The Desert Rose Band was formed in 1985 by frontman Chris Hillman, formerly a member of The Byrds, and co-founder, along with the late Gram Parsons of the country-rock band The Flying Burrito Brothers. Additional members included John Jorgenson, who was mainly responsible for the instrumental arrangements of the songs; Herb Pedersen for the vocal arrangements. Pedersen sang the high tenor part above Hillman's tenor and each Desert Rose Band album featured Pedersen on one lead vocal. Drummer Steve Duncan and bassist Bill Bryson provided background vocals. Pedal steel player JayDee Maness rounded out the group.
Career
1987-1989: ''The Desert Rose Band'' and ''Running''
Their eponymous debut album was issued in 1987 on MCA/Curb. It contained their first hit "Ashes of Love" which was a Johnnie & Jack song from the early 1950s. It was the second time Hillman and Pedersen recorded "Ashes of Love," the first being on Hillman's just prior album Desert Rose on the Sugar Hill label. The Desert Rose Band's debut also featured a remake of Chris Hillman's "Time Between" which he previously wrote and recorded as a member of the Byrds, as well as the band's first chart-topper "He's Back and I'm Blue". Their second albumRunning featured the John Hiatt-penned hit "She Don't Love Nobody", "Running", and a remake of Buck Owens's "Hello Trouble".
1990-1993: ''Pages of Life'', ''True Love'' and ''Life Goes On''
The third album Pages of Life featured a remake of "Desert Rose" as well as a remake of Pedersen's folk song about his daughter "Our Baby's Gone" which was originally recorded on his 1976 album Southwest. JayDee Maness left the band in 1990 and was replaced on pedal steel guitar by Tom Brumley whom Jay Dee replaced in the Buckaroos. Maness would again play with Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen on their post Desert Rose Band duo albums Bakersfield Bound and Way Out West. The fourth studio album, True Love, was released in 1991. It was followed by 1993's Life Goes On, released only in Europe. Several prominent country and bluegrass musicians made guest appearances on Life Goes On including Sam Bush on fiddle, Tony Rice and Larry Park on guitar, and Al Perkins on dobro. Before the release of this final studio album, was the 1993 compilation Traditional. John Jorgenson and Steve Duncan left the band in 1991. Jorgenson went on to form the Hellecasters with Will Ray and Jerry Donahue; Duncan also joined the Hellecasters. John Jorgenson is currently playing gypsy jazz with his John Jorgenson Quintette. Chris and Herb recorded an acoustic album called The Other Side in 2005. They continue to tour as an acoustic duo. Former Buck Owens steel player Tom Brumley played with Joey Riley's band in Branson, Missouri. He died on February 3, 2009. On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed The Desert Rose Band among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.
