#389 - Don Henley - The End of the Innocence (1989)
MUSIC HISTORY WRITTEN BY HEAD WRITER DJ MORTY COYLE:
Released on June 27th of 1989 on Geffen Records and co-produced by Don and Danny Kortchmar, Mike Campbell, John Corey, Stan Lynch, and Bruce Hornsby this is the third solo album by the American singer, songwriter, and drummer.
Born in Gilmer, Texas in 1947 and raised in Linden Don originally played football in high school until his coach suggested he join the school band due to his small build.
He started off on trombone before moving to percussion and played with his friends in a Dixieland band.
By 1964 they were a Country/Folk/Rock group with Don as their drummer and after several name and personnel changes they released one Henley-written single.
In 1969 they met fellow Texan Kenny Rogers and settled on the name Shiloh. By 1970 Kenny helped them release another couple singles, got them signed to a small record label, and brought them out to L.A. to live with him while he produced their debut.
The Troubadour club was a hotbed of music at that time with future stars of the new Country, Soft Rock, and singer/songwriter genres mixing and jamming together including Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Carole King, and even comedian/musician Steve Martin.
It was there that Don met guitarist and singer/songwriter Glenn Frey who was also on Shiloh’s record label in a duo with J.D. Souther called Longbranch Pennywhistle.
In 1971 band disagreements broke Shiloh up and Don and Glenn were recruited for that year’s tour as Linda Ronstadt’s backing group which came to include bassist Randy Meisner and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Bernie Leadon.
That same year Don and Glenn realized they had the makings of a solid songwriting and performing team and after David Geffen bought them both out of their previous record contracts they formed the Country Rock band the Eagles which came to include Randy and Bernie. They were signed to Geffen’s Asylum Records and released their debut in 1972.
Although Don’s only lead vocal on that album was “Witchy Woman”, a song he co-wrote with Bernie Leadon, it was a hit and by the next album his songwriting partnership with Glenn Frey yielded the Henley sung “Desperado” and the Frey sung “Tequila Sunrise” and they were off and running.
The band became wildly popular and by their third album they added guitarist Don Felder and had their first number one with “Best of My Love”, written by Henley, Frey, and Frey’s old bandmate J.D. Souther.
They followed with another album full of hits, replaced Bernie Leadon with Joe Walsh, and then put out a greatest hits collection which is currently still the best selling album in the U.S..
Then they released the best selling “Hotel California” in 1976, replaced bassist Randy Meisner with Timothy B. Schmit, and put out what was intended to be their final album, “The Long Run” in 1979 before splitting up the next year in a haze of acrimony.
The following year he was arrested, fined, and put on two years probation for contributing to the delinquency of a minor after calling the paramedics for an underaged prostitute who was o.d.ing on cocaine at his house with her underaged girlfriend.
He then began his solo career with the 1981 Top Ten Pop and Adult Contemporary duet “Leather and Lace” written by and sung with his old girlfriend, Stevie Nicks.
He started dating actress Maren Jensen who would be his longtime companion and inspiration and eventual fiancee.
In 1982 both Glenn Frey and Don put out their first solo albums.
Don’s was a hit with three charting songs that established a solid working relationship with guitarist and producer Danny Kortchmar who had co-produced and co-wrote most of the album with Don.
Never a prolific or timely songwriter Henley’s process was to work on music with his co-writers and then, according to Kortchmar, "Once the track is completed, he drives around in his car and listens to it and comes up with lyrical ideas. That's what happened with a lot of the tunes he and I wrote together. The music would come first and then he'd have something to write to, and then he would complete the song."
His second album two years later in 1984 was a critical and popular success sounding very adult and uncompromising despite having huge hits including the number one Mainstream Rock tracks “The Boys of Summer” and “All She Wants to Do is Dance.”
It was filled with programmed drums and synthesizers and besides Kortchmar and old friend and collaborator J.D. Souther featured co-writes with members of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, and Stan Lynch.
He and his fiancee, Maren Jensen broke up in 1986 and between that and his typical fashion he took his time to construct his third album. He began working on it in 1987 and it wouldn’t be completed until two years later.
Once again writing with Kortchmar, Souther, Campbell and Lynch and a few others he meticulously put together a collection of songs that were personal and imbued with idealism, cynicism, despair, rage, and hope as well as some that were politically-charged.
He spoke to and for those of his Baby-Boomer generation that were reaching middle-age and didn’t like what they saw around them but he took care not to be too self-righteous.
As he explained it, “I think there’s always a place for a little social commentary — after all, that is one of the basic principles of Rock, Folk, Blues and Country music — but you can’t hit people over the head with it. You can comment, but you can’t preach.”
Near the end of completion he also co-wrote the title song with Bruce Hornsby, the piano playing singer/songwriter who in 1986 had huge hits with “The Way It Is” and “Mandolin Rain” and won the Best New Artist Grammy along with his backing band, The Range.
The musicians on the record included David Paich and Jeff Porcaro of Toto, Campbell and Lynch of the Heartbreakers, bassists Pino Palladino, Larry Klein, and Bob Glaub, and saxophonist Wayne Shorter.
It also featured guest vocal appearances by Gloria Estefan, Patty Smyth from Scandal, Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow, Edie Brickell, the a cappella Gospel group Take 6, and Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses.
The new record’s sound was less synthesized but no less glossy and despite most of the songs’ over five minute lengths it was primed for the ears of the fans that had grown along with him as well as their kids.
The album spawned four hit singles and several album tracks even charted.
It went on to be his most popular and best-selling album with over six million copies sold and the title track won the Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.
It would be eleven years before Don released another solo album in 2000 but during that time he founded several ecological charities, was sued by Geffen Records for trying to break his contract, put out three new songs on a greatest hits collection, sang on some soundtracks and other artists’ records, married his girlfriend Sharon Summerall, and took part in a surprising and hugely successful Eagles reunion.
In 1998 he was inducted as a member of the Eagles into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
To date he has released two more solo albums, another greatest hits collection, and a live and studio record with the Eagles.
He is also the fourth wealthiest drummer in the world after Ringo Starr, Phil Collins, and Dave Grohl.