Chris
ILLINOIS ENTERTAINER: You’ ve actually been away ten long years? CHRIS HILLMAN: Well, I’ ve been working with Herb Pedersen as a duo. We go out quite a bit and we’ ve built a good brand name, where we work whenever we want to with zero overhead. And I did
because it’ s a completely different label, and the promotion they’ re doing there is amazing.” So I talked to Tom and said,“ Are you sure you wanna do this?” And he said,“ Well, do you want me to?” And I said,“ Of course I want you to! I’ d love to work with you!” So he said,“ let’ s do it! We’ ll use my studio.” And I said,“ But you haven’ t heard any of my songs.” And he told me he wasn’ t worried. So it was the smoothest record I’ ve ever made, and it was so much fun. And probably the reason is that I’ m not chasing a career or trying to get on the charts like in the old days. And of course, having Crosby come in and sing on one track, and having Roger overdub some stuff was awesome – we had to send that to him in Florida because he couldn’ t get out to the studio.
Chris Hillman, 2017
11 • 2017 make records for the old Rounder and Sugar Hill labels, but once in a while. And then I was just winding it down, Because I do have – thank God – songs I’ ve written with The Byrds which creates a nice, comfortable royalty stream. Am I Bruce Springsteen? No. However, I am comfortable, and my family’ s comfortable. So here I am, ready to retire last fall, really winding down, when Herb comes up with this idea to have Tom Petty do an album with me. And I said,“ I dunno. I don’ t have a record deal.” And Herb said,“ I’ m gonna talk to Rounder – the new Rounder that’ s owned by Concord Music Group –
And then to have The Heartbreakers come in was just excellent. And they did it because they really wanted to – I don’ t think Tom had said,“ You’ d better do this for Hillman or else!” And it says a lot about him that he’ s kept the same guys together for 40 years.
IE: What did you learn from him? CH: He was an absolute joy to work with – gracious, and a very good producer. He would look me in the eye and say,“ I don’ t hear this song.” And I’ d say,“ Let me mess with it a bit.” But I’ d come back to him and say,“ You’ re right – I can’ t make it
Photo: Lori Stoll
8 illinoisentertainer. com novemer 2017