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Peter E. "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow (August 20, 1934 – January 6, 2007) was an American country-rock musician, songwriter, and a motion picture special effects artist. He is best known as a member of the band the Flying Burrito Brothers and as a session musician for such artists as Joan Baez, Jackson Browne, The Byrds, Joe Cocker, Rita Coolidge, The Eagles, The Everly Brothers, George Harrison, The Steve Miller Band, Joni Mitchell, The Rolling Stones, Ringo Starr, Stevie Wonder, Spencer Davis, Linda Ronstadt and many others.

Biography [edit]

Kleinow was born in South Bend, Indiana. Before his musical career, he originally worked as a special effects artist and stop motion animator for movies and television, including the Gumby, Outer Limits, and Davey and Goliath series, as well as movies such as 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (starring Tony Randall and Barbara Eden) and The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm.

At night, Kleinow would frequently sit in with Bakersfield Sound-oriented combos and early country-rock aggregations playing the pedal steel guitar. Through this scene he became acquainted with Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons of The Byrds, helping the group to replicate their newly country-oriented sound onstage with banjoist Doug Dillard.^[1] He lived in Albuquerque for a brief period of time.

After leaving the Byrds, in 1968, Parsons and Hillman invited Kleinow to join their new band, the Flying Burrito Brothers.^[1] Subsequently, Kleinow left behind his career in visual effects and spent the next thirteen years as a professional musician.

One of the first pedal steel players to work in a rock context, Kleinow incorporated liberal use of electronic innovations like the fuzzbox and backwards recording techniques. As such, his style of playing was immediately influential upon second-generation players such as Jerry Garcia, Buddy Cage of the New Riders of the Purple Sage and sessionman Al Perkins.

Finding session work to be more lucrative, he left the Flying Burrito Brothers in 1971 and played for an eclectic range of artists, including Joe Cocker (Joe Cocker!, 1969), Delaney, Bonnie and Friends (To Bonnie from Delaney, 1970) and Little Feat (many albums including Sailin' Shoes, 1972).^[1]

He also added steel guitar to records by Frank Zappa (Waka/Jawaka, 1972), the Bee Gees (Life in a Tin Can, 1973), John Lennon (Mind Games, 1973), Linda Ronstadt (Heart Like A Wheel, 1974), Stevie Wonder (Fulfillingness' First Finale, 1974 and Songs in the Key of Life, 1976), and Fleetwood Mac (Heroes Are Hard to Find, 1974).^[1]

In 1974 Kleinow was part of a new band, Cold Steel, and then a reconstituted Flying Burrito Brothers. His first solo album, Sneaky Pete, was released in 1978 and The Legend and the Legacy followed in 1994.

He returned to special effects and created the dinosaurs for the comic film Caveman (1981), starring Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Kleinow created special effects for movies such as The Empire Strikes Back, Gremlins, The Right Stuff, The Terminator, and Terminator 2, while continuing to work sporadically as a professional musician.^[1][2]

In 1983, his work on the television miniseries The Winds of War was recognized with an Emmy Award for Special Visual Effects.^[2]

In 2000, Kleinow formed a group called Burrito Deluxe (also the name of a 1970 Flying Burrito Brothers album) with Garth Hudson, former organist of The Band, Carlton Moody of the Moody Brothers on lead vocals and guitars, bassist Jeff "Stick" Davis of Amazing Rhythm Aces and drummer Rick Lonow. The group recorded three albums, Georgia Peach, The Whole Enchilada and 2007's Disciples Of The Truth, which feature his last studio recordings. Kleinow's last performance was at a 2005 Gram Parsons tribute "Gram Fest" concert in Joshua Tree, California, the town Gram Parsons had died in.

Death [edit]

He died at a convalescent home near the skilled nursing facility in Petaluma, California, where he had been living with Alzheimer's disease since 2006.^[2]

Personal life [edit]

Kleinow was married to Connie Williams Kleinow from 1979 to 1996. She recorded a record with him.^{[citation needed]} Kleinow was survived by his wife, three sons and two daughters.^[2]

Discography [edit]

For albums by the Flying Burrito Brothers see their discography.

Solo projects [edit]

• Cold Steel (1974)
• Sneaky Pete (1979)
• The Legend and the Legacy (1994)
• Meet Sneaky Pete (2001)

Other appearances [edit]

Kleinow appears on numerous rock and country-rock albums, including those by:

• Joan Baez
• The Bee Gees
• Booker T. and the MG's
• Jackson Browne
• The Byrds
• John Cale
• Cherokee
• Gene Clark
• Joe Cocker
• Leonard Cohen
• Rita Coolidge
• Rick Danko
• Delaney & Bonnie
• Sandy Denny
• Dillard & Clark
• Dion and the Belmonts
• The Eagles
• The Everly Brothers
• Mimi Fariña
• Fleetwood Mac
• The Golden Palominos
• Gib Guilbeau
• George Harrison
• Jermaine Jackson
• Billy Joel
• Al Kooper
• John Lennon
• Gordon Lightfoot
• Little Feat
• Little Richard
• Barbara Keith
• The Knack
• Gladys Knight
• The Lemonheads
• Dave Mason
• Mason Proffit
• The Steve Miller Band
• Joni Mitchell
• Harry Nilsson
• Danny O'Keefe
• Yoko Ono
• Robert Palmer
• Peaches & Herb
• Minnie Riperton
• The Rolling Stones
• Linda Ronstadt
• Doug Sahm
• Neil Sedaka
• Judee Sill
• Carly Simon
• Sly & the Family Stone
• Ringo Starr
• The Talbot Brothers
• The Ventures
• Stevie Wonder
• Frank Zappa
• Bobby Solo
• The Grapes of Wrath
• The Rave-Ups

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• For Pete's Sake: Official Sneaky Pete Kleinow website
• Official Burrito Deluxe website

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