Burrito Deluxe band

Burrito Deluxe band

The country-rock of Burrito Deluxe is fresh and familiar, comforting and exciting. Chances are, you've been listening to these guys for a good part of your life without realizing it because the bandmembers' resumes read like a "Who's Who" of popular music.

Burrito Deluxe was founded around the signature sound of "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow, pedal steel guitar legend and co-founder (along with Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman and Chris Ethridge) of the Flying Burrito Brothers. The group's innovative, California-styled sound heralded the arrival of country rock and influenced a whole generation of later bands, including the Eagles, Pure Prairie League, Poco and many others. Although "Sneaky" Pete retired from performing in 2005, the style he pioneered reverberates in the sounds of today's Americana music and Burrito Deluxe.

"Sneaky" Pete christened the band Burrito Deluxe in 2000, taking its name from the title of the Flying Burrito Brothers' 1970 album. The band has recorded two critically acclaimed albums: 2002's Georgia Peach, a tribute to Gram Parsons; and 2004's The Whole Enchilada, which included The Band's keyboardist Garth Hudson.

Burrito Deluxe's upcoming album for Luna Chica Records promises to be the best yet. It's set for a summer release.

Carlton Moody, BD's guitarist, mandolin player and lead singer, is also the founder and front man of the Grammy-nominated Moody Brothers.

Walter Egan shares the electric guitar work and adds lead and harmony vocals. Egan's ties to the Burrito legacy run deep. He co-wrote, "Hearts on Fire," recorded by Parsons on his final album Grievous Angel Egan rose to fame with the 1978 million-selling single "Magnet and Steel." He has recorded eight solo CDs and performed with Jackson Browne, Spirit, Wanda Jackson and Linda Ronstadt.

Jeff "Stick" Davis anchors the BD sound on electric and upright bass. He also contributes to the wonderful vocal blend. Davis, a founding member of the Grammy-winning Amazing Rhythm Aces, has worked with many musical giants, including John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Ace Cannon, Al Green and B.B. King.

BD pianist Richard Bell was in The Band in the early 1990s. He was also a member of Ronnie Hawkins and The Hawks in the late 1960s, as well as Janis Joplin's Full Tilt Boogie Band. Bell has performed with Paul Butterfield, Bonnie Raitt and many other artists.

Drummer Bryan Owings is a Mississippi native who has called Nashville home since the late 1980s. He has played with Buddy and Julie Miller, Delbert McClinton, Patty Griffin, Shelby Lynne, Webb Wilder, Lee Roy Parnell and the Amazing Rhythm Aces.
Although the core members of Burrito Deluxe will stay the same, there will always be an evolution of new players with an illustrious musical heritage. While no one can replace "Sneaky" Pete, there will be featured guest steel guitarists who will carry on his sweet signature sound that is at the heart of Burrito Deluxe.

Sneaky Pete Klienow

Sneaky Pete Klienow

Peter E. "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow (August 20, 1934 – January 6, 2007) was an American country-rock musician, songwriter, and a motion picture special effects artist. He is best known as a member of the band the Flying Burrito Brothers and as a session musician for such artists as Joan Baez, Jackson Browne, The Byrds, Joe Cocker, Rita Coolidge, The Eagles, The Everly Brothers, George Harrison, The Steve Miller Band, Joni Mitchell, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Spencer Davis, Linda Ronstadt and many others.

Kleinow was born in South Bend, Indiana. Before his musical career, he originally worked as a special effects artist and stop motion animator for movies and television, including the Gumby, Outer Limits, and Davey and Goliath series, as well as movies such as 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (starring Tony Randall and Barbara Eden) and The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm.

At night, Kleinow would frequently sit in with Bakersfield Sound-oriented combos and early country-rock aggregations playing the pedal steel guitar. Through this scene he became acquainted with Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons of The Byrds, helping the group to replicate their newly country-oriented sound onstage with banjoist Doug Dillard.[1] He lived in Albuquerque for a brief period of time.

After leaving the Byrds, in 1968, Parsons and Hillman invited Kleinow to join their new band, the Flying Burrito Brothers.[1] Subsequently, Kleinow left behind his career in visual effects and spent the next thirteen years as a professional musician.

One of the first pedal steel players to work in a rock context, Kleinow incorporated liberal use of electronic innovations like the fuzzbox and backwards recording techniques. As such, his style of playing was immediately influential upon second-generation players such as Jerry Garcia, Buddy Cage of the New Riders of the Purple Sage and sessionman Al Perkins.

Finding session work to be more lucrative, he left the Flying Burrito Brothers in 1971 and played for an eclectic range of artists, including Joe Cocker (Joe Cocker!, 1969), Delaney, Bonnie and Friends (To Bonnie from Delaney, 1970) and Little Feat (many albums including Sailin' Shoes, 1972).[1]

He also added steel guitar to records by Frank Zappa (Waka/Jawaka, 1972). 

After two more Burritos LPs -- 1976's Airborne and 1978's Live in Tokyo -- Kleinow cut his first solo record, Sneaky Pete, in 1978. Following one final Burritos album, 1981's Hearts on the Line, he gradually withdrew from the music industry to focus on creating special effects; the films he worked on included The Empire Strikes Back, The Right Stuff, Gremlins, and both Terminator features. Nevertheless, he occasionally returned to music, performing with diverse artists like Leonard Cohen, Medicine, and the Golden Palominos. In 1994, he released the solo effort The Legend and the Legacy and led a new Burritos lineup on a tour of Europe.

Sneaky Pete with his Dinosaur Shirt that he used to wear all the time