John Beland

In 1999, Beland and his family moved to Napa, California, where he concentrated on producing radio jingles and musical acts in Australia and Germany. In 2002, he received a call from actor and songwriter Billy Bob Thornton, who asked Beland if he'd be interested in recording and touring with him. Beland rehearsed in Beverly Hills with Thornton but eventually passed on touring with him, opting to go instead to Australia to record, produce and perform. In 2003, Beland toured solo through Great Britain and Ireland before returning to the United States and settling near Austin, Texas. There he produced a number of Texas country acts. Beland also traveled to Norway to produce country acts and perform as a solo artist at festivals and clubs. He built up a strong following throughout Norway and continued to perform there quite often through the years.

In 1990, Beland received a call from David and Howard Bellamy, asking if he would be interested in playing guitar for them again. By now, The Bellamy Brothers were a household name, having scored more country hits than any duo in history. At first, he turned them down, not wanting to tour behind any more artists, to concentrate on his writing and session work. But The Bellamys were persistent. Beland joined them, hoping to write with the act, that was now selling millions of records worldwide. Beland immediately went to work playing on their albums, starting with "She Don't Know That She's Perfect" and "Can I Come On Home To You". Beland toured the world with the Bellamy Brothers, performing three or four times a year in Europe, where the act was huge. The Bellamys also performed nonstop throughout the United States. In 1992, Beland finally co-wrote with David Bellamy, yielding the huge hit single, "Cowboy Beat". He and Howard Bellamy also co-wrote their follow-up hit, "Hard Way To Make An Easy Living". Beland received an ASCAP Award for his co-writing of "Cowboy Beat" in 1993. Ultimately, the heavy touring schedule proved to be too much for Beland. He said goodbye to the Bellamy Brothers in 1993.

Meanwhile, The Flying Burrito Brothers reunited in the mid-1990s. Beland took control and produced the band's three critically acclaimed studio albums, Eye of a Hurricane (1994), California Jukebox (1997), and Sons of the Golden West (1999). During the recordings, Beland produced guest performances with Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Ricky Skaggs, Buck Owens, The Oakridge Boys and Charlie Louvin. Beland and The Flying Burrito Brothers toured Europe at the end of the 1990s, performing throughout Germany, Spain, and Switzerland, before finally calling it quits in 2000.

At the time of working with Ricky Nelson, Beland received an offer to work with the legendary band, The Flying Burrito Brothers. At first, Beland passed on the opportunity as he felt they had lost their way and had no record deal. However, after discussions with his publisher Bo Golsen at Atlantic Records, Beland decided to join the band, providing he could produce and write for the group. The band agreed, so Beland reluctantly said goodbye to Nelson. Bobby Neil would take over his guitar spot, continuing until both of their deaths in that fateful 1985 plane crash.

In 1983, they were teamed with producer Brent Maher, who produced The Judds. Beland approved this development, as the two had worked together on his solo album in 1972 when Maher was an engineer at Las Vegas Sound. Now Maher was a hot producer, and he and Beland worked well together. The single they did was an old John Fogerty song called, "It's Almost Saturday Night". Both Beland and Guilbeau were excited about this recording because it was reminiscent of their days with Swampwater. It had the big sound of Guilbeau's fiddle, matched with Beland's big Telecaster. The single was a hit, but then Curb fired Mayer over a financial dispute, and the duo was back to no producer.

In 1981, they received the Billboard number-one music award for making the transition from pop to country music. They also received Record World Magazine's award for "Best New Vocal Group of 1981". A year later, they spearheaded a campaign which helped get their idol, the late country music legend Lefty Frizzell, induced into the Country Music Hall of Fame. That same year, both Beland and Guilbeau moved from California to Nashville to become a true part of the country music industry. Beland went right to work doing sessions, while Guilbeau concentrated on songwriting. Through it all, problems with Curb Records persisted. A third album produced by Randy Scruggs was shelved, even though it yielded two hits, "Blue and Broken Hearted Me" and "Would You Love Me One More Time". Beland lobbied for a producing role but continued to be ignored by the label.

