Byrds Announce ‘Sweetheart of the Rodeo’ Tour
Byrds co-founders Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman have announced a tour to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their landmark country-rock LP, Sweetheart of the Rodeo.
They will play the classic album in its entirety and share stories of its creation. The duo will receive backing by country music legend Marty Stuart and his band the Fabulous Superlatives.
“On March 9, 1968, Roger McGuinn and I, along with many fantastic musicians, began recording the Sweetheart of the Rodeo album at Columbia Studios in Nashville,” said Hillman. “We are honored that it has left a strong, long-lasting impression on country and rock music.”
“Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Sweetheart of the Rodeo with a group of my favorite musicians is an honor," McGuinn added. "We're all looking forward to taking the fans through the back pages of the recording.”
Though greeted with commercial indifference when it was released (it rose no higher than No. 77 on the Billboard 200 albums chart), Sweetheart’s stature has grown in the ensuing five decades, due in no small part to the influence of Gram Parsons, who had joined the Byrds, but due to contractual issues was not heavily featured on the album. Years later, his original vocals for the album were unearthed and included on a deluxe edition of the record.
Sweetheart of the Rodeo is widely considered to be one of the most influential country-rock albums of all time, and is often credited with impacting both the genre’s greatest bands (including acts like the Eagles, the Long Ryders and Wilco) and its genre offshoots, like Americana.
You can see a list of announced tour dates below. More shows will be announced soon.
Byrds Co-Founders Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman's 'Sweetheart of the Rodeo' 50th Anniversary 2018 Tour
July 24 - Los Angeles, Calif. -- Ace Hotel
July 29 - Saratoga, Calif. -- Mountain Winery
Sep 18 - Albany, N.Y. -- Hart Theater @ The Egg
Sep 20 -- Hopewell, Va. -- Beacon Theatre
Oct 3 -- Akron, Ohio -- Akron Civic Theatre