The Desert Rose Band
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | Chris Hillman |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California , United States |
| Products | Country rock music |
The Desert Rose Band was a country rock group originating from Los Angeles, California, established in 1985 by Chris Hillman, who had previously been a member of the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers. Alongside Hillman, the founding members included Herb Pedersen and John Jorgenson. The initial ensemble also featured Bill Bryson on bass, JayDee Maness on pedal steel guitar, and Steve Duncan on drums. Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band achieved multiple hits on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts before their breakup in February 1994.
Formation
In 1985, frontman Chris Hillman (born December 4, 1944), known for his work with The Byrds and as a co-founder with Gram Parsons of the country-rock group The Flying Burrito Brothers, brought together The Desert Rose Band. The lineup was completed by John Jorgenson (born July 6, 1956), who managed instrumental arrangements, and Herb Pedersen (born April 27, 1944), responsible for vocal arrangements. Together with Hillman, Jorgenson and Pedersen formed a three-part harmony, with Pedersen taking lead vocals on one track per album. The group was rounded out by pedal steel guitarist JayDee Maness (born January 4, 1945), drummer Steve Duncan (born July 28, 1953), and bassist Bill Bryson (1946–2017).
1987–1989: The Desert Rose Band and Running
Their self-titled debut album was launched in 1987 under MCA/Curb. It featured their initial hit "Ashes of Love," a cover of the 1950s Johnnie & Jack song that Hillman and Pedersen had previously recorded for Hillman's Sugar Hill album Desert Rose. The debut also included a new version of Hillman's classic Byrds track "Time Between" and produced their first number one single "He's Back and I'm Blue".
The follow-up album Running released in 1988 contained the John Hiatt composition "She Don't Love Nobody", along with the title track "Running" and a rendition of Buck Owens's "Hello Trouble".
1990-1993: Pages of Life, True Love and Life Goes On
Their third studio effort, Pages of Life (1990), featured re-recordings of "Desert Rose" and Pedersen's folk tune "Our Baby's Gone," originally from his 1976 album Southwest. In that year, pedal steel guitarist JayDee Maness departed and was succeeded by Tom Brumley, whom Maness had initially replaced in the Buckaroos. Subsequently, Maness collaborated with Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen on duo projects titled Bakersfield Bound and Way Out West.
The band's fourth album, True Love, came out in 1991. This was followed by the Europe-exclusive release Life Goes On in 1993, which featured guest performances from prominent country and bluegrass musicians such as Sam Bush, Tony Rice, Larry Park (from Boy Howdy), and Al Perkins. Earlier that same year, the compilation album Traditional was issued.
In 1991, John Jorgenson and Steve Duncan exited the group. Jorgenson went on to co-found the Hellecasters alongside Will Ray and Jerry Donahue; Duncan joined this ensemble as well. Currently, Jorgenson leads the John Jorgenson Quintette, focusing primarily on gypsy jazz. Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen released an acoustic album titled The Other Side in 2005 and continue to perform together as a duo. Tom Brumley played with Joey Riley's band in Branson, Missouri until his passing in 2009.
Awards
The Desert Rose Band received two Grammy Award nominations for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: one for their inaugural album The Desert Rose Band (1987) and another for the track "She Don't Love Nobody" (1989).
They secured the Academy of Country Music's Band of the Year/Touring Award for three straight years: 1988, 1989, and 1990.
In 1989, the group was honored with the Country Music Association's Horizon Award and earned nominations for Vocal Group of the Year in both 1989 and 1990.
Broadcast Music Inc. acknowledged "One Step Forward" and "Love Reunited" after these songs achieved over one million radio broadcasts.
Band members
Final lineup
- Chris Hillman – guitars, lead vocals
- Herb Pedersen – vocals, guitars
- Tom Brumley – pedal steel guitar
- Tim Grogan – percussion, drums
- Jeff Ross – vocals, guitars
Former members
- Bill Bryson – bass guitar, vocals
- Steve Duncan – percussion, drums
- John Jorgenson – vocals, guitars
- JayDee Maness – pedal steel guitar
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | ||
| The Desert Rose Band |
|
24 | — |
| Running |
|
26 | — |
| Pages of Life |
|
17 | 187 |
| True Love |
|
— | — |
| Life Goes On |
|
— | — |
| "—" indicates albums that did not chart | |||
Compilation albums
| Title | Album details | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| US Country | ||
| A Dozen Roses – Greatest Hits |
|
44 |
Singles
| Year | Single title | Highest chart positions | Album name | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | ||||||
| 1987 | "Ashes of Love" | 26 | 37 | The Desert Rose Band | |||
| "Love Reunited" | 6 | 5 | |||||
| "One Step Forward" | 2 | 2 | |||||
| 1988 | "He's Back and I'm Blue" | 1 | 1 | ||||
| "Summer Wind" | 2 | 2 | Running | ||||
| "I Still Believe in You" | 1 | 1 | |||||
| 1989 | "She Don't Love Nobody" | 3 | 4 | ||||
| "Hello Trouble" | 11 | 11 | |||||
| "Start All Over Again" | 6 | 3 | Pages of Life | ||||
| 1990 | "In Another Lifetime" | 13 | 18 | ||||
| "Story of Love" | 10 | 6 | |||||
| 1991 | "Will This Be the Day" | 37 | 44 | A Dozen Roses – Greatest Hits | |||
| "Come a Little Closer" | 65 | 67 | |||||
| "You Can Go Home" | 53 | 64 | True Love |- | "Twilight Is Gone" | 67 | 82 | |
| 1993 | "What About Love" | 71 | — | Life Goes On |- | "Night After Night" | — | — |
| "—" indicates singles that did not chart |- | |||||||
Music videos
| Year | Video Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "He's Back and I'm Blue" | |
| "Summer Wind" | ||
| 1989 | "She Don't Love Nobody" | Bill Pope |
| 1990 | "In Another Lifetime" | |
| 1991 | "Will This Be the Day" | Gerry Wenner |
| "You Can Go Home" | Gustavo Garzón | |
| 1993 | "What About Love" | Michael Merriman |