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Artist
Sneaky Pete Kleinow
12+ albums
countryrockcountry rockamericanpedal steel
about
Peter E. "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow (August 20, 1934 - January 6, 2007) was an American country-rock musician, songwriter, and a motion picture special effects artist.He is remembered as a member of the band The Flying Burrito Brothers and as a session musician for such artists as Joan Baez, Jackson Browne, The Byrds, Joe Cocker, Rita Coolidge, Eagles, The Everly Brothers, George Harrison, Steve Miller Band, Joni Mitchell, The Rolling Stones, Linda Ronstadt and many others. Kleinow was born in South Bend, Indiana. Before his musical career, he originally worked as a special effects artist and stop motion animator for movies and television, including the Gumby, Outer Limits, and Davey and Goliath series, as well as movies such as 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (starring Tony Randall and Barbara Eden) and The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm. At night, Kleinow would frequently sit in with Bakersfield Sound-oriented combos and early country-rock aggregations playing the pedal steel guitar. Through this scene he became acquainted with Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons of The Byrds, helping the group to replicate their newly country-oriented sound onstage with banjoist Doug Dillard. After leaving the Byrds, in 1968, Parsons and Hillman invited Kleinow to join their new band, the Flying Burrito Brothers. Subsequently, Kleinow left behind his career in visual effects and spent the next thirteen years as a professional musician. One of the first pedal steel players to work in a rock context, Kl
