Desert Rose Band

Formed in the mid-80s, the Desert Rose Band were akin to a mini-supergroup of country rock musicians. Lead vocalist and guitarist Chris Hillman was formerly a member of the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Manassas, the Souther Hillman Furay Band and McGuinn, Clark And Hillman; Herb Pedersen (b. 27 April 1944, Berkeley, California, USA; vocals/guitar) was one of the most famous session players on the country scene and a former member of the Dillards and Country Gazette; Bill Bryson (vocals/bass) was another Country Gazette alumnus and had also played in the Bluegrass Cardinals, as well as working on various movie soundtracks; Jay Dee Maness (b. 14 January 1945, Loma Linda, California, USA) was one of the world’s most famous pedal-steel guitarists, and among his past credentials were appearances with Gram Parsons’ International Submarine Band, the Byrds and Buck Owens’ Buckaroos; John Jorgenson (b. 6 July 1956, Madison, Wisconsin, USA), who played guitar, mandolin and six-string bass was the ‘wunderkind’ of the outfit; while Steve Duncan had drummed behind several new country artists, including Dwight Yoakam.

The band was signed to the independent Curb Records label by Dick Whitehouse, and their highly accomplished self-titled first album appeared in 1987. Among its delights was a highly effective reworking of ‘Time Between’, previously recorded by Hillman on the Byrds’ Younger Than Yesterday. The follow-up Running was another strong work, particularly the title track, which dealt with the suicide of Hillman’s father, a matter never previously mentioned in any interview. By the end of the 80s, the band was touring extensively and registering regular hits in the country charts. A third album, Pages Of Life, consolidated their position, and featured the memorable anti-drugs song, ‘Darkness On The Playground’.

In 1991, Maness left the group to be replaced by Tom Brumley, formerly of Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band. The departure of Maness made little difference to the Desert Rose Band’s sound, but Jorgenson’s decision the following year to pursue a solo career threatened the band’s momentum. He was replaced by Jeff Ross (formerly with Los Angeles cow-punk band Rank And File), who for a time brought a harsher, rock-flavoured edge to their show. It was not to last and the Desert Rose Band has now broken up.