Country rocker Chris Hillman opens Serenade

SERENADE:
Former Byrds guitarist Chris Hillman, left, and Herb Pedersen will open Mosquito Serenade on June 10.

The Mosquito Serenade's 2009 opener, Chris Hillman, described his part in the genesis of country rock. Now 64, his span as a musician involves playing a variety of bands, including the Byrds in the 1960s.

Songs from his work with the Byrds will be on the set list for his performance come June 10 at 7 p.m. in the Anderson River Park.

"The Byrds really were the pioneers (of country rock)," Hillman said. "We were very adventurous about what we wanted to accomplish. We refined that mix of rock and country and handed the ball off to the Eagles who made a lot of touchdowns."

When the Byrds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Eagles frontman Don Henley made the induction speech, acknowledging the Byrds as a point of inspiration when he was in high school, Hillman said.

Even the Rolling Stones opted for the Byrds during the Rolling Stones first tour in California, Hillman said.

"I always had the passion for music," Hillman said. "I got the grasp at age 15," he said. "I never thought I'd make a living out of it. Rock and roll wasn't my thing. I was into traditional country, folk and bluegrass music."

"The Byrds came out of folk music. We weren't a rock band at all. We didn't even know how to plug in the amplifiers," he said. "Without any previous experience in rock and roll, we developed our own sound. I was lucky to be a part of it."

The band big Los Angeles following, but lacked a national fan base until Columbia Records released their single, "Mr. Tambourine Man," an international hit released in 1965. Hillman remembers he was just 21.

"Tambourine literally put us on the world stage," Hillman said, crediting the bands manager for bringing them Bob Dylan's song to record.

Towards the end of the Byrds' span in the late 1960s, musicians were seeking other influences outside of the rock and roll mainstream.

"Country was the obvious place to go to," Hillman said.

"Country and rock 'n' roll have always been like cousins. Bands like the Flying Burrito Brothers (whose band members began with) the Byrds and Poco which came out of Buffalo Springfield did what journalists said at the time called country rock.

"What came out of that amalgamation was the Eagles, who in mid- '70s took the reverse course and took it back to rock and roll. They were real professionals about it."

Hillman will be joined by guitarist Herb Pedersen at the opening of the 2009 Mosquito Serenade music series in Anderson.