Letting Them Soar: The final show Linda Ronstadt ever played with Eagles
No artist can hang onto the same musicians for the rest of their lives. It’s easy for people to build up a certain chemistry after a while, but creativity always needs some space, and even the best bands find time to take a break from their bandmates every now and again. But while Linda Ronstadt had some of the best musicians that a singer could ask for in the Eagles, she knew there were better things ahead for both of them when they eventually split apart.
That being said, Eagles probably would have never formed in the first place were it not for Ronstadt getting them together. Don Henley had already been playing in his group Shiloh when he crashlanded in Los Angeles, and since he had a fantastic voice, it was a no-brainer to get him in the group to play drums. Henley already had a country streak thanks to his time growing up in Texas, but Frey helped give the group an edge, having come from Detroit.
He had already been slogging it out in the band Longbranch Pennywhistle with JD Souther, but since he needed to make ends meet, he knew he couldn’t refuse the gig with Ronstadt. He even managed to get an extra dough before he joined when he met her manager, John Boylan, saying, “I remember asking him, ‘Can you give me some of that money right now?’ I think he gave me 50 bucks.”
And once Henley and Frey harmonised with Ronstadt, she knew she was working with true professionals. They were the best workers that a singer could ask for, but after building their chops up every single night, there came a point when Henley and Frey started to think of what would happen if they had their own rock and roll outfit.
For any other singer, having their band members leave to form their own group is the moment where ties are cut and you don’t speak to them again, but Ronstadt was supportive from day one. She had even suggested bringing in Bernie Taupin to play lead guitar for the group, given his reputation as one of the greatest country players on the West Coast and having worked with legends like Gram Parsons.
Despite being the biggest name in country music at the time, Ronstadt remembered the last gig she played with her legendary bandmates had a lot more soul to it, saying, “The last shows I play with the Eagles as my official backup band were at Disneyland in 1971 for a week called Grad Night. We were on a bill with Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and Staples Singers. When no one was onstage performing, the Eagles played poker with Smokey in the backstage lounge.”
While there may have been a bittersweet feeling in the air at what is designed to be the happiest place on Earth, it ended up working out great for both artists when they parted. Eagles may have soared far higher than anyone anticipated, but Ronstadt was also free to work with whatever kind of music caught her fancy, whether that was making inroads into Broadway or trying her hand at Mexican music later on in her career.
And for all of the animosity that could have come from them leaving her side, Ronstadt never showed an ounce of resentment, even doing them a few favours like covering the song ‘Desperado’ when their sophomore release flopped. While it’s easy for most people to recognise a song like ‘Hotel California’ more than ‘When Will I Be Loved’, none of the Eagles would ever forget about their musical big sister who helped them make their first amateur inroads to success.
