A premier folk-rock band morphing into psychedelia in the mid ’60s, the Byrds pioneered country-rock with 1968’s Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Personnel upheavals had seen David Crosby fired, Gene Clark going solo, and Michael Clarke replaced by drummer Kevin Kelley. Bassist Chris Hillman was one of only two original members standing, Roger McGuinn being the other. Pivotal additions were singer/songwriter Gram Parsons and bluegrass-turned-electric prodigy Clarence White, not yet a full-fledged member, but session guitarist on previous albums.
Reproducing the material live 50 years later was a tall order for which only one band could seriously be considered – Marty Stuart’s Fabulous Superlatives. With Stuart playing White’s prototype bender Tele, the ever-tasteful Kenny Vaughan, Chris Scruggs alternating bass and steel, and McGuinn’s Rickenbacker 12-string, the tracks are brought to life. The same can be said for the Byrds’ famed harmonies.
The collaborative 2018 tour mixed Sweetheart favorites like “Hickory Wind,” with Hillman replacing Parsons’ vocal, alongside such classics as “Turn! Turn! Turn!” and the Dylan-penned “Mr. Tambourine Man” – forever cementing the “jingle-jangle” tag, the Rick 12 as an icon, and the Byrds as one of the most influential bands in rock history.
This article originally appeared in VG’s January 2025 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
