The Hillmen (a.k.a. the Golden State Boys) were a southern Californian bluegrass group.[1] Formed in 1962, the original line-up of the Golden State Boys consisted of Vern Gosdin on guitar and lead vocals, his brother Rex Gosdin on double bass, Hal Poindexter on guitar, and Don Parmley on banjo.[2][3] Poindexter left the group in late 1962, however, and was replaced by 17-year-old mandolin prodigy Chris Hillman.[3] Hillman, who had previously been a member of the high-profile San Diego bluegrass group the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers, was invited to join the Golden State Boys by Parmley, after the pair met at a bluegrass evening at The Ice House folk club in Pasadena.[3][4] Upon his recruitment, the group briefly changed their name to the Blue Diamond Boys before finally settling on The Hillmen, in honor of their mandolin playing wunderkind.[3]
The Hillmen | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Genres | Bluegrass |
| Years active | 1962–1964 |
| Labels | Together |
| Past members | Chris Hillman Vern Gosdin Rex Gosdin Don Parmley Hal Poindexter |
The Hillmen played regularly throughout southern California between 1962 and 1964 and also made a number of television appearances, bringing them to the attention of record producer Jim Dickson.[3][4][5] Over the course of three months in 1963 and 1964, Dickson recorded The Hillmen at World Pacific Studios in Los Angeles, in an attempt to secure a recording contract with Elektra Records.[2][3] Unfortunately, Elektra turned the group down and the World Pacific recordings went unreleased until 1969, when they were issued on the Together Records imprint as The Hillmen album.
By mid-1964, the group had broken up and Chris Hillman was subsequently recruited by Jim Dickson as The Byrds' bass player in October of that year.[3][6] Following The Hillmen's demise, Parmley went on to form the Bluegrass Cardinals, while Vern Gosdin became a country and western singer and Rex Gosdin worked as a songwriter.[1]
Personnel
edit- Chris Hillman – mandolin, vocals
- Vern Gosdin – guitar, vocals
- Rex Gosdin – double bass, vocals
- Don Parmley – banjo, vocals
- Hal Poindexter - guitar
References
edit- ^ a b Loftus, Johnny. "Biography of The Hillmen". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-06-01.
- ^ a b Rosenburg, Neil V. (2005). Bluegrass: A History. University of Illinois Press. p. 194. ISBN 0-252-07245-6.
- ^ a b c d e f g Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. pp. 42–43. ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
- ^ a b Einarson, John. (2005). Mr. Tambourine Man: The Life and Legacy of the Byrds' Gene Clark. Backbeat Books. p. 47. ISBN 0-87930-793-5.
- ^ Hjort, Christopher. (2008). So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965-1973). Jawbone Press. p. 14. ISBN 1-906002-15-0.
- ^ Hjort, Christopher. (2008). So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965-1973). Jawbone Press. p. 20. ISBN 1-906002-15-0.