Oh i have heard of the burrito brothers but know absolutley nothing about them...wikipedia time!
sorry to hear that news...you actually knew him in person, or were you just keeping in contact with him? RIP
I got to know Sneaky when he was working with my friend Tommy Spurlock. Tommy knew Sneaky from the 70s in LA and was helping Sneaky get back in the music business after a long hiatus. I did an interview with Sneaky which I'll dig up and post. I also wrote some songs that ended up on Burrito Deluxe album "Georgia Peach" (2002) that Tommy produced and which featured Sneaky Pete. Sneaky was a very laid back interesting guy. Smart and meticulous with a brilliant style and sense of melody (he came of with great parts). He also had a one-of-a-kind steel guitar setup (8 strings with different tunings than most, he also incorporated an onboard overdrive switch onto his Fender 400).
Sneaky was a key presence to the classic Flying Burrito Brothers sound--if you listen to any live tapes you realize that he turned the steel into a lead instrument. The live sound is usually Gram or Chris Hillman on vocals and Sneaky on steel (very hot in the mix).
Sneaky also played hundreds of sessions in the 70s with Joni Mitchell, John Lennon, the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Warren Zevon, just to name a few.
In terms of classic period Flying Burrito Brothers albums, I'd start with "Sin City" or the double CD Best of. Sneaky Pete's own "Meet Sneaky Pete" is an instrumental classic, but I like his work with other folks better. Somebody ought to do a compilation of his work with others like they did with the Duane Allman two-album set.
