The Flying Burrito Brothers were a country rock band which formed in 1968 i… Read Full Bio ↴The Flying Burrito Brothers were a country rock band which formed in 1968 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The band's original lineup consisted of Chris Hillman (vocals, guitar), Gram Parsons (vocals, guitar), Chris Ethridge (piano, bass) and Sneaky Pete Kleinow (pedal steel guitar). Later members of from the band's initial existence included Eddie Hoh (drums), Jon Corneal (drums), Bernie Leadon (guitar, vocals), Michael Clarke (drums) and Rick Roberts (vocals, guitar). The group originally disbanded in 1972 following Hillman's departure.

Kleinow and Ethridge instigated a reformation of the band in 1975 which continued through 1984. The band was reformed once again in 1985 and were disbanded for a final time in 2001.

The band best known as the "Flying Burrito Brothers" actually 'borrowed' their name from the original "Flying Burrito Brothers", composed of bassist Ian Dunlop and drummer Mickey Gauvin, bandmates of Parsons from the Boston-based International Submarine Band, plus any of a loose coalition of musicians, including Parsons himself from time to time. In a deliberate choice of focusing on just creating and playing music without the distractions of the music industry, in 1968 the original Brothers moved from Los Angeles to New York City. From this base they continued to tour the Northeast playing their eclectic traditional/rockabilly/blues/R&B-oriented version of rock, using the name "The Flying Burrito Brothers East" after Parsons' group became famous.

Meanwhile, on the West Coast, Parsons and guitarist/mandolinist/bassist/vocalist Chris Hillman thought this same moniker would be perfectly suited to the band they had been dreaming of since early 1968, when, as members of Roger McGuinn's band The Byrds, they created one of the first country-oriented rock albums, Sweetheart of the Rodeo. They immersed themselves in their vision in their house in the San Fernando Valley, dubbed "Burrito Manor", even replacing their wardrobe with a set of custom country-Western suits from tailor to the C&W stars, Nudie's Rodeo Tailors (Parsons's had marijuana leaf embroidery) and began a period of intensely fruitful creativity. At this juncture, the band also included pianist/bassist Chris Ethridge and pedal steel guitarist "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow.

Their first album The Gilded Palace of Sin (1969) did not sell terribly well, being a radical departure from anything most of the record-buying public (either rock or country) had ever seen, but the group had a cult following which included several famous musicians, such as Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones. Parsons soon became friends with Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones and left the group after 1970's Burrito Deluxe, which also saw the departure of Ethridge and addition of guitarist/dobro player/vocalist Bernie Leadon and drummer Michael Clarke (of The Byrds). Rick Roberts replaced Parsons and released a self-titled album with the group in 1971. Kleinow then left to become a session musician and Leadon joined The Eagles. Al Perkins and Roger Bush replaced them, and Kenny Wertz and Byron Berline joined as well, releasing The Last of the Red Hot Burritos (1972), a live album. The band fell apart. Hillman and Perkins joined Manassas, while Berline, Bush and Wertz formed Country Gazette. Roberts reassembled a new group for a 1973 European tour, and then began a solo career before forming Firefall with Michael Clarke.

As Gram Parsons's influence and fame grew, so did interest in the Flying Burrito Brothers, leading to the release of Honky Tonks (1974), a double album, and the recreation of the band by Kleinow and Ethridge in 1975. Floyd "Gib" Gilbeau, Joel Scott Hill and Gene Parsons (no relation to Gram) also joined, and the band released Flying Again that year. Ethridge was then replaced by Skip Battin for Airborne (1976), followed by an album of unreleased early material, Sleepless Nights. For the next few decades, the group released albums and toured and had a country hit with "White Line Fever" (1980, a cover by Merle Haggard) and then became the Burrito Brothers. Headed by prolific songwriter and ace guitarist John Beland and Gib Guilbeau, and normally featuring Sneaky Pete, this incarnation scored moderately well on the Country charts in the early 1980s. Through numerous incarnations (including Brian Cadd for a time), the band released albums and toured throughout the 1980s up till 2001 when John Beland "officially" ended FBB. While the bands work during the 1980-1999 period was exceptional, after 1984 none of the many releases had any chart impact. Sneaky created a Burritos spinoff in his new band Burrito Deluxe, which featured Carlton Moody on lead vocals and Garth Hudson from The Band on keyboards. While a good band, there has never been any real continuity with the true Burritos and this group can not be considered anything more than a spinoff. Pete however, left the band due to illness in 2005, leaving no direct lineage to the original masters.

Gram Parsons died on September 19, 1973. "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow died on January 6, 2007. Chris Hillman is still a very successful singer-songwriter, having been part of Souther-Hillman-Furay, McGuinn-Clark-Hillman, then going on to form the Desert Rose Band (1986-1993) with Herb Pedersen. He still sings with Pedersen today as Chris and Herb, having released "The Other Side" (2005).

Do Right Woman
The Flying Burrito Brothers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Take me to heart
And I'll always love you
And nobody else
Could make me do wrong
Take me for granted
And I'll tag along
Makes will power weak
And temptation strong

A woman's only human
This you must understand
She's not just a play thing
She expects love just like a man
So if you want to do right
All day woman
You gotta be a do right
All night man

They say that's it's a man's world
But you can't prove that by me
So as long as we're together baby
You better show some respect for me

So if you want to do right
All day woman
You gotta be a do right
All night man
You gotta be a do right
All night man

You gotta be a do right
All night man

Overall Meaning

The Flying Burrito Brothers's song “Do Right Woman” is a soulful, bluesy love song. The lyrics revolve around the idea of treating women with respect and understanding that they have the same needs and expectations in love as men do. The opening line, “Take me to heart, and I'll always love you, and nobody else could make me do wrong,” conveys the idea that if one treats their partner with love and respect, they will always remain true to them.

The song also highlights how taking a woman for granted can lead to weakening one’s will power and becoming susceptible to temptations. The lyric, “Makes will power weak and temptation strong,” is a reminder that one mustn't overlook the importance of treating their partner with care and appreciation. The overall message of the song is that men must treat their partners as equals and show them respect, so they can build a fulfilling and long-lasting relationship.

Interestingly, the song was written by Chips Moman and Dan Penn and was first recorded by Aretha Franklin in 1967. The Flying Burrito Brothers recorded their version two years later on their second album “Burrito Deluxe”. The song features an incredible vocal performance by Gram Parsons backed by Chris Hillman's harmonies, and the sound of the pedal steel and piano contribute to the soulful and bluesy vibe of the song.

Line by Line Meaning

Take me to heart
Love me truly and deeply

And I'll always love you
My love for you will be constant and enduring

And nobody else
No one can replace you in my heart

Could make me do wrong
I will stay loyal to you and won't be tempted by others

Take me for granted
If you treat me with neglect or indifference

And I'll tag along
I may follow you, but without love or loyalty

Makes will power weak
This lack of attention weakens my resolve

And temptation strong
Making it easier for me to be tempted by others

A woman's only human
Women, like men, are human beings with feelings and desires

This you must understand
It's important to acknowledge and respect women's humanity and needs

She's not just a play thing
Women are not objects to be used for entertainment or pleasure