The Flying Burrito Brothers

The Flying Burrito Brothers, hand-drawn portrait of the band in February, 1969 with Gram Parsons, age 22 (guitar), Chris Ethridge, age 22 (bass/keyboards), Chris Hillman, age 25 (guitar/mandolin) and “Sneaky” Pete Kleinow (pedal steel) age 35.

The Flying Burrito Brothers (founded in Los Angeles in 1968) are an American country rock band, best known for their influential 1969 debut album, The Gilded Palace of Sin.
Although the group is perhaps best known for its connection to band founders Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman (both formerly of The Byrds), the group underwent many personnel changes and has existed in various incarnations.

The band recorded their debut album, The Gilded Palace of Sin (containing originals by Parsons, Hillman, and Ethridge and covers of two songs by the songwriting duo Dan Penn and Chips Moman), without a regular drummer.
Before commencing their first tour, the group ultimately settled upon original Byrd drummer, Michael Clarke.

The album cover features the band in Nudie suits. Parsons had taken the band to designer Nudie Cohn to have custom sequin suits made for all the band members especially for the photo shoot, but Parsons’ was most unusual, featuring a naked woman (rendered as an old-school sailor’s tattoo on each lapel), red poppies on the shoulders, deep-green marijuana leaves on the front, and embroidered Seconal and Tuinal pills scattered elsewhere.
Parsons asked that a flaming red cross surrounded by radiating shafts of blue and gold light cover the back of the jacket.
After more than half a century, in July of 2023, the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum in Nashville celebrated the return of the infamous “missing suit” belonging to the Flying Burrito Brothers.
Worn by legend Elton John, the long-lost suit belonged to none other than Chris Ethridge with American country rock band the Flying Burrito Brothers. The suit was stolen from Ethridge in 1969.
The suit was then mysteriously returned to Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors shop the same year, and bought by “Tiny Dancer” singer Elton John. All four suits are now on display.

Their greatest hits: “Christine’s Tune”, “Hot Burrito #2”, “Colorado”, “Dark End Of The Street”, “Sin City”, “Six Days On The Road”, “Wild Horses”, “Wheels” and “Farther Along”.

Legacy:
Gram Parsons embarked on a solo career after being fired by Chris Hillman. He released two solo albums and continued to tour until his death on September 19, 1973, at age 26.
Chris Hillman remained a successful singer-songwriter, having been part of Manassas (with Burrito Al Perkins), the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band and a partial reunion of The Byrds in McGuinn-Clark-Hillman. In the 1980s he found commercial success when he formed Desert Rose Band (1986–93) with Herb Pedersen.
Chris Ethridge left the Burritos in February 1976, returning to session work. He had been a session musician throughout his career, recording with many leading country-tinged acts, including Nancy Sinatra, Judy Collins, Johnny Winter, Ry Cooder, Leon Russell, Randy Newman, Linda Ronstadt, The Byrds and Jackson Browne. He also toured with Willie Nelson’s band for almost eight years.
“Sneaky” Pete Kleinow continued to play with the Burritos off and on until his death in 2007, age 65 from pancreatic cancer.
Bernie Leadon went on to help found The Eagles.
Rick Roberts and Michael Clarke formed Firefall with Jock Bartley from Gram Parsons’ solo band.

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