The Long Ryders

The Long Ryders (Sid Griffin, guitar and vocals; Stephen McCarthy, guitar and vocals; Tom Stevens, bass and vocals; Greg Sowders, drums) are an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in the early 1980s and originally associated with a movement sometimes called the Paisley Underground. With a sound reminiscent of Gram Parsons-era Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, but with a harder edge, they anticipated the alt.country music of the 1990s by a decade. (Former Byrd Gene Clark added vocals to the song "Ivory Tower," on the 1985 Native Sons.) The group disbanded in the late 1980s, but reunited in 2004 for a brief European tour, including a performance at the Glastonbury Festival. Further touring is scheduled for summer 2005.

Related Topics:
Paisley Underground - Gram Parsons - Byrds - The Flying Burrito Brothers - Alt.country - Gene Clark - Glastonbury Festival

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Apart from occasional Long Ryders activity, Griffin, who relocated to London, has kept busy as a solo artist and bandleader (The Coal Porters, Western Electric), and as a music journalist and critic. McCarthy, after a stint leading his own band, Walker Stories, returned home to Richmond, Virginia; he played in the indie supergroup Gutterball with Steve Wynn and fellow Richmondites Bryan Harvey and Johnny Hott of House of Freaks, and in 2003 began playing with The Jayhawks. Stevens moved to Indiana and continues to release solo albums. And Sowders, who was married for a time to the singer Lucinda Williams, went to work in music publishing.

Related Topics:
London - Richmond, Virginia - Steve Wynn - House of Freaks - The Jayhawks - Indiana - Lucinda Williams

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