Clyde "Skip" Battin (February 18, 1934 – July 6, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter, bassist, performer, and recording artist. He was a member of

the Byrds The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...

, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, and

the Flying Burrito Brothers The Flying Burrito Brothers are an American country rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1968, best known for their influential 1969 debut album, ''The Gilded Palace of Sin''. Although the group is known for its connection to band f ...

Εarly life

Clyde Raybould Battin was born in

Gallipolis Gallipolis ( ) is a village in Gallia County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in Southeast Ohio along the Ohio River about southeast of Chillicothe and northwest of Charleston, West Virginia. The population was 3,313 ...

, Ohio, USA, attending local schools. He discovered the electric bass when he was 17 years old. Two years later, he moved to

Tucson Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

to attend

physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

classes at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

. With fellow student Gary Paxton, he formed a college band, the Pledges. As Gary and Clyde, they recorded the single "Why Not Confess" (with "Johnny Risk" on the flipside) for Rev Records, a local label. In 1959, they went into the Desert Palm Studios in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, the home of guitarist

Duane Eddy Duane Eddy (April 26, 1938 – April 30, 2024) was an American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had a string of hit records produced by Lee Hazlewood which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" guitar sound, including ...

, and recorded some Paxton compositions. Entrepreneur Bob Shad issued the demo of the duo's song "It Was I" on his Brent label, and renamed the act as " Skip & Flip". Their song eventually made No 11 in the American charts. The follow-up, "Fancy Nancy", was a minor hit, but they charted again in 1960 with a cover of the Marvin and Johnny

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

"Cherry Pie". The

novelty Novelty (derived from Latin word ''novus'' for "new") is the quality of being new, or following from that, of being striking, original or unusual. Novelty may be the shared experience of a new cultural phenomenon or the subjective perception of an ...

number "Hully Gully Cha Cha Cha", written by Paxton and Battin, garnered airplay but did not make the charts. A short time later, the pair disbanded. In 1961, Battin moved to California, where he got small acting parts in films and on television. In 1966, after a few years out of the

music industry The music industry are individuals and organizations that earn money by Songwriter, writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music and sheet music, presenting live music, concerts, ...

, he formed the short-lived folk-rock group Evergreen Blueshoes, whose one album appeared on the Amos label. After the album failed to sell, Battin concentrated instead on session work for many musicians, such as

Gene Vincent Vincent Eugene Craddock (February 11, 1935 – October 12, 1971), known as Gene Vincent, was an American rock and roll musician who pioneered the style of rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his backing band the Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-a-Lula", is ...

Warren Zevon Warren William Zevon (January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer and songwriter. His most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money" and "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner". All t ...

, and others.

Fame

Battin is probably best known as bass guitarist and songwriter with

from 1970 to 1973. He was—by eight years—the oldest member of the Byrds. He recorded three albums with them and toured extensively. Many of his songwriting contributions were co-written with

Kim Fowley Kim Vincent Fowley (July 21, 1939 – January 15, 2015) was an American record producer, songwriter and musician who was behind a string of novelty and cult pop rock singles in the 1960s, and managed the Runaways in the 1970s. He has been ...

. After the breakup of the Columbia Byrds, Battin recorded a solo album, ''Skip''. In February 1973, he began work on his ''Topanga Skyline'' solo album. After it was completed, it was shelved for unclear reasons. Battin was invited to join the country-rock group

New Riders of the Purple Sage New Riders of the Purple Sage is an American country rock band. The group emerged from the psychedelic rock scene in San Francisco in 1969 and its original lineup included several members of the Grateful Dead. The band is sometimes referred to ...

, with whom he recorded three albums from 1974 to 1976. He left the group to join his ex-Byrd cohort Gene Parsons in a new line up of the Flying Burrito Brothers. Meanwhile, he was replaced in the New Riders within the year by

Stephen A. Love Stephen A. Love is an American musician, producer and CEO. He lives near New York City and in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. Love has multiple references in the old and new ''Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'', ''The Great Rock Discog ...

. In 1984, Battin got into a fight with Roger McGuinn after a live performance in London, UK, when McGuinn failed to pay wages to a line-up called the Peace Seekers. From 1989 to 1991, Battin toured occasionally with Michael Clarke's Byrds, named "The Byrds featuring Michael Clarke." After Clarke's death, the band continued as The Byrds Celebration, with Battin the sole ex-Byrds member. He stopped touring and recording after his

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

had reached an advanced state.

Personal life

Battin married and had a son, Brent. In the 1980s he remarried, had a son, John-Clyde and daughter, Susanna, while pursuing his dream of farming with his wife Patricia in the agricultural Willamette Valley of Oregon. Battin died on July 6, 2003, of complications from

. In 2012, following negotiations undertaken by his son Brent with the record company, the 1973 solo album ''Topanga Skyline'' was released on Sierra Records in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Skip Battin's first appearance with the Byrds.

