street not for any one-shot nostalgia deal, but to get the seminal country/rock band off the ground again.
That being said, why did they come to Memphis to do it, since one lives in Nashville and the other in southern California? Part of the reason, explains Gib Guilbeau, the Nashville Brother, is that the band has never quite fit any conventional molds.
"Mainly, we didn't want to be a typical Nashville country act, because we're not typical, never have been," he says. "Nothing against the productions of producers out of Nashville, but we want a fresh sound."
Coincidence also had a hand in the band's summons to Memphis. Local attorney Steve Weaver represents the Burrito Brothers' manager, Doc Field, so when Weaver found out the band was starting over, he placed a call to Memphis' Star Stage, Inc., another client. A deal was struck linking up Star Stage and the band.
Next, Star Stage president Larry McKeehan got together with Memphis Sound Productions' Tim Goodwin and John Fleskes, and the two companies decided to embark on a joint venture to record and prmote the re-formed Flying Burrito Brothers. The end result is that Guilbeau, fellow Burrito Brother Sneaky Pete Kleinow and a handful of other musicians spent a week in Memphis Sound Productions early last month and cut six sides for Star Stage to shop to labels. The new songs, co-produced by Guilbeau and Star Stage's Danny Jones, with assictance from Kleinow, are "not a hell of a lot different than what we sounded like in 1969." according to Guilbeau.
"We're still doing Flying Burrito Brothers-type material, but the recording technology is a lot better."
Kleinow says the best way to describe the hand's sound is "fresh".
"But it's still got that Flying Burrito Brothers sound", he says.

FBB "Memphis Sessions"

The Flying Burrito Brothers began in the late 1960s as a drummerless quartet consisting of Chris Hillman, Gram Parsons, Chris Ethridge and Kleinow on pedal steel. Later drummer Michael Clarke was added, the first in a long line of personnel changes. The game of musical chairs was only fitting for a group that sprang from the Byrds, another group famous for it's changing line-up.
The 1987 version of the band hasn't been finalized, according to Guilbeau. "Right now it's just Pete and me," he says. "We have some people in mind (whom he declines to name), but it's tough to get five people into the studio at the same time for a week".
Joining the two in the Beale Street studio for the sessions were Guilbeau's son Ronnie of Nashville and Ray Tapia of southern California. Memphis musicians in the studio included Don Singleton on guitar, bassist Robby Turner, Danny Jones on drums and vocals and Mark Blumberg handling the Fairlight. Jones also co-engineered, along with Fleskes and Dan Pfeifer of Memphis Sound Productions. The sessions went smoothly, according to McKeehan, who also was associate producer.
"After weeks of pre-production work, we had allocated enough time for them to do four sides," he says. "These guys burned so well that (we did) six and part of a seventh."
Guilbeau and Kleinow think the time is right for the band to re-form, citing the resurgence of popularity for other bands from their era.
"Despite the great amount of sales for punk and new wave music, there's a great amount of siciety that never really caught onto that", says Kleinow. "Now melody is coming back."
Guilbeau agrees that record-buyers' ears are ready for something new, even if that means a revival of something old.
"Two or three years ago, it would not have been the right time," he says. "I think from time to time people get tired of hearing the same things over and over again."

Also in 1988 Gib Guilbeau wrote together with John Beland the theme song of the Morton Downey, Jr. show. John also produced and played on all of the music for the show. The show went on to become the biggest thing in TV that year.

Around that time Gib recorded at his studio in Nashville an album for singer/songwriter Eldon Fault with the title "Storyteller".
This album is only available as a CDR:

Another album Gib produced and recorded at his studio in Nashville was an album for country singer Terry Lee Ballard. Again with son Ronnie Guilbeau, Gib plays on all tracks and sings harmony vocals. Gib also co-wrote most of the songs on that CD. This album is again only available as a CDR with the title "King of the L.A. honky-tonkers":

Note: Gib recorded a demo of his song "Seven steps away (from the rose)" with his son Ronnie in his studio in Nashville.

Gib, John & Sneaky Pete

1989 a compilation album of a tribute concert in Nashville for Clarence White and Gram Parsons was released in Italy which contained 2 live FBB tracks with Gib.

Gib & John

Also this year an album credited to the FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS was issued in France, which actually contained Gib Guilbeau and John Beland solo tracks with Sneaky Pete Kleinow and Gib's son Ronnie Guilbeau also involved. None of the tracks includes all three (Gib, John and Sneaky).

