when most people think of the music of the byrds, they often think about two of the more famous alumni, roger mcguinn and david crosby. but a good argument could be made that they may have never hit the big time in the first place if it wasn’t for the singing and songwriting talents of one of the more introverted members – gene clark.

born in 1944 in missouri, gene was an early musical prodigy and eventually wandered west to the music scene in l.a. in the early sixties. after meeting mcguinn in the famous troubador club, they set out to find other like minded musicians, keen on grafting the influence of the beatles onto the local folk scene. gene wrote or co-wrote many of the byrds’ original songs on their first three albums.

eventually a management decision gave mcguinn the lead vocals on their major singles and dylan covers, and this started a chain of events that became the beginning of the demise of the initial lineup of the group. gene had a chronic fear of flying, which inhibited their touring options, and the band members were also growing jealous of the royalties he was receiving for his songwriting credits. he left the group in early 1966.

in 1968 he started a collaboration with a local bluegrass banjo legend named doug dillard. seeking a more traditional musical template that he had grown up with, they rounded out their group with bernie leadon on guitar (later with the flying burrito brothers and the eagles), bassist dave jackson and mandolinist don beck. they only made two albums, and this is the first one. it is just flawless, in my opinion. the song featured below, ‘ train leaves here this morning’, was co-written by leadon and was eventually covered by the eagles on their debut album.

his work with dillard rejuvenated gene’s creative fire but also greatly contributed to his growing drinking problem. they were rather legendary in their pre-concert preparations and were rarely as effective onstage as they were in the studio.

gene went on to make many fine solo recordings after this, and i encourage you to start with this one and explore more if you enjoy it. i have a couple i have been listening to that might find their way into another nugget entry.