Burrito Deluxe, a band that features former Flying Burrito Brothers pedal steel
guitarist Sneaky Pete Kleinow, The Band's keyboardist Garth Hudson, Tommy
Spurlock and Carlton Moody alongside newcomer Willie Watson, will release their
debut album titled Georgia Peach (Lamon Records, distributed by Redeye
Distribution) on February 28, 2003. Among the album's special guests are Gillian
Welch and David Rawlings, former Flying Burrito Brother Gib Guilbeau and Barry Bales
of Alison Krauss & Union Station. The band will tour in 2003.
Georgia Peach derives its name from another GP — the late, legendary Gram
Parsons, nicknamed the "Georgia Peach" — with whom pedalist Sneaky Pete played in
the Flying Burrito Brothers. Spurlock frequently accompanied the band on their L.A.
dates. Burrito Deluxe culled its band name from the title of the Flying Burrito
Brothers' second album.
The band's tri-generational makeup illustrates the depth of Gram Parsons' influences
on contemporary music of the past three decades. The band was organized by
Tommy Spurlock, regarded by some as the last of the "operators" in the tradition of
Sam Phillips, Norm Petty or Brian Ahern. A native Texan transplanted to Los Angeles
in the '70s, Spurlock became acquainted with Sneaky Pete. He also befriended
members of The Band including Garth Hudson and the late Rick Danko. So, in a
sense, the seeds of Georgia Peach were sewn in the '70s in L.A.
In 2002 Spurlock assembled Burrito Deluxe to pay tribute to his mentor Sneaky Pete
Kleinow, who is close to 70 years old, bringing him back into the recording studio
after a decade's absence. Sneaky Pete had spent the post-Burrito years in roles
varied from accompanist to Joni Mitchell and John Lennon to a stint as chief animator
in the "Gumby" television series.
