"Sneaky" Pete Kleinow Dies



By LISA LEFF
Associated Press Writer
January 08. 2007 11:52PM

"Sneaky" Pete Kleinow, a steel guitar prodigy who rose to fame as one of the original members of the Flying Burrito Brothers, has died. He was 72.

Kleinow, who also worked in film as an award-winning animator and special effects artist, died Saturday at a Petaluma convalescent home near the skilled nursing facility where he had been living with Alzheimer's disease since last year, his daughter Anita Kleinow said.

During a musical career that spanned six decades, Kleinow helped define the country-rock genre in the late 1960s and 1970s by taking the instrument he had picked up as a teenager in South Bend, Ind., to California.

His prowess with the pedal steel guitar influenced a generation of rock-and-rollers, including the Eagles, the Steve Miller Band and Poco.

Besides co-founding the Burrito Brothers with the Byrds' Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons in 1968, he enjoyed a steady gig as a session musician, recording with such singer-songwriters as John Lennon, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and Joni Mitchell and bands as varied as the Bee Gees and Sly and the Family Stone.

Kleinow played and recorded regularly with Burrito Deluxe, a band he founded in 2000 following the rebirth of alt-country music and fronted until he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. His last recording with the group is scheduled to be released next month, said Brenda Cline, the band's manager.

Kleinow also won acclaim as an animator, special effects artist and director of commercials in television and film. His credits ranged from the original "Gumby" series - he wrote and performed the theme music as well as designed cartoons - and the relaunched "The Twilight Zone" to the movies "Under Siege," "Fearless" and "The Empire Strikes Back." He won an Emmy award in 1983 for his work on the miniseries, "The Winds of War."

Kleinow is survived by his wife of 54 years, Ernestine, his daughters Anita and Tammy, and three sons, Martin, Aaron and Cosmo.

Plans for a memorial service to be held in Joshua Tree later this month are pending.


here's The Flying Burrito Bros doing "Christine's Tune" :-

May country angels
With wings a-beating
Steal your soul away "Sneaky"....RIP





ROCKMAN

[www.nme.com]

Sad news! One of the best guitarists ever.

I will always remember him for his long solo on Frank Zappa's Waka/Jawaka album... And the theme music from Gumby: what a guy!!

For years I thought he was sort of one of the Mothers of Invention!

..and I was just thinking last week..whatever happened to Sneaky Pete? Then I
went to wikipedia and read all about him...he won an emmy for special effects for "The Winds of War"; amazing

in addition to the burritos stuff, and a career as an animator!! as well as writing music for movies, Kleinow appears on numerous rock and country-rock albums, including those by:

Jackson Browne
Dillard & Clark
The Byrds
John Lennon
Frank Zappa
Little Feat
Rita Coolidge
The Steve Miller Band.
Stevie Wonder
Fleetwood Mac
The Golden Palominos
Yoko Ono
Dion and the Belmonts
Billy Joel
Joan Baez
the Bee Gees
Booker T. and the MG's
Gene Clark
Joe Cocker
Gordon Lightfoot
Leonard Cohen
The Rolling Stones
Linda Ronstadt
Dave Mason
John Cale
The Knack
Joni Mitchell
Doug Sahm
Neil Sedaka
The Eagles
Robert Palmer
The Ventures
Peaches & Herb
The Everly Brothers
Jermaine Jackson
Gladys Knight
Carly Simon
Sly & the Family Stone
Ringo Starr
______

a true phenom and i just wanted to pay my respects and give my thanks.

An amazing musician,one of the best guitar players ever.When I first heard The guilded palace of sin,the first thing that I noticed were ubelievably amazing pedal still guitar lines of Pete.He also did some great work on many other records,many of which I steel didn't hear but what I heard so far is enough for me to say that he was without doubt a musical prodigy,



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-01-10 20:47 by stones_serb.

An amazing musician,one of the best guitar players ever.When I first heard The guilded palace of sin,the first thing that I noticed were ubelievably amazing pedal steel guitar lines of Pete.He also did some great work on many other records,many of which I still didn't hear but what I heard so far is enough for me to say that he was without doubt a musical prodigy



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-01-10 20:46 by stones_serb.

What album/songs did he play on with the Rolling Stones?

I don't think any with the Stones....

From Nico Zentgraf's website:

691209A 9th, 10th & 18th December: London, Olympic Sound Studios. Producer: Jimmy Miller.
Sound engineer: Glyn Johns.

- Wild Horses II (MJ/KR) -Sneaky Pete Kleinow on piano (tape send to US for overdub purposes, recorded on version I)

chrismusic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What album/songs did he play on with the Rolling
> Stones?


torn and frayed

incorrect-
Al Perkins played steel on Torn & Frayed.

He was only talking about it, at a gig i attended, on Monday night.

The thing about Sneaky Pete's pedal steel playing is that it is very different sounding from most other pedal steel guitarists. Although each steeler has there own sound, Sneaky Petes was well ahead of his time. The use of fuzz pedal and other effects were ahead of his time.

It was Sneaky Pete and Al Perkins who really inspired me to take up pedal steel.

It is a sad loss.

(Yes, Al Perkins played on Torn and Frayed. By the way, Al is currently touring the UK and Europe.)

Melbourne Age - 16 January 2007



ROCKMAN

Quote
Glam Descendant
From Nico Zentgraf's website:



- Wild Horses II (MJ/KR) -Sneaky Pete Kleinow on piano (tape send to US for overdub purposes, recorded on version I)

On piano??????

One of the greats, for sure. Mainstream press will all talk about the Burritos, but there was so, so much more that Pete contributed.

One of the true greats! RIP, Pete!

This was 2007 news for those who didn't notice.

I don't think Sneaky play piano on "Wild Horses"...he play perfect guitar

Oops! I didn't notice he passed in 2007...

Quote
Glam Descendant
From Nico Zentgraf's website:

691209A 9th, 10th & 18th December: London, Olympic Sound Studios. Producer: Jimmy Miller.
Sound engineer: Glyn Johns.

- Wild Horses II (MJ/KR) -Sneaky Pete Kleinow on piano (tape send to US for overdub purposes, recorded on version I)

Sure not. Kleinow does the pedal steel on this version:






Mathijs

Thanks Mathijs..who play the organ??? Billy Preston i think...

old news

Quote
hulloder
Thanks Mathijs..who play the organ??? Billy Preston i think...

According to a Gram Parsons interview the tapes where sent to him in in LA early 1970, where steel guitar by Kleinow and organ by Leon Russell where added, produced by Denny Cordell.

Mathijs

I thought Jim Dickinson played piano on WH ???

It was better to start a new thread..........bit confusing

__________________________

- Wild Horses II (MJ/KR) -Sneaky Pete Kleinow on piano (tape send to US for
overdub purposes, recorded on version I)

- Wild Horses VI (MJ/KR) -Billy Preston on organ

i think that II and VI are the same version posted by Mathijs