Christopher Hillman (born December 4, 1944) is an American musician. He was the original bassist of the Byrds. With frequent collaborator Gram Parsons, Hillman was a key figure in the development of country rock, defining the genre through his work with the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Manassas and the country-rock group the Desert Rose Band. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 as a member of the Byrds.
Early life
Hillman was born in Los Angeles, California, the third of four children. He spent his early years at his family's ranch home in rural northern San Diego County, approximately from Los Angeles. He has credited his older sister with exciting his interest in country and folk music, when she returned from college during the late 1950s with folk music records by The New Lost City Ramblers and others. Hillman soon began watching many of the country-music shows on local television in southern California at the time such as Town Hall Party, The Spade Cooley Show and Cal's Corral. Hillman's mother encouraged his musical interests and bought him his first guitar; shortly thereafter he developed an interest in bluegrass, particularly the mandolin. At the age of 15, Hillman went to Los Angeles to see the Kentucky Colonels bluegrass band at the Ash Grove, and later convinced his family to allow him to travel by train to Berkeley for lessons from mandolinist Scott Hambly. When Chris was 16, his father committed suicide.
Hillman became known in San Diego's folk music community as a solid player; this won him an invitation to join his first band, the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers. Hillman remained with Manassas until 1973, when he briefly re-joined the original line-up of the Byrds for a reunion album on Asylum Records.
In 1974, Hillman teamed with singer-songwriter Richie Furay (who co-founded Buffalo Springfield and Poco) and songwriter JD Souther (who co-wrote much of the Eagles' early repertoire) in the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band. He released his latest album, Bidin' My Time (2017), co-produced with Tom Petty, featuring guests including Roger McGuinn, David Crosby and members of The Heartbreakers. This has been described as "a kind of summing up of Hillman's long and varied career, incorporating the folk, bluegrass, country and rock styles he's touched on over the years."
Along with Roger McGuinn, Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, Hillman toured the U.S. to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Sweetheart of the Rodeo album, to sold out venues and outstanding reviews.
His memoir, Time Between: My Life as a Byrd, Burrito Brother and Beyond, was published by BMG Books in November 2020, with positive reviews in Rolling Stone, The Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, and other major media.
Personal life
Chris Hillman identifies as a Christian although his father was Jewish. He married former record executive Connie Pappas in 1979, who influenced him to affiliate with the Greek Orthodox Church. He later stated, "I’m still learning. You know what I do on Sundays? I sing in a choir. I sing in a Greek Orthodox choir, and I’m the only hillbilly tenor in the Orthodox Church." Hillman and Pappas have two children, Catherine and Nicholas.
Discography
Other Singles
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2" style="width:22em;"| Single
! colspan="2"| Peak positions
! rowspan="2"| Album
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! style="width:45px;"| US Country
! style="width:45px;"| CAN Country
|-
| 1984
! scope="row"| "Somebody's Back in Town"
| 81
| —
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| Desert Rose
|-
| 1985
! scope="row"| "Running the Roadblocks"
|77
| —
|-
| 1989
! scope="row"| "You Ain't Going Nowhere" <small>(with Roger McGuinn)</small>
| 6
| 11
| style="text-align:left;"| Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two
|-
| colspan="5" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart
|}
References
External links
- Official homepage
- 2003 Interview
- 2009 Radio Interview
- Chris Hillman discography at Byrds Flyght