Beland and Guilbeau, as The Burrito Brothers, toured the world in the early to mid-1980s, performing in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom, as well as throughout the United States. Finally, in the mid-1980s, Beland and Guilbeau called it quits due to creative differences. They made their last appearance together as The Burrito Brothers on "Nashville Now" to a standing ovation from the studio audience. Through the latter part of the 1980s, Beland remained in Nashville. He wrote the number two Gospel Record of the Year for former Grand Funk Railroad lead singer Mark Farner, called "Isn't It Amazing". Beland also hit the road playing guitar for pop singer Nicolette Larson and toured the world many times playing guitar for country music legend, Bobby Bare.

Fortuitously, two brothers from Florida, Howard and David Bellamy, arrived in Los Angeles in 1976. They had just scored a massive hit with "Let Your Love Flow". New to the local scene, they hired Beland to record with them. He played on their records and helped them form their first touring band. Later that year, The Bellamy Brothers, with Beland leading the band, joined Loggins and Messina on tour. The Bellamys' follow-up single, "Crossfire", was a huge hit in Europe, featuring Beland's signature big electric guitar sound that actually inspired Bonnie Tyler's record, "It's A Heartache". Unfortunately, "Crossfire" failed to sustain The Bellamys, and after a major equipment robbery in Chicago, Beland left the act. Mac Davis then hired Beland in 1977. He toured the country with Davis, primarily working Las Vegas, but lost interest in Davis' slick cabaret-style show. While on tour in New England, Beland became close friends with Davis' opening act, the powerfully talented Dolly Parton. Beland and Parton became fast friends. Soon after returning to Los Angeles, he parted ways with Davis and became Parton's guitarist. Her new single "Here You Come Again" was released that year, and her career skyrocketed. Beland then began to tour with Parton throughout the United States.

Beland became music director and guitarist for the country pop star Johnny Tillotson. Tillotson and Beland traveled the world together, performing throughout the United States, as well as Germany and the United Kingdom. While touring with Tillotson, he was introduced to Tony King, who was the head of Apple Records. He forwarded on a tape of Beland's recordings to Ringo Starr, who approved Beland to be signed as a solo artist to Apple Records. He returned to Los Angeles to work on his new solo album. Beland didn't complete the solo album under Apple Records, due to The Beatles' pending litigation against their manager Alan Klein. He remained focused on the project and eventually finished the solo album in 1973 with Scepter Records. The album was titled, John Edward Beland. Following the release of the album, he continued to tour and record with Johnny Tillotson and remained an in-demand studio guitarist.

Kris Kristofferson hired him again in 1973 after working with him numerous times at the Troubadour. Kristofferson by this point was a household name in music. He toured the country with Kristofferson and his wife Rita Coolidge, meaning Beland had to end touring with Tillotson. He became a featured part of Kristofferson's show, as well as playing on their albums, in concerts and television appearances. In 1975, Beland left the band, citing Kristofferson's drinking issues as the main reason. Not long afterward, Beland was hired by emerging singer-songwriter, Kim Carnes. He played on her albums, "St. Vincent's Court" and "Sailing", as well as backing her on tour as an opening act for the pop star Neil Sedaka, who was enjoying a comeback at the time.

Swampwater and Linda Ronstadt parted ways in 1971 to become the new backing band touring the country with singer-songwriter Arlo Guthrie. While in Chicago, they learned a new song written by Steve Goodman during a soundcheck. All the band members were fans of the song and began to play it during their tours. It would go on to become an iconic song titled, the "City Of New Orleans". Guthrie and Swampwater also played Carnegie Hall that year, but Beland grew tired of Swampwater's lack of commercial chart progress and quit the band in 1972 to pursue a solo career and concentrate on playing for other acts.

Ronstadt's bass player was replaced in the early 1970s by Beland's friend and former One Man's Family band member, Thad Maxwell. Shortly after Maxwell joined Linda Ronstadt's band, the backing band started their own band called Swampwater. Their sound was a combination of Guilbeau's hard driving Cajun rock and Beland's Byrds-Beach Boys style harmonies. Shortly after the formation of Swampwater, they were signed by the Nashville-based Starday-King Records and secured an album deal. The group recorded their first album in Albuquerque, New Mexico with John Wagner as the producer. They created a country hit titled "Take A City Bride". The track was the first Los Angeles-based band to score a Billboard country hit single.

