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MUSICIANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE BYRDS
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Greg Thomas
Eddie Tickner
Ronnie Tutt
Gary Usher
Dino Valenti
Before joining Thunderbyrd, drummer Greg Thomas played with Taj Mahal, started a group called the Fabulous Rhinestones with Harvey Brooks of the Electric Flag, backed Dolly Parton, then joined Leon Russell. In late 1976, Thomas joined Thunderbyrd and drummed on the album by that name. He rejoined Russell and toured behind Rick Danko before rejoining McGuinn for McGuinn Clark & Hillman (Capitol, 1979).
His next credit was Neil Young's Hawks & Doves (Reprise, 1980). After a career hiatus, Thomas joined Gene Clark's 20th Anniversary Tribute to the Byrds in 1986.Eddie Tickner
Eddie Tickner was an accountant who got into music when he started managing Odetta in the early '60s. Through his work with Odetta he met, Jim Dickson, who had done recording work with a number of jazz musicians as well as with Lord Buckley and Odetta. In 1963, he formed a partnership with Dickson, first as a music publishing concern (Tickson Music) and later as an artists' management company. Tickner handled the money, and Dickson the music.
The first song published by Tickson was Dino Valenti's "Get Together," which eventually sold very well (although Tickson was later pressured in to selling it).Through Dickson's work with David Crosby, Tickner and Dickson became the Byrds' managers. They managed the band and, when he went solo in '66, Gene Clark, until 1967, when both the Byrds and Clark switched to Larry Spector, Peter Fonda's manager.Tickson reentered the Byrds story in 1969, when Chris Hillman brought him in to manage the Flying Burrito Brothers. His tenure began only a few months before Parsons was ejected from the band. Later that year, Tickner introduced Rick Roberts to the Burritos.When Gram Parsons returned from England in 1971, looking to record a solo album, he called Tickner, who agreed to manage him. Tickner was instrumental in securing members of Elvis Presley's band to back Parsons on his solo albums. After the death of Gram Parsons, Tickner took on Emmylou Harris, who credits him for plotting her early career so successfully. Tickner also instigated the revival of the Flying Burrito Brothers who recorded Flying Again (Columbia, 1975). Later Tickner also managed musicians as diverse as Etta James and Marty Stuart.Tickner, who recently retired, has a reputation as laid-back, voluble, and thoroughly honest. One last Byrds connection: his wife Delores was formerly married to Roger McGuinn.Ronnie Tutt
Drummer Ronnie Tutt played with Elvis Presley's TCB Band. He took a break to play on the two solo albums by Gram Parsons, which led to a regular gig with Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band. Tutt has also drummed behind Michael Nesmith, Billy Joel, Johnny Cash, Mink DeVille, and Elvis Costello. Tutt also played on Chris Hillman's Desert Rose (Sugar Hill, 1984) and Eye of the Hurricane (Sundown, 1993) by the late model Flying Burrito Brothers.
Gary Usher
Gary Usher was a neighbor of the Wilson brothers and got his start writing Beach Boys songs with Brian Wilson, including such hits as "In My Room" and "409."
He produced the Byrds LPs Younger than Yesterday, The Notorious Byrd Brothers, and Sweetheart of the Rodeo, and parts of Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers (Columbia, 1967).In the late '60s, Usher had his own band, Sagittarius, which released several LPs. He died of cancer in 1990.Dino Valenti
Dino Valenti started out as part of the bi-coastal early '60s folk scene. He befriended and briefly shared a houseboat with David Crosby, and let Mike Clarke accompany him on bongos. During those years, Valenti recorded some songs with Byrds manager Jim Dickson, which led to Dickson recording Crosby. Around this time, Valenti wrote the folk-rock classic "Get Together," the first song published by Tickson Music, Jim Dickson and Eddie Tickner's music publishing company. The song was a monster hit for the Youngbloods in 1967 and the theme song for the National Conference of Christians and Jews in 1969.
Valenti also copyrighted a version of the song "Hey Joe" under his real name, Chester Powers. Crosby often sang the song with the Byrds, well before they recorded it on Fifth Dimension, and is responsible for popularizing it on the West Coast.In 1964 Valenti helped found the San Francisco band Quicksilver Messenger Service, but he got thrown in jail on a drug bust before they ever recorded. He rejoined them in 1970, just in time for their one big hit, "Fresh Air."To find out more about Valenti, try the Quickslver Messenger Service page.[Back to top.]
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