months later, I see Roger McGuinn at the Troubadour in L. A., onstage with an acoustic 12-string, singing“ I Want to Hold Your Hand.” And people were heckling him, but he was totally committed. And only a few months after that, The Byrds formed.

IE: It’ s interesting to note that the one album released by your first bluegrass outfit, The Scottsville Squirrel Barkers, was distributed in supermarkets. You’ re

you should hold your mandolin like this, so you’ re using your wrist. So get this technique down, play some scales, and learn your chords, and listen to records.” And that was about all I needed to get me going. And then I learned from other guys down in L. A. And I had such a passion for the music, no one even thought about making any money back then. The first time I got paid was in’ 63, and I got $ 7 for being in a bluegrass band in San Diego. And every year, the moment would come around where I’ d say,“ Okay – I’ m gonna go to school.” I was out of high school, and every year I planned to register for the next college semester. But something would happen, and I just kept going with music. And I kept getting better and better at it. But finally, after The Beatles had come out in’ 64, and everybody my age saw them on“ The Ed Sullivan Show,” I went,“ Wow! What was that?” And six

right – the music industry HAS changed!

CH: Yeah. And somebody had me sign one, an original one, the other day. Back then, you had to do public domain songs that didn’ t pay any royalties. And what did you do that for? You did it to get work. If you had an album, you could go to a folks club and the booking guy sees your record. And we did that whole album in four hours, the whole thing, live. It’ s probably one of the better records I’ ve made, because we were kids, just going for it, and playing without fear. And we each got a box of ten albums, and we each got $ 10, so that was $ 50, total. But it felt great.

IE: Best of all is the fact that you still have all these great friends who were happy to contribute to your“ Bidin’ My Time” cause. CH: I can’ t tell you how grateful I am. And

I think we’ re all at an age where you don’ t take everything quite so seriously. When you’ ve been doing this so many years, you say,“ I’ m glad I’ m alive, and I’ m glad I can get out of bed today.” And when you’ re doing something that you love to do, and you can still keep your head above water, well, that’ s what it’ s all about. So I look at this new record as a gift. When Herb said we got the deal and Rounder wanted to

Hillman( bottom left) with the Byrds, 1965

make a record with me, I went to meet the label guy and went,“ Are you sure this isn’ t just because Tom’ s involved?” And he assured me it wasn’ t. But hey – I’ m always trying to screw things up!

Chris Hillman ' s Bidin ' My Time( Rounder) is available now.

Tom Lanham