Chris Hillman
“Chris Hillman has been a well-kept secret in the history of rock. Yeah, we all know how great he was in The Byrds, but his contributions go well beyond that. Chris was a true innovator—the man who invented country rock. Every time the Eagles board their private jet Chris at least paid for the fuel.”
—Tom Petty
“A bona fide pioneering godfather to generations of musical souls who’ve sought inspiration at that divine crossroads where rock & roll, country, bluegrass, folk, honky tonk, and gospel music intersect and harmonize. He’s a national treasure, truly a statesman.”
—Marty Stuart
“Chris Hillman [is] the unvarnished gem of every band he has inhabited. It’s time to applaud his legacy.”
—Bernie Taupin
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Country Rock pioneer, Chris Hillman has never stopped making music, but these last few years have seen the music, the milestones, the special events and the live performances happening at an exceptional pace.
The first musician to move to the artistic enclave of Laurel Canyon, Hillman is among the many famous musicians featured in Epix’s two-part docuseries Laurel Canyon that premiered in summer 2019. In 2018, the 50th Anniversary of The Byrds’ groundbreaking Sweetheart of the Rodeo album was celebrated with a special tour featuring Hillman and fellow Byrds alum Roger McGuinn, joined by country legends Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives. From the Troubadour in Los Angeles to the famed Ryman in Nashville and many cities in between, there have been sold-out concerts and a variety of tour line-ups. In 2017 he released the acclaimed Bidin’ My Time, his first solo album in twelve years, produced by the late Tom Petty and executive-produced by Herb Pedersen.
2021 dates are being planned for Hillman’s live show Time Between: An Evening of Stories and Songs, featuring Herb Pedersen and John Jorgenson, a night of songs and stories that dovetails with this memoir.
The 2018 Sweetheart of the Rodeo anniversary kicked off a multi-city tour at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, where the album was originally recorded. In 1968, the Sweetheart album literally launched the country rock movement and is widely considered to be one of the most influential albums in this genre. In fact, in 2003, the album was ranked #120 on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 500 Greatest Albums.” Described as “two hours of splendid American music that transcended time, place and genre,” the tour more than lived up to its stature and earned outstanding concert reviews.
Tom Petty’s admiration for the Byrds was well known, proclaiming they were the “original blueprint for the Heartbreakers.” Petty documented his inspiration in a tribute he penned about the group for Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Artists,” writing “The Byrds are immortal because they flew so high. They’re still way, way up there. They left a huge mark.”
In 2016, that long-standing appreciation and a little synchronicity became the foundation for the Bidin’ My Time project (Rounder Records). Hillman wasn’t even planning to make a new album, but all that changed when Pedersen, long-time friend and band mate, went on the road with Tom Petty. Petty and Pedersen had the idea of producing Chris and the project began a few months later. Originally planned as an acoustic album, it grew into much more. Collaborators and admirers from Hillman’s long career appear throughout the record. In addition to Petty and Pedersen, Bidin’ My Time features Byrds bandmates David Crosby and Roger McGuinn; the Heartbreakers’ Benmont Tench, Mike Campbell, and Steve Ferrone; Desert Rose Band’s John Jorgenson and Jay Dee Maness; upright bassist Mark Fain; singer/guitarist Josh Jove and the Punch Brothers’ fiddler, Gabe Witcher. Praised as “an understated masterpiece,” the richly layered Bidin’ My Time successfully comprises all of the influences that contributed to Hillman’s music – folk, rock and roll, bluegrass and country. Collectively, the album reflec
