Richard James Roberts (born August 31, 1949) is an American

country rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal s ...

and

soft rock Soft rock is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in Southern California and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, melodic songs with big, lush productions. S ...

singer-songwriter who recorded with many influential artists over several genres. He is best known as a founding member and lead singer of

Firefall Firefall is an American country rock band that formed in Boulder, Colorado, in 1974. It was founded by Rick Roberts, former member of the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Jock Bartley, who had been Tommy Bolin's replacement in Zephyr. The band ...

from 1974 to 1981, as well as his work with

The Flying Burrito Brothers The Flying Burrito Brothers are an American country rock band, best known for their influential 1969 debut album, ''The Gilded Palace of Sin''. Although the group is perhaps best known for its connection to band founders Gram Parsons and Chris ...

on their 1971 self-titled album. He also recorded two solo albums, ''

Windmills A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called windmill sail, sails or blades, specifically to mill (grinding), mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and ...

'' in 1972 and ''She Is a Song'' in 1973.

Career

In the fall of 1981, Roberts played dates in tandem with fellow former Burrito Brother

Chris Hillman Christopher Hillman (born December 4, 1944) is an American musician. He was the original bassist of and one of the original members of the Byrds, which in 1965 included Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby and Michael Clarke. With frequent ...

. In 1985 he was a member of "A 20th Anniversary Tribute to The Byrds", a band co-founded by ex-

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) remaining th ...

Gene Clark Harold Eugene Clark (November 17, 1944 – May 24, 1991) was an American singer-songwriter and founding member of the folk rock band the Byrds. He was the Byrds' principal songwriter between 1964 and early 1966, writing most of the band's best ...

and Michael Clarke. The group also originally included former members of The Band,

Richard Manuel Richard George Manuel (April 3, 1943 – March 4, 1986) was a Canadian singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter, best known as a pianist and one of three lead singers in The Band, for which he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and ...

and

Rick Danko Richard Clare Danko (December 29, 1943 – December 10, 1999) was a Canadian musician, bassist, songwriter, and singer, best known as a founding member of the Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. During ...

, as well as

Blondie Chaplin Terrence William "Blondie" Chaplin (born 7 July 1951) is a South African singer and guitarist from Durban, where he played in the band the Flames in the mid to late 1960s. From 1972 to 1973, he was a member of the Beach Boys and contributed t ...

and

John York John C. York (born April 18, 1949) is a retired American cancer research pathologist, married to Marie Denise DeBartolo York, and former co-owner and current co-chairman of the San Francisco 49ers.Chris Hillman Christopher Hillman (born December 4, 1944) is an American musician. He was the original bassist of and one of the original members of the Byrds, which in 1965 included Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby and Michael Clarke. With frequent ...

's replacement in The Byrds in 1968). The band generated controversy through public confusion in relation to the original Byrds, at times being billed at some venues as "The Byrds". In 1987 he teamed up with ex-Eagle

Randy Meisner Randall Herman Meisner (born March 8, 1946) is a retired American musician, singer, songwriter and founding member of the Eagles. Throughout his professional musical career, Meisner's main role was that of bassist and backing high-harmony vocal ...

in the short lived Roberts-Meisner Band and then rejoined his bandmates in Firefall from 1989 to 1992. But he was sidelined due to health issues for a number of years before eventually returning to the road as a solo act. In 2010 he returned to music and released three 4-song-EPs on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

- 'Phases'; 'Same Mirror, Different Images' and 'Full Bloom' (the latter having two different track listings) - and launched his website and in the summer and fall of 2019, he toured together with fellow Firefaller Larry Burnett.

Discography

Solo albums

* 1972: ''Windmills'' ( A&M) * 1973: ''She Is a Song'' (A&M)

Singles

* 1972: "Deliver Me (Mono)" / "Deliver Me (Stereo)" (A&M)

Compilations

* 1979: ''The Best of Rick Roberts'' (A&M) * 2009: ''Windmills / She Is a Song'' (BGO) – UK release

As a member of The Flying Burrito Brothers

* 1971: '' The Flying Burrito Bros'' (A&M) * 1971: ''Devils in Disguise: 1971 Live Radio Broadcast'' (Smokin' / Let Them Eat Vinyl) – released in 2012 * 1972: ''

Last of the Red Hot Burritos ''Last of the Red Hot Burritos'' is the fourth album by country rock group The Flying Burrito Brothers, released in 1972. By the time this album was recorded, "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow and Bernie Leadon had left the band, leaving Chris Hillman as the ...

'' (A&M) * 1973: ''Live in Amsterdam'' (

Ariola Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international media conglomerat ...

)

As a member of Firefall

* 1976: ''

'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

) * 1977: ''

Luna Sea Luna Sea (stylized as LUNA SEA) is a Japanese Rock music, rock band formed in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1986. Due to the use of make-up and costumes early in their career and their widespread popularity, they are considered one of the most success ...

'' (Atlantic) * 1978: ''

Élan Elan Corporation plc was a major drugs firm based in Dublin, Ireland, which had major interests in the United States. It was listed on the New York Stock Exchange as ELN, the Irish Stock Exchange as ELN.I, and the London Stock Exchange as ELN. ...

