Clyde ‘Skip’ Battin was born on February 18th, 1934 in Gallipolis, Ohio, and learned piano, fiddle and guitar before joining 'Earl Mock & The Mockingbirds' in 1955.

In 1956 he met Gary Paxton and formed 'The Pledges' and released 'Betty Jean' before changing to 'Chuck and The Chuckles' and 'Clyde Gary Orchestra' for other singles. Skip cut 'The Twister' as his first solo single in 1959 before they became Skip & Flip. The Arizona-based pre-British Invasion pop duo included schoolmate Gary Paxton ("Flip"). The name came about when Bobby Shadd, the owner of Brent and Shad Records forgot the duo’s names so he called them 'Skip & Flip' after his pet poodles.  They scored two Top Twenty hits in 1959, "Cherry Pie" (number 11 pop) and "It Was I" (number 11 pop), produced by Kim Fowley, but their career as a duo was short-lived.  But it also led to a long collaboration between Battin and Fowley as songwriters.  

In October 1960 Skip was a member of 'The Prehistorics' and released other singles as the Skip Battin Combo, 'Skip & The Hustlers' and 'Skip & The Flips.' He also worked with Kim Fowley and they recorded as 'Kim & The Skippers' in 1965.

Skip Battin and Al Rosenberg formed the Evergreen Blueshoes, featuring later day Nitty Gritty Dirt Band luminary Jimmy Ibbotson, and released two singles and the album 'The Ballad of Evergreen Blueshoes.'

He also formed founded 'Skip Batten & the Group' in 1965 and released a 1967 single with guitarist and latter day legend Steve Young and pianist Van Dyke Parks on vocal harmonies

Battin played on Warren Zevon's debut disc 'Wanted Dead or Alive' in 1969 and was head hunted for 'The Byrds' by Clarence White with whom he had jammed in 1968. Skip cut three albums with The Byrds from 1970-1973 - the 1970 disc 'Untitled. Battin wrote 'Yesterday's Train' with Gene Parsons, 'You All Look Alike' and the anti-Vietnam war tune 'We'll Come Back Home.' 'Byrdmaniax,' released in June 1971, had three Battin songs - 'Tunnel of Love,' 'Citizen Kane' and 'Absolute Happiness.' The next album, 'Farther Along,' also featured the Battin-Fowley tunes 'America's Great National Pastime,' 'Precious Kate' and 'Lazy Waters'.

The Byrds were self destructing in 1973 so he cut his first solo album 'Skip' in 1973 with Clarence White on guitar. The singles included two co-writes with Fowley - 'Central Park', backed with 'The St. Louis Browns' and 'The Ballad of Dick Clark' in stereo and mono.  The sequel, at the end of 1973, should have been 'Topanga Skyline.' But the energy crisis, with a shortage of vinyl, persuaded the record company to can the album. "Clarence was killed two days before the beginning of the recordings," Battin revealed. "He had rehearsed with us."

Battin's next band was 'New Riders of The Purple Sage' with whom he cut four albums from 1974-6. 'Brujo' in 1974 featured four Battin-Fowley tunes - 'Big Wheels,' 'Singing Cowboy,' 'On The Amazon' and 'Neon Rose.' Battin also performed on 'Live on Stage' in 1975, belatedly released in 1993. He had one song 'Strangers on a Train' on their 1975 disc 'Oh What a Mighty Time.'  His last New Riders album was simply titled “New Riders” on which he did a great cover of “She’s Looking Better Every Beer.”

As he finished recording that disc in 1976 he joined the 'Flying Burrito Brothers' and played on their album 'Airborne.' When the band split after a nine month stint by Battin he decided to retire to become a farmer but was lured out of retirement on December 2, 1977, when they reformed. The band - including Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Gib Guilbeau, Robb Strandlund and John Maucery - cut a live album in Japan. 'Close Encounters From the West Coast' was re-released as 'Live from Tokyo.' The band changed its named to the 'Burrito Brothers' in September 1979 and added John Beland to the line-up.

Battin played on demos at Criterion Music in Hollywood which were released in 1990 as 'Hollywood Nights 1979-1982.' Although he was on the cover of the group's debut album for Curb Records, 'Hearts on The Line' he was not involved in the recordings.

Battin was fired from the Burritos in 1981 when he cut another solo album ‘Navigator,'which was released only in Italy and is extremely difficult to find.

At the end of 1983 Skip Battin's third solo album was released in Italy. "Don't Go Crazy" had to offer some surprises. The second side of the album presents Italian songs partly sung in Italian language. The first side had songs that were already well known amongst the fans of Skip Battin. First of all one had the chance to hear a studio recording of "Santa Ana Wind" the song that was very successful during the concerts. Then there was Skip Battin's own version of "Do Not Disturb". Finally there were three rerecordings of songs that would have been on the "Topanga Skyline" album.

Skip reunited with his Burrito Buddies Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Greg Harris, Gene Parsons and Ed Ponder. However Gib Guilbeau and John Breland were using the “Burrito Brothers” name so they called themselves “Peace Seekers”.  The group played everything from rock'n'roll classics like "Alley Oop" to country- and bluegrass music. Even the Buffalo Springfield songs Skip Battin had played earlier in Italy were played. Gene Parsons offered the "Mercury Blues" and "Take a Whiff". The Peace Seekers even manage to come to Europe in 1984 where they play a tour with Roger McGuinn. The concerts start with Roger McGuinn doing his solo acoustic material. The second set is played by the Peace Seekers and in the end they all combine for some Byrds songs.

In 1985 Skip, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Greg Harris and Jim Goodall revived 'Flying Burrito Brothers' and released Cabin Fever in 1985 and three live albums made in Europe.

Skip joined Michael Clarke's version of The Byrds in 1987 and left in 1991.

After the death of Clarke, the group became 'Byrds Celebration' - Terry Rogers, Skip Battin, Gene Parsons and Scott Nienhaus.  Gene Parsons left after only a few weeks and was replaced by Vincenzo Barrenco, an old friend of Scott Nienhaus.  They recorded an album 'Empty Room' as the Rogers/Nienhaus Band in 1996 but Skip left in 1997 and announced his retirement from music. 

After he retired his only musical activities were some session work for Connie Cohen, whose album "Heading Out" was released in the year 2000 and for a Brian Cutean album, “Parakeetfishhead”

Skip Battin died on the evening of July 6th, 2003, of complications from Alzheimer's disease in a care facility in Salem, OR. His death received almost no media attention, but his music lives on.

Battin is sadly missed by his family and friends and of course by music lovers all around the world