Time Between: My Life as a Byrd, Burrito Brother, and Beyond

Hillman (b. 1944) is one of many great musicians whose name is well known to fans but less recognizable to the general public. In high school, he listened to Flatt and Scruggs and the Stanley Brothers, honing his skills on guitar and mandolin. His father’s suicide when Hillman was 16, coupled with the burgeoning music scene of the early 1960s, led to his joining his first band, the Squirrel Barkers. He played with several groups in his early years, and his professional career saw musical affiliations that never lasted more than five years, yet each band was highly influential, from the Byrds and Manassas to the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Desert Rose Band. His memoir is filled with anecdotes about everything from the many dogs he owned as a child to his days in the studio and on the road with the Byrds to his history of ups and downs with solo artist Gram Parsons. A spiritual awakening in the 1990s was followed by a diagnosis of hepatitis C and kidney failure, which Hillman was able to overcome.