'' (Atlantic) * 1978: ''Undertow'' (Atlantic) * 1980: ''Clouds Across the Sun'' (Atlantic)

As composer

* 1973:

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

– ''

Don't Cry Now ''Don't Cry Now'' is the fourth solo studio album by Linda Ronstadt and the first of her studio releases for Asylum Records, following six albums recorded for and released on Capitol Records including three she recorded as a member of The Stone Po ...

'' (

Asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea ...

) – track 7, "Colorado" * 1977,

– ''Clear Sailin (

) – track 10, "Clear Sailin'" (co-written with Chris Hillman and

Richard Marx Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963) is an American adult contemporary music, adult contemporary and pop rock singer-songwriter. He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Marx's Richard Marx (album), self-titled debut album went tri ...

) * 1977:

New Grass Revival New Grass Revival was an American progressive bluegrass band founded in 1971, and composed of Sam Bush, Courtney Johnson, Ebo Walker, Curtis Burch, Butch Robins, John Cowan, Béla Fleck and Pat Flynn. They were active between 1971 and 1989, r ...

– ''

When the Storm Is Over ''When the Storm is Over'' is the third studio album recorded by the progressive bluegrass band New Grass Revival, released in 1977 on Flying Fish Records. The album includes a mix of covers, both traditional and contemporary, as well as band-pen ...

'' (

Flying Fish The Exocoetidae are a family of marine fish in the order Beloniformes class Actinopterygii, known colloquially as flying fish or flying cod. About 64 species are grouped in seven to nine genera. While they cannot fly in the same way a bird do ...

) – track 1, "Four Days Of Rain" * 1978: The Dirt Band – '' The Dirt Band'' (

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

) – track 4, "Lights" * 1979: The Dirt Band – '' An American Dream'' (United Artists) – track 2, "In Her Eyes" * 1979:

McGuinn, Clark & Hillman McGuinn, Clark & Hillman were an American rock supergroup consisting of Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, and Chris Hillman, who were all former members of the band the Byrds. The supergroup formed in 1977 and was partly modeled after Crosby, Stills, N ...

– ''McGuinn, Clark & Hillman'' (

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

) – track 1, "Long Long Time" (co-written with Chris Hillman) * 1996:

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", "I Write the Songs", " Can ...

– ''

Summer of '78 ''Summer of '78'' is an album by singer-songwriter Barry Manilow, released in 1996. The album was a collection of cover versions of popular songs, mostly from the late 1970s, and was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee. Track listing Personnel ...

'' ( Arista) – track 12, "Just Remember I Love You" * 2000: Jill Jack – ''Watch Over Me'' (Drum Dancer)- track 10, "Colorado" * 2002: Beki Hemingway – ''Words for Loss for Words'' (Salt Lady) – track 8, "Just Remember I Love You" * 2004: Curtis Burch – ''Burchland'' (Bowling Green Chamber) – track 5, "Four Days of Rain" * 2008:

Shawna Russell Shawna Gayle Russell (born August 14, 1978) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician from Okemah, Oklahoma. Russell’s musical style combines country, rock and Americana influences. To date, Russell has released three albums. ...

– ''Goddess'' (Way Out West) – track 5, "Strange Way" * 2009:

John Cowan John Cowan (born August 24, 1953) is an American soul music and progressive bluegrass vocalist and bass guitar player. He was the lead vocalist and bass player for the New Grass Revival. Cowan became the band's bassist in 1972 after the departure ...

– ''Telluride Live'' (

Entertainment One Entertainment One Ltd., trading as eOne, is an American-owned Canadian multinational entertainment company. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition, distribution, and production of films and television se ...

) – track 6, "Four Days of Rain" * 2014: John Cowan – ''Sixty'' (

Compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...

) – track 2, "Why Are You Crying"

Also appears on

* 1970:

Bob Gibson Robert Gibson (born Pack Robert Gibson; November 9, 1935October 2, 2020) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1959–1975). Nicknamed "Gibby" and "Hoot" ( ...

– ''Bob Gibson'' (Capitol) – vocals * 1975:

Stephen Stills Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. As both a solo act and member of two successful bands, Stills has com ...

– '' Stills'' ( Columbia) – vocals * 1976:

Robbin Thompson Robert Wickens "Robbin" Thompson (June 16, 1949 – October 10, 2015) was an American singer-songwriter based in Richmond, Virginia. Since 1976 he recorded several albums which included guest appearances by Melissa Manchester, Steve Cropper, ...

– ''Robbin Thompson'' (

Nemperor Nemperor Records was an American jazz and pop music record label active from 1974 to 1986. It was distributed by Atlantic Records from 1974 to 1977 and then CBS Records from 1978 until the label was absorbed by subsidiary Epic Records. The lab ...

) – backing vocals * 1976: Chris Hillman – ''Slippin' Away'' (Asylum) – vocals * 1977: Wild Oats – ''Wild Oats'' (Clouds) – vocals * 1980: Robbin Thompson – ''(Two "b's" Please)'' (

Ovation The ovation ( la, ovatio from ''ovare'': to rejoice) was a form of the Roman triumph. Ovations were granted when war was not declared between enemies on the level of nations or states; when an enemy was considered basely inferior (e.g., slaves, p ...

) – backing vocals

Bibliography

* *

References

External links

* * * * KDRT-L
radio interview
July 2017 {{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Rick 1949 births Living people American rock singers Singers from Florida The Flying Burrito Brothers members Firefall members