Guilbeau

In 1991 yet another FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS incarnation with John Beland, Gib Guilbeau, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Chris Ethridge, Australian country rocker Brian Cadd and Poco drummer George Grantham was formed. They have recorded six demos and four different labels wanted to sign them. But it took two more years until an album was released.

Note: One of the songs they recorded with George Grantham on lead vocals was the Beland/Cadd composition "Blind Side".

The Burritos also talked about a telemarketing package that includes both a video and a CD. Gib reported in an interview: "The video approx. 60 mins long will feature interviews with and studio picking by Gib, John & Sneaky Pete. The video is split into two segments, one which tells the Burritos story and secondly an instructional songwriting seminar.

Guilbeau

Gib also spoke about another album project in the works that includes himself, Sneaky Pete, Chris Ethridge & John Barbata. The album will be 70's style country-rock ranging in style from the FBB to CSN & Y. The band will not be calling itself the FBB. Negotiations with several labels are currently underway. But again, nothing was ever released!

In 1992 Bruce Oakes (see singles entry in "late 1968 section" with Gib, Clarence White, Gene Parsons and Wayne Moore) released a CD with five songs written by Gib Guilbeau.

Gib & Brian Cadd

Note: Merle Haggard's "Mama's hungry eyes" with Gib on lead vocals was also recorded but didn't make it to the final album.

The title track of this album appeared a couple of years later on two compilation CD's issued in the UK:

The Flying Burrito Brothers 1994 - 1995 Guilbeau, Beland, Sneaky Pete, Larry Gadler, Kubal, Cadd

1994 the Flying Burrito Brothers performed at the "International Trucker Festival" in Zurich / Switzerland.
John Beland remembers: "The crowd were screaming for us, dancing on the tables, and wouldn't let us get off the stage. We got called back for three encores, one of them joining up with Allen Frizzell (brother of Country Music Hall Of Famer Lefty Frizzell)."
The Festival drew thousands of country and rock fans, many of whom have been Burrito backers for years. The following pics were taken in Switzerland while sightseeing Zurich.

Gib / John / Brian

Guilbeau / Cadd / Beland

Brian / John / Gib

In Spring/Summer 94 this line-up (Guilbeau, Beland, Kleinow, Brian Cadd, Gary Kubal & Larry Gadler) did an Austria, Germany and Switzerland tour and another short various artists tour of Europe took place in June/July 1995.
Pictures from a show in Germany May 1994 click here!!!.

Cadd / Guilbeau / Beland

1995 Gib played fiddle on a Freddy Weller demo "Jukebox Saturday Night" which was written by John Beland and Brian Cadd and was recorded by the Flying Burrito Brothers for the "Eye of the hurricane" album. Other musicians were John Beland, Brian Cadd, Ron Tutt and Spady Brannon.

There were plans of another new Burrito line-up: Gib Guilbeau, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Skip Battin & Phil Lee, but that never happened. Sneaky Pete put a promotion picture together (composite photograph). Here's that picture (signed by Sneaky Pete and Skip Battin):

This Burrito line-up never happend Skip Battin, Sneaky Pete, Phil Lee & Gib Guilbeau

Guilbeau

Note: Phil Lee recorded a solo album "The mighty king of love" in 1999 for "Shanachie Entertainment Corp." and recorded the songs "Nobody but you" and "Blueprint for disaster" again. CD produced by Richard Bennett. On his next CD "You should hve know me then" Phil Lee recorded the song "Good for me" also produced by Richard Bennett, released 2001.

Around Christmas 1994, Gib was playing with Bill Kelley's Nite Rider Band.Bandmembers were Bill Kelley, Wayne Moore, Phil Howard, Richard Martin & Edna Martin. They played in an old log cabin in the pines called "The Ponderosa".

Gib playing with the "Nite Rider Band"

Bill Kelley & Gib

Edna Martin, Bill Kelley & Gib

Edna Martin & Gib

Gib & Beland

Note: After the "American Harvest" label went out of business the album was later re-issued and is now available on "Icehouse Records" (IHR 9444).

Note: 2001 John Beland released a CD with the title "John Beland/Burrito Works" which included a few tracks from that album.

Gib

A compilation CD was released in Holland: