Alan Munde / Byron Berline / Roger Bush / Kenny Wertz |
|
Alan Munde / Byron Berline / Roger Bush / Kenny Wertz |
Byron |
Byron / Roger / Kenny |
This first album "A traitor in our midst" set the style for all their later
records and performances, containing a mixture of traditional and original
bluegrass instrumentals together with songs that would not usually be given a
completely acoustic treatment. It was cut at the old World Pacific studios at
8713 West-3rd. Street LA, California.
The Gazette line-up was Byron Berline,
Roger Bush, Alan Munde and Kenny Wertz. Guests were Herb Pedersen, Skip Conover
and Chris Smith.
A lot of songs on that album came from the time before
Country Gazette was formed. With "Keep on pushing" and "Tried so hard" two Gene Clark compositions they
played often with "Dillard and Clark", the song "Aggravation" is from the
"Dillard and the Expedition" time written by Doug Dillard, Byron Berline and
Roger Bush. "I might take you back again" and "If you're ever gonna love me"
from "The Kentucky Colonels" shows.
Alan Munde points out: "We at first were going to have Clarence
White overdub lead guitar but Jim Dickson felt that it was not needed and
Clarence felt the same way"
| COUNTRY GAZETTE: A Traitor In Our Midst |  |
|---|---|
| - COUNTRY GAZETTE: A traitor in our midst (United
Artists UAS 596) Produced by Jim Dickson with Byron Berline, Alan Munde, Roger Bush & Kenny Wertz guests: Herb Pedersen, Skip Conover & Chris Smith Side A: Lost Indian/Keep on pushin'/I wish you knew/Hot Burrito
breakdown/I might take you back again/Forget me not |
A few singles from that album were released:
 |
COUNTRY GAZETTE: Singles |  |
|---|---|---|
| - COUNTRY GAZETTE: Keep on pushin'/Hot Burrito breakdown
(50982) with Byron Berline, Alan Munde, Roger Bush & Kenny Wertz - COUNTRY GAZETTE: Swing low sweet chariot/I wish I knew - COUNTRY GAZETTE: Sound of goodbye/ ? |
Shortly after the release Kenny Wertz told the band he want to quit. Country
Gazette had released that first album and were at the begining of a big tour -
the band could change Kenny's mind.
On that tour around the States the band
showed what they can. Byron Berline on fiddle and mandolin, Kenny Wertz played
beside the guitar also from time to time banjo, Roger Bush on bass, sometimes
the banjo and he did all the talking for the audience and Alan Munde on banjo
and also guitar. They had a wide repertoir and played also rock and pop songs
but ever with their acoustic instruments.
Munde / Berline / Bush / Wertz |
Munde / Berline / Bush / Wertz |
1972 sessions were done at Byron Berline's house. Musicians were the Country Gazette members Byron Berline, Roger Bush and Alan Munde together with Roland White (who became a Gazette member 1974), Clarence White (who played as a guest on the second Gazette album "Don't give up your day job"), Skip Conover (who played a lot of sessions with the Gazette), John Hickman, Vern Gosdin and Don Parmley both singing a few songs.
Poster 1974 |
Hot Burrito Revue
'73 |
In February 1973 The Gazette was off to the Netherlands again with The
Flying Burrito Brothers/Hot Burrito Revue. But now again with Sneaky Pete Kleinow.
Those shows were the last in this line-up: Byron Berline, Alan Munde, Kenny
Wertz, Roger Bush, Rick Roberts, Eric Dalton and of course original member
Sneaky Pete Kleinow. He played the steel guitar and not Don Beck like the year
before. The shows were extremely successful - they played around 12 shows in
Holland.
 |
back: |
Country Gazette went into the studio to record their second album "Don't give
up your day job" produced again by Jim Dickson, which was released 1973 after
they'd toured Europe and U.K. in September, October and November 1973. Line-up
again Berline, Bush, Wertz and Munde with a lot of guests: Herb Pedersen,
Clarence White (on 5 songs), Leland Sklar and ex-Flying Burrito Brother Al
Perkins.
They recorded songs from various musical genres. Stephen Stills "The
fallen eagle", Graham Nash's "Teach your children", Lester Flatt's and Earl
Scruggs' "Down the road", Elton John's "Honky cat", Don McLeans "Winterwood", a
Herb Pedersen composition and own songs.
| COUNTRY GAZETTE: Don 't give up your day job |  |
|---|---|
| - COUNTRY GAZETTE: Don't give up your day job (United
Artists UA-LA090-F) Produced by Jim Dickson with Byron Berline, Alan Munde, Roger Bush & Kenny Wertz guests: Clarence White, Herb Pedersen, Leland Sklar & Al Perkins Side A: Huckleberry Hornpipe/The fallen eagle/I don't believe you met
my baby/Deputy Dalton/Teach your children/My Oklahoma |
Note: This album was released in Holland on Sunset Records (5022) with a different cover. Picture almost like FBB "Blue-Grass Special" cover.
A few singles were released from that album:
 |
COUNTRY GAZETTE: Singles |  |
|---|---|---|
| - COUNTRY GAZETTE: Honky Cat/My Oklahoma (XW
390) with Byron Berline, Alan Munde, Roger Bush & Kenny Wertz guests: Herb Pedersen, Clarence White, Leland Sklar - COUNTRY GAZETTE: My Oklahoma/Down the road (XW 354) - COUNTRY GAZETTE: Teach your children/Huckleberry hornpipe (XW
227) |
United Artists Records released a 14 track compilation album 1979 under the title "From the beginning" of the first two albums ("A traitor in our midst" & "Don't give up your day job"). This album was also released on Sunset Records (SLS 50414) in Italy and UK:
| COUNTRY GAZETTE: From the beginning |  |
|---|---|
| - COUNTRY GAZETTE: From the beginning (United Artists
ORL-8234) Produced by Jim Dickson with Byron Berline, Alan Munde, Roger Bush & Kenny Wertz and guests from the first two albums Side A: Keep on pushin'/Sounds of goodbye/Huckleberry Hornpipe/My
Oklahoma/Hot Burrito breakdown/Aggravation/The fallen eagle |
On April 4th 1973 Clarence White was at Bob Baxter's "Guitar Workshop" TV-show. Guests with Clarence White was his brother Roland and the Gazette members Byron Berline and Alan Munde. Sierra Records released a video of that performance 1998.
Again some sessions were done around April 1973 at Byron Berline's house. Byron Berline, Roger Bush, Herb Pedersen, Roland & Clarence White taped songs like:
When Clarence White started to record his first solo album the Gazette
members Byron Berline and Roger Bush, early days Gazette member Herb Pedersen,
Clarence's brother Roland White (future member of Country Gazette) helped him
recording a few songs. Additional musicians were Leland Sklar, Ed Green and Ry
Cooder. Produced were those recordings by Jim Dickson. They recorded "Never
ending love", "Last thing on my mind", "Alabama jubilee" and "Why you been gone
so long". Those songs were recorded June 28-29 1973 - 16 days later Clarence
died when he was hit by a car after a gig in Palmdale (July 15, 1973). Those
songs were released by Sierra Records on the album "Silver Meteor".
Note:
Two more songs were recorded for Clarence's solo album "Waterbed" and "Lucky
me". Those songs are still unreleased!
1973 Skip Battin recorded his second solo album "Topanga Skyline" for
Atlantic records which is unrleased.
Musicians on that unreleased
album were Byron Berline, Roger Bush and Alan Munde from Country Gazette, Herb
Pedersen, Roland White (future Gazette member), Al Perkins, Chris Ethridge
(ex-Flying Burrito Brothers) Mike Botts and Bob Beeman, produced by Al Hersh.
| Skip Battin: Topanga Sykline - unreleased |
|---|
| - SKIP BATTIN: Topanga Skyline (Atlantic Records -
unreleased) Produced by Al Hersh with Skip Battin, Al Perkins, Roger Bush, Byron Berline, Alan Munde, Roland White Mike Botts, Chris Ethridge, Herb Pedersen & Bob Beeman Recorded tracks: Salty dog blues/Bolts of blue/Stoned sober/Relax with
me/Relax with me (second version) |
The New Kentucky Colonels |
Roland, Eric & Clarence |
But before that tour started the Kentucky Colonels (Clarence, Roland and Eric White and Herb Pedersen) did a few shows in Europe. Herb Pedersen had to leave in Holland right before group headed for Sweden and Alan Munde replaced him on the banjo.
One Swedish show was released as The White Brothers (The New Kentucky
Colonels): "Live in Sweden" on Rounder Records (0073) with Alan Munde on the
banjo. This album was released fall 1976.
| The White Brothers: Live in Sweden, 1973 |  |
|---|---|
| - The White Brothers: Live in Sweden, 1973 (Rounder
Records 0073) with Clarence, Roland & Eric White, Alan Munde Side A: Tell me baby why you been gone so long/Banjo boy chimes/Last
thing on my mind/Sally Goodin/Take a whiff on me/Rawhide/If you're ever
gonna love me |
In the liner-notes to the "Live in Sweden" album is written about Alan Munde:
"Country Store" |
"Bluegrass Gospel" |
Another interesting release with "Country Gazette" members is an album by
LeRoy (Mack) McNees (former "Kentucky Colonels" dobro player) and brothers Steve
& Dave Hatfield "Bluegrass Gospel According To Steve, LeRoy & Brother
Dave" released on Manna Records (MS-2023) 1974. Guests on that album are Gazette
members Byron Berline and Roger Bush, Roland White (future
Gazette member), Al Perkins (played in the Flying Burrito Brothers 1971 line-up
with Gazette members Kenny Wertz, Byron Berline and Roger Bush), John Hickman,
Tom Keene & John Parker.
Note: Another album was released 1976 as
"Steve, LeRoy and Brother Dave" (SLBD-001) including Berline, Bush, Roland
White, Al Perkins & John Hickman.The album "Steve and LeRoy sings: Life's
Railroad To Heaven" released on Crown Sound (CS-004) was recorded with Roger
Bush.