Discography

Solo albums

* 1972: ''Skip'' (Signpost) * 1981: ''Navigator'' (Appaloosa) * 1984: ''Don't Go Crazy'' (Appaloosa) * 2012: ''Topanga Skyline'' ( Sierra) (recorded July 17–30, 1973 in Hollywood CA) * 2017: ''Skip Battin's Italian Dream'' (Appaloosa)

Collaborations

* 1985: ''Live in Italy'' (Moondance) with Sneaky Pete Kleinow and * 1998: ''Family Tree'' (Folkest Dischi) with John York, Ricky Mantoan, and Beppe D'Angelo

With Skip & Flip　

Singles

* 1959: " It Was I" / "Lunch Hour" US #11 * 1959: "Fancy Nancy" / "It Could Be" US #71 * 1960: "

Cherry Pie Cherry pie is a pie baked with a cherry filling. Traditionally, it is made with sour cherries rather than sweet cherries. Sour Cherry, Morello cherries are one of the most common kinds of cherry used, but other varieties such as the black cherr ...

" / "(I'll Quit) Cryin' Over You" US #11 * 1960: "Hully Gully Cha Cha Cha" / "Teenage Honeymoon" US #109 * 1960: "Willow Tree" / " Green Door" * 1961: "Betty Jean" / "Doubt" * 1962: "One More Drink for Julie" / " Over the Mountain"

As The Skip Battin Combo　

Singles

* 1962: "Can't Stop Twistin" / "Quarter To Three In Moscow" (Indigo Records)

With the Evergreen Blueshoes

* 1969: ''The Ballad of Evergreen Blueshoes'' (

Amos Amos or AMOS may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Amos'' (album), an album by Michael Ray * Amos (band), an American Christian rock band * ''Amos'' (film), a 1985 American made-for-television drama film * Amos (guitar), a 1958 Gibson Fl ...

)

With The Byrds

* 1970: '' (Untitled)'' ( Columbia) * 1971: '' Byrdmaniax'' (Columbia) * 1971: '' Farther Along'' (Columbia) * 2008: '' Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971'' (Sundazed)

With The Flying Burrito Brothers

* 1976: '' Airborne'' (Columbia) * 1979: '' Live from Tokyo'' (

Regency In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

) * 1981: '' Hearts on the Line'' (

Curb A curb (American English) or kerb (British English) is the edge where a raised sidewalk/pavement or road median/central reservation meets a street/other roadway. History Although curbs have been used throughout modern history, and indeed ...

) as The Burrito Brothers * 1983: ''Hollywood Nights 1979–82'' (Sundown) * 1985: '' Cabin Fever'' (

Relix ''Relix'', originally and occasionally later ''Dead Relix'', is a magazine that focuses on live and improvisational music. The magazine was launched in 1974 as a handmade newsletter devoted to connecting people who recorded Grateful Dead concer ...

) * 1986: '' Live from Europe'' (Relix) * 1991: ''Close Encounters on the West Coast'' (Relix)

With New Riders of the Purple Sage

* 1974: '' Brujo'' (Columbia) * 1975: ''

Oh, What a Mighty Time ''Oh, What a Mighty Time'' is an album by the country rock band New Riders of the Purple Sage. Their sixth studio album and their seventh album overall, it was released by Columbia Records in 1975. ''Oh, What a Mighty Time'' was produced by Bo ...

'' (Columbia) * 1976: '' New Riders'' ( MCA) * 1993: '' Live on Stage'' (Relix) * 2005: '' Armadillo World Headquarters, Austin, TX, 6/13/75'' (Kufala)

Also appears on

* 1969:

– '' Wanted Dead or Alive'' ( Imperial) * 1973:

– ''International Heroes'' ( Capitol) * 1975:

Earl Scruggs Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-finge ...

Revue – ''Anniversary Special Volume One'' (Columbia) * 1978:

– ''Visions of the Future'' (Capitol) * 1979: Sneaky Pete Kleinow – ''Sneaky Pete'' (Shiloh)

References

External links

* *

in the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', July 10, 2003
Skip Battin discography
at Byrds Flyght

at American Music Belgium {{DEFAULTSORT:Battin, Skip 1934 births 2003 deaths People from Gallipolis, Ohio American country rock singers American rock songwriters American rock singers The Byrds members The Flying Burrito Brothers members Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Oregon American rock bass guitarists American male singer-songwriters 20th-century American singer-songwriters American country singer-songwriters American country bass guitarists American male bass guitarists New Riders of the Purple Sage members Guitarists from Ohio 20th-century American bass guitarists 20th-century American male singers Singer-songwriters from Ohio

Εarly life

Fame

Personal life

Discography

Solo albums

Collaborations

With Skip & Flip

Singles

As The Skip Battin Combo

Singles

With the Evergreen Blueshoes

With The Byrds

With The Flying Burrito Brothers

With New Riders of the Purple Sage

Also appears on

References

Further reading

External links

With Skip & Flip　

As The Skip Battin Combo　