(Credits: Far Out / Derek Russell)
Fri 23 January 2026 18:43, UK
Don Henley began his journey in the music industry when he moved to Los Angeles in the late 1960s. It wasn’t a bad place to be. You can’t shake a stick without hitting a future icon.
Shortly after Henley arrived, he met Glenn Frey, and together, they formed the Eagles along with Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner. Possessing one of the most exceptional voices of the 20th century, Henley created music with the Eagles that remains surprisingly underrated in rock circles, but ludicrously popular elsewhere.
As the 1970s loomed on the horizon, the California rock scene underwent a transformation. The era of psychedelic flower power from the 1960s faded away, making room for the resonant tones of mellow rock and roll. Influential artists like Gram Parsons and Linda Ronstadt embraced elements of country music, shaping a new musical landscape.
Eagles would become known as one of the founding members of the country rock movement, with Henley’s personal admirers lingering somewhere between soft rock and country lovers. In a 2019 interview with the BBC, Henley openly expressed his deep appreciation for country music by selecting his favourite songs from the genre.
Along with worthy entries from The Beatles, Willie Nelson, and Emmylou Harris, Henley also named Ronstadt’s ‘Silver Threads & Golden Needles’ as the first song that truly captured his heart. He explained: “This lady is a dear, dear friend of mine. I had the pleasure of working with her very early on in my career, even before the Eagles were formed.”
He continued, with notable pride regarding the association, “I was a member of her backup band, and I travelled with her in the spring of 1971. We did gigs together. Glenn Frey and I were both in her band at the same time.” It was here where they honed their chops, and realised the chemistry you needed to really make the music sing.
Thankfully, they also had a singer who did that, too. As Henley added, “That’s the period we planned and plotted to have a band of our own, which eventually became The Eagles of course. This was the first Linda Ronstadt song that I fell in love with. It was on her album called Hand Sown … Home Grown.”
Originally written by Dick Reynolds and Jack Rhodes in 1956, and first released by Wanda Jackson, there’s a timeless quality to the country hit. However, Ronstadt brought something new to it without ever detracting from its glistening charm. It’s exactly why Henley sees her as one of the greatest singers of all time. Not bad at all, given that plenty of peers say the same thing about him and his harmonising Eagles bandmates.
Henley also, of course, praised Patsy Cline, particularly her song ‘Crazy’. “Patsy Cline in many circles is regarded as one of the finest Country singers ever to come down the pike and I would agree with that,” Henley said. “She unfortunately passed away in a plane crash much too soon in her life and who knows what she would have gone on to accomplish. But she did leave a wonderful legacy.”
Henley completed his list with the legendary Glen Campbell and his song ‘By the Time I Get to Phoenix.’ Regarding this track, Henley remarked: “This gentleman I had the pleasure of meeting only once. We had a wonderful evening together talking about music and the recording industry many, many years ago.”
He concluded, “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. He played on a lot of very famous records that people probably aren’t aware of.”
But when it comes to the awe he has experienced first-hand, few moments can compete with the very beginning of his career, when he got to witness Ronstadt gracefully reinvent the gorgeous ‘Silver Threads & Golden Needles’ night after sultry night.
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