Chris Hillman and Bernie Leadon • Conversation • 2023

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members Chris Hillman and Bernie Leadon share stories from their music careers, from their beginnings in California as bluegrass musicians to their pioneering songwriting and time making music in the folk-rock and country-rock scenes. This conversation was recorded on October 14, 2023, in support of the Museum’s exhibition “Western Edge: The Roots and Reverberations of Los Angeles Country-Rock,” presented by City National Bank.

During this interview with the Museum’s Michael McCall, Hillman and Leadon discuss their beginnings in California, primarily San Diego. In the early 1960s, both musicians started playing bluegrass music at the Blue Guitar and formed the band the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers before moving on to other endeavors. In this conversation, Hillman and Leadon both note that they continued to draw on the connections they made in the Squirrel Barkers throughout their careers.

Hillman and Leadon each joined many pivotal bands in the West Coast folk-rock and country-rock scenes. Hillman was part of the Hillmen (previously the Golden State Boys), the Byrds, and Manassas, among others, while Leadon formed Hearts & Flowers and later joined the Eagles, among others. By 1970, Hillman recruited Leadon to play lead guitar for the Flying Burrito Brothers.

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