A couple weeks ago a great listener, Amy, sent me a message asking about a band from the 1980's in Country Music she had forgotten, that ending up being Southern Pacific.  And I wrote about them.  In that article I referenced The Desert Rose Band too, and this week Paula asked, after reading my blog,  if I remembered them as she  -  sort of did.

Yes, I played all their songs on the radio on various country stations around the country.  They hit the scene in the mid 1980's and had a similar story to Southern Pacific.  The DRB were former members of the rock band, The Byrds, and the cult favorite group, The Flying Burrito Brothers.  Although, as I remember they had a few members come and go over the years, but the core I believe stayed in tact.

Their pedigree was very strong and recorded some really fine music for a number of years.  They had an interesting mix of folk, and California rock and were very "country" all at the same time. I thought they melded a wonderful sound that was really theirs.  They had some good success, including a couple number ones!  In fact in 1987-89 they had a great run of a bunch of top 5 songs.  They really broke through with a song called Love, Reunited #6, then One Step Forward #2  and He's Back And I'm Blue #1.  Their album,  Running, was a really great album, worth a download.

Summer Wind - Another Song That Should Have Been #1

They kept rolling with a great song, Summer Wind #2, and I Still Believe In You #1.  Also, I loved their hit Start All Over Again #6.  That song was, and this second song list in my view was the zenith of their run.  I thought it was a very underrated song that deserved a number one plaque.  But then, the run slowed down and the success was declining.  These were incredibly talented guys and had a wonderful sound.  They suffered the same fate in the end as Southern Pacific.  They may have been just a bit early for many hard core Country fans to totally embrace for a long term run. 

Start All Over Again -  GREAT song!!

Their vocals were amazing, and their song choices was terrific as well.  I always felt they picked perfect songs for who they were.  I emceed them a few times and always thought it was fun to see seasoned musicians who had been together a long time play together.  They were great.  They had many great songs not listed here as well, and were consistent on the charts for about 4 years and then disbanded in the mid 1990's

The Desert Rose Band. Like Southern Pacific, worth a few downloads to add to your playlist.