Grateful Riders with John Green & the Sidedooros

Grateful Riders

There were enough Grateful Dead bands around so we decided we should start a New Riders band to open for them. Then we dedided to do some Gram Parsons and the Byrds, by then the whole Hippie country world of music was an option. We added a few from our old friends, Commander Cody and Asleep at the Wheel, as well as country songs the Dead covered. At this point it is our mission to keep Hippie Country Music alive.

The band includes three members of the Sacramento Western Swing Hall Of Fame, Joe Ybarra (pedal steel), Olen Dillingham (fiddle,mando), and Bob Woods (guitar) as well as Skip Alan Smith (drums), John Gardiner (percussion), THE Brett Cole (bass). All members on vocals. Joe and Bob have been playing together since 1970.

John Green & The Sidedooros

A fourth generation Sacramento boy, John has been writing and singing about the San Joaquin Valley since he picked up the guitar in 1971.  Startng out hooked on Bob Dylan he soon discoverd Doc Watson, Norman Blake and Clarence White.  Moving to Berkeley in the late 70's he soon discoverd California Valley Old School Country Music. Used country recocrds were very cheap in the 70's.  After hearing the sounds of Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Tommy Collins and Winn Stuart John began singing and writing about growing up as a San Joaquin kid.  Rancho Cordova was a mixing bag of farm workers, soldiers, blue collar trade persons and an emerging middle class. These influences shapped his songs into stories of lonseome late night road trips on Highway 99, factory jobs, farm work, city living, dying and chasing dreams. John has woven together through his songs a story of growing up in a small town, leaving to the city, finding work and returning home later in life.