Linda Ronstadt quickly took the California music scene of the 70s by storm, enchanting everybody with her unique beauty and her mesmerizing voice. As Willie Nelson famously said, “there are two types of men in this world: those who love Linda Ronstadt, and those who have never heard of her.”
She drew talent like a magnet. Her session musicians during live shows in the early 70s included a couple of up-and-comers named Glenn Frey and Don Henley, who soon decided they should start up a band of their own. That’s right… we have Linda Ronstadt to thank for the Eagles.
Henley and Frey, along with Bernie Leadon, Randy Meisner, and JD Souther, all played on Ronstadt’s next album, 1972’s Linda Ronstadt, and Frey and Souther also appeared on its follow-up, 1973’s Don’t Cry Now.
Ronstadt covered the Eagles’ recently released ‘Desperado’ on the latter, and according to Henley gave the song the commercial boost it needed to become one of their signature tunes.
The tracklists also include songs penned by Randy Newman, Neil Young, and Johnny Cash, and a lovely version of Jackson Browne’s ‘Rock Me On the Water.’
Her boyfriend, musician John Boylan, handled production duties on both albums with Ronstadt alongside as co-producer. Buoyed by the stellar backing band, the sound of these albums is notably more muscular and rich than her first two records. And Ronstadt sings with the confidence of a woman who knows she is ascendant.
You been out ridin’ fences for so long now
Oh, you’re a hard one
But I know that you’ve got your reasons
These things that are pleasin’ you
Can hurt you somehow
Don’t you draw the queen of diamonds, boy
She’ll beat you if she’s able
Know the queen of hearts is always your best bet
Well, it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the things that you can’t get
Desperado, you know you ain’t gettin’ no younger
Your pain and your hunger, drivin’ you home
And freedom, oh freedom
Well, that’s just some people talkin’
Your prison is walking
Through this world all alone
And don’t your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won’t snow, and the sun won’t shine
It’s hard to tell the night-time from the day
You’re losin’ all your highs and lows
Ain’t it funny how the feelin’ goes away?
Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin’, but there’s a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you (let somebody love you)
Let somebody love you, before it’s too late
Meet Me In Montauk 
I’m just newly reminded and freshly annoyed that Don Henley wasn’t named as one of the top 30 greatest living American songwriters!
Too funny Dana 😂 What an amazing story she has and it’s just beginning in the 70’s!
Glad you mentioned her cover of “Rock Me On The Water.” I think it’s one of the best Jackson Browne covers ever recorded. From the Linda Ronstadt album, I’m also partial to her cover of Johnny Cash’s “I Still Miss Someone” and Eric Andersen’s “I Ain’t Always Been Faithful.” She infuses a lot of passion into them. Don’t Cry Now features her wonderful cover of “Love Has No Pride,” which was also covered beautifully by Bonnie Raitt. (Impossible to pick a favorite between these two.) “Silver Threads and Golden Needles” — a song recorded by lots of artists — is the song I most think of from the album as it was a hit at the time. Interestingly, the song “Colorado,” which was released as the third single from the album, was written by Rick Roberts who would go on to form the band Firefall.