(Credits: Far Out / Alamy / Linda Ronstadt)
Thu 6 November 2025 19:30, UK
The first time Don Henley truly fell in love with the voice and music of Linda Ronstadt, he hadn’t known of the path he would later take as part of the greatest country rock groups of all time.
When Henley and Glenn Frey performed as part of Ronstadt’s band, it was a move to make ends meet. She knew it herself, once saying that she knew they’d be something someday, but that the offer to join her on the road was to allow them the time and money to get to where they needed to be. What she witnessed was the making of the Eagles, offering them a mentoring hand during a time when all they had was a shared vision and a desire to one day be even greater.
Finding their voice around Ronstadt must have been an embarrassment of riches – Ronstadt, who grew up “saturated in song” and only did what she felt emotionally connected to, likely taught the Eagles musicians more than a few things about humility, focus, and running with the flow of creativity whenever it hits. Henley and Frey would eventually chase their own flavour of rock, but with Ronstadt, they probably saw that everything you’d ever do was already drilled into you before you even entered the stage.
Even as the Eagles took flight, Ronstadt continued to push their career. Covering songs like ‘Desperado’ brought attention to otherwise hidden gems, pushing a new perspective that brought new fans to their music and old ones a refreshed enthusiasm. As Henley once admitted, ‘Desperado’ wasn’t even close to becoming a hit until Ronstadt covered it.
The song came as part of her 1971 record Don’t Cry Now, the same one that boasted gorgeous rerecords of classics by Neil Young and Randy Newman. Eagles’ ‘Desperado’ was no doubt the shining star, however, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed by the other members who had Ronstadt to thank, once again, for drawing attention to the lesser-celebrated parts of their discography.
When it comes to Ronstadt’s more special tracks, Henley is often spoilt for choice. Of course, ones like ‘Desperado’ hold more weight for obvious reasons, but several others have also withstood the test of time. Another, Ronstadt’s ‘Silver Threads & Golden Needles’, is also one that he holds close to his chest, mainly because he said that it was the first Ronstadt song that he ever fell in love with.
“This next lady is a dear, dear friend of mine,” mused Henley to Rock and Roll Garage. “I had the pleasure of working with her very early on in my career even before The Eagles were formed. I was a member of her backup band and I traveled with her in the spring of 1971. We did gigs together. That’s the period we planned and plotted to have a band of our own which eventually became The Eagles of course.”
He added, “[‘Silver Threads & Golden Needles’] was the first Linda Ronstadt song that I fell in love with. It was on her second album, I believe, which was called Hand Sown … Home Grown.”
In 1974, the Eagles got the pleasure of performing alongside Ronstadt during a performance of ‘Silver Threads’ at Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert. Introducing her to the stage, Frey made it clear that she was instrumental in the formation of the band, while saying that she was their favourite female singer. A special moment that stayed with them long after the audience left, one etched into the grooves of history as the Eagles chased their own breakthrough.
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