Eagles’ longtime drummer and co-vocalist Don Henley is behind many of the best songs from the famed rock band. His vocals on songs like “Desperado” and “Hotel California” are legendary. It’s not that surprising that someone with as much musical talent as Henley would also have pretty good musical taste. Let’s take a look at just a handful of songs that Henley has said he considers his favorites. There are some real country gems on this list!
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“Always On My Mind” by Willie Nelson
Who doesn’t love this song, honestly? Back in 2016, Don Henley stopped by BBC Radio 2 to talk about his country roots and share a few of his favorite country records. Naturally, Willie Nelson’s hit tune from 1982 made it to his list.
Interestingly enough, despite being one of the best songwriters in country music, “Always On My Mind” wasn’t actually a Willie Nelson original. In fact, he was far from the first person to cover it. The song was originally written by a trio of songwriters for musicians Brenda Lee and Gwen McCrae in 1972. From there, the song has been covered by everyone from Elvis Presley to John Wesley Ryles to, of course, Willie Nelson.
“Act Naturally” by Buck Owens
This gem from 1963 comes from Buck Owens, though the original tune was written by Johnny Russell.
“Buck Owens was actually born in my home state of Texas in a small town called Sherman, Texas,” Don Henley told BBC. “He is primarily known and associated with the Bakersfield sound, Bakersfield, California. But he was born in Texas. One of his biggest hits was a song called ‘Act Naturally’ that was actually covered by The Beatles. Ringo Starr sang that song, and you know, that was a good version. But Buck’s version is my favorite.”
“Good Times Ain’t What They Used To Be” by Jamey Johnson
“Good Times Ain’t What They Used To Be” by Jamey Johnson was released more recently in 2010. The song was a collaborative effort between Johnson, Dallas Davidson, and Jim McCormick. It’s a solid modern country song, and it’s not surprising that the tune made it to Don Henley’s list of favorites.
“By The Time I Get To Phoenix” by Glen Campbell
At the end of Don Henley’s list of favorite songs lies this gem from Glen Campbell, released in 1967.
“This gentleman [Campbell] I had the pleasure of meeting only once,” said Henley. “We had a wonderful evening together talking about music and the recording industry many, many years ago. He has one of the greatest voices in music. He is also a very underappreciated musician. One of the best guitar players ever to emerge on the American music scene.”
Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images
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