Today in Music (1968): The Byrds charted with Sweetheart of the Rodeo

Sweetheart of the Rodeo The Byrds

Charted: August 30, 1968 Peak: 77 US, -- UK Sales (in millions): -- Genre: country rock

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere [2:33] I Am a Pilgrim [3:39] The Christian Life (Charles Louvin, Ira Louvin) [2:30] (23 DF) You Don’t Miss Your Water (William Bell) [3:48] (21 DF) You’re Still on My Mind (Luke McDaniel) [2:25] (22 DF) Pretty Boy Floyd (Woody Guthrie) [2:34] Hickory Wind [3:31] One Hundred Years from Now (Parsons) [2:40] (22 DF) Blue Canadian Rockies (Cindy Walker) [2:02] Life in Prison (Merle Haggard, Jelly Sanders) [2:46] Nothing Was Delivered (Dylan) [3:24] (29 DF) Total Running Time: 32:35 The Players: Roger McGuinn (vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo) Chris Hillman (bass, mandolin, acoustic guitar, vocals) Gram Parsons (acoustic guitar, piano, organ, vocals) Kevin Kelley (drums)

Rating: 4.316 out of 5.00 (average of 38 ratings) Quotable: “Sweetheart wasn’t the first country-rock album, but with its gorgeous three-way harmonies and sweet pedal steel, it remains the best.” – David Cantwell, Amazon.com Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

