Linda Ronstadt is known as the Queen of Rock, but did you know her influence helped the formation of a beloved classic rock band? In the 1970s, Ronstadt coincidentally brought together all the original members of the Eagles when she was assembling her backup band. They would go on to have an amazing career in rock, as we all know, how did this formation happen? And what was Linda Ronstadt’s role in it all?
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Speaking with Uncut in 2017, Ronstadt catalogued some of her biggest albums. Her 1969 debut Hand Sown…Home Grown was a runaway success and turned her into a country-rock superstar. While she was forming her backing band for her upcoming tour, she brought together Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Randy Meisner, and Bernie Leadon.
“I had a hand in forming the Eagles, yes!” she said at the time, adding, “But it was their talent and their mutual interaction that really did it.” According to Linda Ronstadt, she went to the Troubadour in West Hollywood with producer John Boylan on a Monday night, where they saw a band called Shiloh.
“They were playing my version of ‘Silver Threads And Golden Needles’ exactly off the record, including the guitar solo. So I thought, ‘Maybe I can just hire this band, they already know the arrangements!’” she shared. “But I had some players already, so we went and asked Don Henley, the drummer in Shiloh, if he’d like to play for my next tour.”
Linda Ronstadt Shares the Story of How She Brought the Eagles Together
Ronstadt continued, “Then I needed a guitar-player, so I asked Glenn Frey, who used to sing with my boyfriend, JD Souther.” Apparently, Frey and Henley roomed together on the road, which Ronstadt said revealed “that the other was a good singer and writer, so they started working together.”
“By the end of the tour, [Don Henley and Glenn Frey] decided to form a band,” said Linda Ronstadt. “John [Boylan] suggested Randy Meisner to play bass and I suggested Bernie Leadon, so those four became my band with the idea that they’d go on their own as soon as they got a deal.”
The unofficial Eagles performed together for the first time in July 1971. By September, manager David Geffen had them signed to his label Asylum Records. June 1972 marked the release of their debut album, Eagles, which included future iconic hits like “Take It Easy” and “Witchy Woman.” Would the band have found each other without that 1971 tour? That’s hard to say. However, what we can say is, in this timeline, we all have Linda Ronstadt to thank for giving us the Eagles.
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