– Press Release

“Sneaky” Pete Kleinow who was renowned for his unique pedal steel guitar playing – most notably with Gram Parsons and The Flying Burrito Brothers – died on Saturday morning (January 6), from complications brought on by Alzheimer’s disease in a nursing facility in Petaluma, California. He was 72.

His daughter Anita confirmed his death saying that he had been living with the disease for over 18 months and it “hit him hard and fast.”

“Sneaky” Pete was known through the years as a “musician’s musician.” He was a kind and generous soul who had played and recorded with an impressive list of musicians including Stevie Wonder, Fleetwood Mac, Joan Baez, Frank Zappa, John Lennon, The Rolling Stones, The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers.

Born in South Bend, IN on August 20, 1934 he took up steel guitar after graduating from high school. In 1963 he moved to Los Angeles and worked on special effects for films and performed on the local music scene at night. He also found work writing jingles and wrote the theme music for the children’s series Gumby. He met Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman at a local LA venue where they invited him to join the Byrds. He performed with the band for a brief period of time before Parsons and Hillman established The Flying Burrito Brothers and together with “Sneaky” Pete recorded their debut album The Gilded Palace of Sin which marked the beginning of country-rock music and changed the course of country music forever.

He returned to special effects once again in 1981 and was responsible for creating special effects for movies such as The Empire Strikes Back, Gremlins, The Terminator, and Terminator 2 while continuing to work as a musician.

All Music Guide described him as “one of the unsung heroes of the country-rock movement” and Rhapsody.com said that “he was the first person to rip steel guitar licks and bended country notes through a fuzz box.”

Gram Parsons’ daughter Polly said, “Sneaky Pete was and will always be one of the best of his kind, a great man, a talented artist, and a great friend to all that knew him. He will be missed.”

Chris Morris, host of Indie 103.1 FM’s weekly roots show “Watusi Radio,” said, “Kleinow was among the most significant pedal steel players of his generation. He was one of the first to apply the traditional country and western pedal steel foundation to the development of the country-rock format.”

“Sneaky” Pete’s legacy lives on through his recordings, in particular, his recordings with Gram Parsons and the Flying Burrito Brothers.