A Dramatic Lineup Change The original Byrds lineup of Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, David Crosby, Gene Clark, and Michael Clarke transformed the music world in 1965 with their take on folk-rock with their masterful cover of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man.” Just a year later, they were pivotal in shaping the psychedelic rock movement with “Eight Miles High.” In 1968, the Byrds released their fifth album, The Notorious Byrd Brothers. During the making of the album, David Crosby was fired and Michael Clarke left the band. Original member Gene Clark briefly returned but was also gone by the end, leaving only Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman as founding members. It has been asserted that the “constantly changing lineup…kept the band from becoming bigger than the Beatles themselves.” CS-62 For the next time out, McGuinn envisioned “a double LP that told the story of American popular music from traditional country, through rock, to futuristic Moog-powered electronica.” RD However, the project was reworked when the band brought in Hillman’s cousin, Kevin Kelley, as their drummer and then Hillman recruited his buddy, Gram Parsons. “His deep love of C&W soon took hold, and Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman followed his lead” MD and “the album instead became purely a country record.” WK Gram Parsons Becoming a member of the Byrds became “an important chapter in Parsons’ personal and musical crusade to make country music fashionable for a young audience.” WK The album brought Gram Parsons “to the attention of a mainstream rock audience for the first time.” WK He “hinted at the possibility of country-rock with his previous group, the International Submarine Band, and their 1968 debut album Safe at Home” CS-62 but the album and the group went practically unnoticed. “While many cite this as more of a Gram Parsons album than a Byrds set, given the strong country influence of McGuinn’s and Hillman’s later work, it’s obvious Parsons didn’t impose a style upon this band so much as he tapped into a sound that was already there, waiting to be released.” MD McGuinn said Parsons wanted “to really do something revolutionary by melding the Beatles and country music.” CM Hillman said, “I love country music…And now I had an ally and we nudged Roger along.” CM McGuinn said Hillman and producer Gary Usher “persuaded me that the country music market was worth attacking.” CM A New Sound It was quite “a stylistic move away from the psychedelic rock of the band’s previous LP, The Notorious Byrd Brothers,” WK into new territory, yet again. “At a time when most rock fans viewed country as a musical ‘L’il Abner’ routine, the Byrds dared to declare that C&W could be hip, cool, and heartfelt.” MD “No major band had gone so deep into the sound and feeling of classic country (without parody or condescension) as the Byrds did on Sweetheart.” MD “The Byrds were hardly strangers to country music, dipping their toes in the twangy stuff as early as their second album,” MD “but Sweetheart of the Rodeo represented their fullest immersion into the genre thus far.” WK “The American rural song had been central to the Byrds’ folk-rock sound; here…the band highlighted that connection, dressing Bob Dylan and Merle Haggard songs in steel guitar and rock & roll drive, setting the stage for country rock.” 500 It was “an album as close to a country masterpiece as a rock act could ever make.” AZ It incorporated “traditional country instruments such as pedal steel guitar, fiddle, banjo, and mandolin” CS-63 and “recalled the timeless twang of Hank Williams without abandoning the strides the Byrds had made toward giving folk music a steady beat and an electric kick.” CS-63 “Sweetheart wasn’t the first country-rock album” AZ – “the first bona fide country-rock album is often cited as being Safe at Home” WK – “but with its gorgeous three-way harmonies and sweet pedal steel, [Rodeo] remains the best.” AZ It is “the definitive moment when hippie rock met country.” PM The Album’s Influence The album “was misunderstood at the time but one which has revealed its greatness over the years.” CM It “has proved to be a landmark, serving…as a blueprint… for the entire nascent 1970s Los Angeles country-rock movement.” WK “The visionary adaptation of country & western with California rock and pop paved the way for the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Poco and Emmylou Harris,” PM not to mention David Crosby’s next group – Crosby, Stills & Nash. “The album was also influential on the outlaw country and new traditionalist movements, as well as the so-called alternative country genre of the 1990s and 2000s.” WK Initial Resistance “The Byrds’ audience was used to groundbreaking experimentation from the band but balked at the album’s adoption of a genre they associated with conservative rednecks.” RD “The band’s shift away from psychedelic music alienated much of its pop audience” WK and “large sections of the group’s counter-culture following…resulting in the lowest sales of any Byrds album up to that point.” WK It was also greeted with “a great deal of resistance and hostility from the ultra-conservative Nashville country music establishment who viewed The Byrds as a group of long-haired hippies attempting to subvert country music.” WK They became the first rock group to perform at the Grand Ol’ Opry – where “they were booed through Merle Haggard’s ‘Sing Me Back Home.’” CM “They were banned from the Opry for life.” CM McGuinn himself said, “As a commercial venture it was a disaster. We were rejected by both the country and the city folks…We miscalculated there, although now it’s an appreciated album. A sort of heirloom.” CM The Covers They tapped some country classics for the album, including “the traditional I Am a Pilgrim, which had been popularized by Merle Travis in the late-1940s” WK and “the Cindy Walker-penned Blue Canadian Rockies, which had been sung by Gene Autry in the 1952 film of the same name.” WK The group also recorded “definitive covers” AZ of “bluegrass stalwarts The Louvin Brothers (The Christian Life), hard folkie Woody Guthrie (Pretty Boy Floyd) and emerging superstar Merle Haggard (Life in Prison),” PM a “maudlin convict’s lament.” WK That was just one of the “contemporary country songs” WK the group tackled. They also recorded “Luke McDaniel’s You’re Still on My Mind, a sorrowful tale of a heartbroken drunkard failing to find solace at the bottom of a bottle.” WK They “sat comfortably beside Dylan (You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere) and Tom Hardin (You’ve Got a Reputation) as simpatico companions, making the synthesis seamless.” PM They even gave William Bell’s You Don’t Miss Your Water “a country flavored make-over, highlighted by the band’s trademark crystal clear harmonies.” WK “The transformation of this Stax soul tune into a glorious country lament made for the first country soul record.” CM Gram Parsons’ Originals Parsons brought some of his songs to the session as well. “The achingly beautiful” MD Hickory Wind, “a wistful song of time spent growing up, embodies what’s to come.” PM It was “written by Parsons and former International Submarine Band member, Bob Buchanan, during an early 1968 train ride from Florida to Los Angeles.” MD The song “stands out along with his One Hundred Years from Now,” PM which “has a quicker tempo than most of the material on Sweetheart of the Rodeo and functions as a speculation on current human vanities and how they might be viewed by successive generations.” WK It “echoes the early Byrds songs that ached of traditional folk, but were simultaneously modern and forward-looking.” CS-63 A Struggle Between Parsons and McGuinn Before the album was even released, Parsons’ efforts to recruit more members to steer the band’s sound created a power struggle with McGuinn. On top of that, there was an accusation that Parsons was still under contract to Lee Hazelwood’s LHI record label. Between that – and speculation that McGuinn didn’t want Parsons to have such a dominant presence on the album – Parsons’ vocals were replaced with McGuinn’s on “The Christian Life”, “You Don’t Miss Your Water”, and “One Hundred Years from Now.” Parsons still sang lead on “Hickory Wind,” “You’re Still on My Mind,” and “Life in Prison” but was reportedly “still infuriated…as late as 1973.” WK By the time the album was released, Parsons had left the band. He and Hillman went on to form the Flying Burrito Brothers in 1969. Notes: “Columbia’s 1997 CD reissue of the album improves on the masterpiece by adding…four cuts [‘The Christian Life,’ ‘Life in Prison,’ ‘You’re Still on My Mind,’ and ‘One Hundred Years from Now’] with Gram Parsons singing lead.” MD Non-album tracks “You Got a Reputation,” “Lazy Days,” “Pretty Polly,” and the instrumental “All I Have Are Memories” are also included. The 2003 Legacy Edition balloons the collection into a 40-track, 2-CD collection that boasts a slew of outtakes and songs not appearing on previous editions, “including everything from the official LP itself, the six outtakes and alternates from the [1990 Byrds] box set…and even a 1968 radio commercial for the album.” RU “Disc two leads off with three of the four songs [‘Sum Up Broke,’ ‘One Day Week,’ and ‘Truck Drivin’ Man’] from the 1966 non-LP singles by Gram Parsons' pre-Byrds group, the International Submarine Band, along with three songs [‘Blue Eyes,’ ‘Luxury Liner,’ and ‘Strong Boy’] from the International Submarine Band's sole album, Safe at Home.” RU That disc also includes plenty of alternate takes. The Songs Here are more details about some of the songs on this album.