After working with Ronstadt, Beland became a much in-demand guitarist, engaged by such high-profile artists as Arlo Guthrie, Johnny Tillotson, Kris Kristofferson, The Bellamy Brothers, Mac Davis, Dolly Parton and The Flying Burrito Brothers. As a solo artist, Beland recorded for Ranwood Records, scoring a chart hit in 1969 called "Baby You Come Rollin' 'Cross My Mind". Beland also became the last artist to sign with The Beatles' record company Apple Records in 1973. As a session guitarist, Beland recorded with many music business legends in the United States and internationally. For over twenty years, he was the creative force behind the pioneering country rock band from California, Burrito Brothers. Through his leadership, the group achieved nine hit country singles for Curb Records in the early 1980s. Beland was also instrumental in the comeback of rock and roll legend Rick Nelson in the late 1970s, arranging and playing on Nelson's last hit single "Dream Lover", as well as Nelson's much-acclaimed album The Memphis Sessions. He also toured and appeared with him on Saturday Night Live in 1979.

Around the same time as his The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour performances, he befriended two struggling singer-songwriters, Glenn Frey and J.D. Souther. Both musicians would play for food and beer as a duo Longbranch Pennywhistle. Beland joined them playing on gigs as they reminded him of the Everly Brothers. He also worked with R.B. Greaves when he was a young struggling songwriter before he had his number 1 single in 1969.

In 1969, Beland answered an ad in The Hollywood Reporter calling for lead guitarists who could sing harmony. As an 18-year-old guitarist, he felt he needed the experience. It was for a new group called One Man's Family, which consisted of members of the pop group, Spanky and Our Gang. With the assistance of the Dalton's, Beland decided to take the role after it was offered to him. While he was rehearsing with One Man's Family, Beland started to spend more time with Linda Ronstadt, who knew members of the One Man's Family. She and Beland hit it off and she asked Beland if he would join her new solo band, as she had decided to quit the Stone Poneys who she was playing with at the time. Beland took the decision to stay with One Man's Family, as they had given him the opportunity to perform. He and Ronstadt remained on good terms and she stated that a position in her band would always be open to him.

One Man's Family toured across the United States in late 1969, with Beland as their lead guitarist. They opened for groups such as Steppenwolf, The Hollies and The Byrds. At a concert in Chicago, he met Clarence White, where he was fascinated by his Telecaster way of playing. Shortly after the concert, One Man's Family suddenly split after Nigel Pickering quit the band. Beland immediately phoned Linda Ronstadt, who told him she had a guitar gig for him if he wanted it.

Beland's life changed in 1967 when his father secured a new job, meaning the family would be moving to Los Angeles. They took a 3-day train journey from Chicago to California. They ended up living an hour outside Los Angeles, in the town of La Puente. Beland didn't attend his new school in Southern California and instead spent his days sneaking into movie studios and record companies to learn more about passions of filmmaking and music. When his family and the school realized what he was doing on a daily basis, they moved him to a continuation school for troubled teens. Determined to follow his dreams of becoming a musician, Beland recorded a dozen original tracks on a stolen tape recorder. When he was dropped at continuation school the next day, he hitchhiked to Los Angeles in hope of getting a record deal.

John Edward Beland (born July 24, 1949) is an American songwriter, session guitarist, recording artist, producer and author. Beland's career as guitarist started out in Los Angeles in the late 1960s, playing sessions and local live gigs with Kris Kristofferson, as well as future Eagles members, Glenn Frey and Bernie Leadon. Beland's first major break came in 1970, when he played lead guitar for a young Linda Ronstadt. He helped Ronstadt put together her first serious solo band, Swampwater. Along with bandmates Gib Guilbeau, Thad Maxwell and Stan Pratt, Swampwater toured the country with Ronstadt, appearing with her on many notable television shows including The Johnny Cash Show. Swampwater recorded two landmark country-rock albums for Starday-King and RCA Records. The group was one of the first Los Angeles bands to record in Nashville, known for their smooth harmonies and Cajun rock style.