As we all know, Sneaky Pete and Skip were very close over the years. Due to Sneaky's passing I am starting
this page in his honor. We will start with an e-mail sent to the webmaster by his daughter, Anita.
I just stumbled upon your website. My name is Anita, Sneaky Pete is my father. I think what you are doing here
is wonderful. Skip and Sneaky were the best of friends, truly enjoyed each other's company. Skip was such a sweet
guy. Always polite and so funny! Skip and my dad together were hilarious. They both totally loved life and enjoyed
it to the fullest. They both loved fine food, fine wine and travel. Their lives paralleled in so many ways. My father
was devastated when Skip was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. He visited him often and was shocked at the cruelty of the
disease. Then, Skip was gone. Just terrible.
When my father was diagnosed, well, that's when it really hit
me. Two brilliant men taken too soon. It's too sad for words. Let's never forget them.
Peace, Anita Kleinow
Thanks for writing, Anita! I once read this in an interview with Skip...
I care so much for Europe that I would sell the farm
and move to Europe with my family and live in Italy, buy me a new farm and have a group with Sneaky Pete in it and tour when
we could, Write and perform good music, being able to record and sell it here. Yeah that would really make me happy.
-Skip Battin
Obviously, these guys meant alot to each other, and their music lives in all
of us.
UPDATE: 01/08/07
We are deeply saddend to report that Sneaky
Pete has passed away from alzheimers.
SAN
FRANCISCO (AP) - "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow, a steel guitar prodigy who rose to fame as one of the original members of the Flying
Burrito Brothers, has died. He was 72.
During a musical career that spanned six decades, Kleinow helped define the country-rock genre
in the late 1960s and 1970s by taking the instrument he had picked up as a teenager in South Bend, Ind., to California. His
prowess with the pedal steel guitar influenced a generation of rock-and-rollers, including the Eagles, the Steve Miller Band
and Poco.
Kleinow's last public performance was at a 2005 tribute concert in Parsons' memory. He played
and recorded regularly with Burrito Deluxe, a band he founded in 2000 following the rebirth of alt-country music and fronted
until he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
His last recording with the group is scheduled to be released next month, said Brenda Cline,
the band's manager.
Check this link about Sneaky's Lifetime Achivement Award