You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere The Byrds

Writer(s): Bob Dylan Recorded: 3/9/1968 at Columbia Studios in Nashville, Tennessee Released: 4/2/1968 (single), Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968), Greatest Hits Volume II (compilation, 1971), The Best of the Byrds, Greatest Hits Volume II (compilation, 1972), History of the Byrds (compilation, 1973), The Byrds Play Dylan (compilation, 1979), The Byrds (box set, 1990), The Very Best of (compilation, 1997), The Essential (compilation, 2003), There is a Season (box set, 2006) B-Side: “Artificial Energy” Peak: 74 BB, 81 CB, 80 HR, 37 CL, 45 UK, 12 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 36.37 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: Bob Dylan wrote this song in 1967, although he didn’t release a version of it until 1971 when it appeared on his Greatest Hits Vol. II. In the interim, the Byrds recorded the song as the opener and lead-off single for their groundbreaking Sweetheart of the Rodeo album. It was the first commercial release of the song. WK-YN The group had already changed the folk-rock world with their recording of Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” in 1965. Now they were doing the same thing for country-rock with their cover of another Dylan song. Some critics have even called it the Byrds’ best cover of a Dylan song. WK-YN

I Am a Pilgrim The Byrds

Writer(s): traditional, arranged by Roger McGuinn & Chris Hillman Released: 9/2/1968 (single), Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968), Greatest Hits Volume II (compilation, 1971), The Byrds (box set, 1990), There is a Season (box set, 2006) B-Side: “Pretty Boy Floyd” Peak: 48 CL, 22 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 3.55 streaming About the Song This traditional Christian hymn dates back at least to the 19th century. It references several Bible passages. It was first recorded by the African American group Norfolk Jubilee Quartet in 1924. It has since been recorded by The Byrds, Johnny Cash, Bill Monroe, and Merle Travis. WK-IP

Hickory Wind The Byrds

Writer(s): Gram Parsons, Bob Buchanan Recorded: 3/9/1968 at Columbia Studio in Nashville, TN Released: Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968), History of the Byrds (compilation, 1973), The Byrds (box set, 1990), The Very Best of (compilation, 1997), The Essential (compilation, 2003), There is a Season (box set, 2006) Peak: 18 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 4.19 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: When Gram Parsons joined the Byrds, he steered the group toward country rock. The song “Hickory Wind,” which Parsons wrote with his former International Submarine Band mate Bob Buchanan, has become what some call Parsons’ signature song. WK-HW The pair wrote the song in early 1968 while riding a train from Florida to Los Angeles. <WK-HW Parsons re-recorded the song for his 1974 solo album, Grievous Angel. The song is a “yearning, steel-guitar-laden ballad of lost innocence.” RD In his book The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited, Johnny Rogan says the song is marked by “Parsons’ aching vocal performance, set against a superb steel guitar backing, whose whining combines with his yearning voice to create a mood of unbearable poignancy.” <WK-HW He explains that it “serves as a powerful image for Parsons’ bittersweet nostalgia, as he imagines an Edenic childhood of simple pleasures like climbing trees. During successive verses, he reflects on the pursuit of fame, the curse of wealth without spiritual satisfaction, and the perils of city life.” <WK-HW Chris Hillman said, “If Gram had never written another song, ‘Hickory Wind’ would have put him on the map. The song says it all – it’s very descriptive, with vivid imagery. It’s actually quite literary, but Gram was, we know, was a very bright kid. If you know the guy’s life story, however he conjured up that scenario – it’s right at home. Gram was shuffled off to a prep school, lots of money…that’s a lonely song. He was a lonely kid.” WK-HW

Resources and Related Links: AZ Amazon.com review by David Cantwell MD AllMusic.com review by Mark Deming RU AllMusic.com review of legacy edition by Richie Unterberger CM Toby Creswell & Craig Mathieson (2012). 100 Best Albums of All Time. Hardie Grant Books. Page 252. RD Robert Dimery (2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Quintet Publishing Limited: New York, NY. Page 155. PM PasteMagazine.com (6/3/2024). “The 300 Greatest Albums of All Time” 500 Rolling Stone (2020). 500 Greatest Albums of All Time CS Chris Smith (2009). 101 Albums That Changed Popular Music. Oxford University Press. Pages 61-4. WK Wikipedia page for Sweetheart of the Rodeo WK-YN Wikipedia page for “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” WK-IP Wikipedia page for “I Am a Pilgrim” WK-HW Wikipedia page for “Hickory Wind” Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 2/23/2008; last updated 10/27/2026.