Birth name Clyde Battin Name Skip Battin | Instruments Vocals, bass guitar Role Singer-songwriter Years active 1956–1991 Movies Coogan's Bluff | |
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Born February 18, 1934Gallipolis, Ohio, United States ( 1934-02-18 ) Genres Rock, Country rock, Folk rock Died July 6, 2003, Salem, Oregon, United States Albums The Best of The Byrds: Greatest, History of The Byrds, Home - Home on the Road, Gram Parsons Archives, California Jukebox | ||
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter | ||
Gene parsons recalls a skip battin story
Clyde "Skip" Battin (February 18, 1934 – July 6, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter, bassist, performer and recording artist. He is best remembered as a member of the Byrds, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, and the Flying Burrito Brothers. While considered to be a great bass player, songwriter and vocalist, he generally joined bands after their most successful periods.
Contents
- Gene parsons recalls a skip battin story
- Gene parsons skip battin sneaky pete ed ponder
- Solo albums
- Collaborations
- With The Byrds
- With The Flying Burrito Brothers
- With New Riders of the Purple Sage
- Also appears on
- References
Battin was born Clyde Raybould Battin in Gallipolis, Ohio. His early musical career began in 1956 when he collaborated with Gary Paxton and formed the Pledges, the same duo later successfully recording as Skip & Flip, enjoying some success with "It Was I", and their cover of "Cherry Pie". After a few years out of the music industry, he led the short-lived folk-rock group Evergreen Blueshoes, starting in 1967. Their one album appeared on the Amos label.
As a musician, Battin is probably best known for his position as bass guitarist and songwriter with the Byrds from 1970 to 1973. He was—by eight years—the oldest member of the Byrds, with whom he recorded three albums and toured extensively. Many of his songwriting contributions were co-written with longtime collaborator and famous producer/songwriter Kim Fowley. After the breakup of the Columbia Byrds, Battin recorded a solo album, Skip. After his dismissal from the group in February 1973, he began work on his Topanga Skyline album (that later saw a release over 40 years later in 2012). The album was shelved, and he was invited to join the country-rock group the New Riders of the Purple Sage, with whom he recorded three albums from 1974 to 1976, whereupon he left to join his ex-Byrd cohort Gene Parsons in the "re-fried" Flying Burrito Brothers.
Battin's career continued successfully and included stints with the Flying Burrito Brothers, The Burrito Brothers, collaborations with notable country rock musicians, and numerous solo projects. From 1989 to 1991, he toured occasionally with Michael Clarke's Byrds. After Clarke's death, the band continued as The Byrds Celebration, with Battin the sole ex-Byrds member. He stopped touring and recording when Alzheimer's disease prevented him from continuing.
Battin died on the evening of July 6, 2003, of complications from Alzheimer's disease in a care facility in Salem, Oregon. A solo album recorded by Battin, Topanga Skyline, was released in February 2012. This album was originally recorded in 1973 but was shelved indefinitely until its eventual 2012 release on Sierra records, a company which features works from Battin and his early '70s country-rock contemporaries.