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Sadly, a lot of classic rock is rooted in men’s resentment towards women. During an interview, one of The Eagles revealed that “Best of My Love” was about the band’s issues with women in their lives. The American people rewarded The Eagles for expressing these resentments.

Don Henley said ‘Best of My Love’ was about a contradiction within The Eagles

During a 2003 interview with The Uncool, The Eagles’ Don Henley discussed the origin of “Best of My Love.” “A lot of the lyrics were actually written in Dan Tana’s at a booth we liked to sit in, on the front side of the bar area,” the “Boys of Summer” singer said. “Jd Souther wrote the bridge and it was perfect.

“That was the period when there were all these great-looking girls who didn’t really want to have anything to do with us,” he added. “[The Eagles] could be...

Classic rock stars worked with each other more often than one might think. For example, The Eagles’ “Take It Easy” might be a quintessential Eagles song, but it was actually co-written by a rock star who was not a member of the band. One of The Eagles revealed that the rock star in question had a huge influence over his songwriting.

The Eagles were poor when they made ‘Take It Easy’

During a 2003 interview with The Uncool, The Eagles’ Glenn Frey discussed the origin of “Take It Easy.” “Jackson Browne, Jd Souther, and I all lived at 1020 Laguna in Echo Park,” he said. “Jd and I shared a $60-a-month, one-room apartment — a couch and kind of a bed with a curtain in front of it. Right underneath us in an even smaller studio apartment was Jackson. He had his piano and guitars down there. I didn’t really know how...

Stevie Nicks has been wealthy and famous for decades, but she struggled financially before Fleetwood Mac. Nicks described the difficulties she and her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham had while they were working on music as a duo. When she elevated to stardom in the mid-1970s, she said two other musicians taught her to spend extravagantly.

Stevie Nicks said 2 musicians taught her to spend

Nicks said that now that she has finished her tour, she has more time for new projects. One of her goals is to start designing blankets, as they’re one of her favorite things to gift friends.

“I like to design blankets. Cashmere blankets are my favorite thing,” she told Rolling Stone in 2024. “That is what I buy for my friends if there’s a special occasion. I bought Travis Kelce a blanket.”

J.D. Souther | Richard McCaffrey/ Michael Ochs Archive/ Getty Images

She said she came to...

Classic rock songs can be deceiving. The Eagles’ “New Kid in Town” might seem like a song about love, but Don Henley said the tune has a double meaning. It’s a lot darker than it might appear on first listen.

The connection between Eagles’ ‘New Kid in Town’ and ‘Hotel California’

During a 2003 interview with The Uncool, Glenn Frey discussed what the Eagles were thinking when they penned the album Hotel California. “When we wrote ‘Life in the Fast Lane’ and started working on ‘Hotel California’ and ‘New Kid in Town’ with J.D. [Souther], we knew we were heading down a long and twisted corridor and just stayed with it,” he said. “Songs from the dark side — The Eagles take a look at the seamy underbelly of L.A. — the flip side of fame and failure, love and money.”

Henley gave us more insight into “New Kid in Town.

Classic Hollywood and classic rock often collided in exciting ways. For example, The Eagles wrote a song called “James Dean.” A member of The Eagles explained why his band was compelled to write that song. “James Dean” became part of an absolutely massive album.

The Eagles’ ‘James Dean’ was not inspired by 1950s nostalgia

Dean was a cinematic icon who made a huge mark despite only appearing in three movies: Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden, and Giant. He tragically died in a car accident at the age of 24. His public image and untimely death gave him an image as one of pop culture’s most prominent rebels. He’s still considered one of the most famous celebrities of the 1950s, so his visage will grace the walls of 1950s diners alongside those of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley for decades to come.

During a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone,...

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It’s time to “Take It Easy” in Sin City. The Eagles flew over to Las Vegas to kick off their new residency at the Sphere on Sept. 20, which now extends into 2025. The legendary American rock group is the latest to play concerts at the venue, following the likes of U2, Phish, and Dead & Company. Tickets for the Eagles‘ highly anticipated 20-date concert run went on sale earlier this summer,...

Goodbye Hotel California, hello The Sphere! Iconic rock band The Eagles have announced a residency at the spherical Las Vegas venue as part of their farewell tour, “The Long Goodbye.” The classic rockers kicked off their stint on Friday, September 20th, and will play weekends until Saturday, March 15th, 2025.

Purchase your tickets here, and read on for more details, including how to get access to sold-out shows. Update: Due to overwhelming demand, Eagles have announced four new shows at the Sphere taking place in March 2025. Tickets go on sale Friday, October 25th. Find more details below.

Get The Eagles Tickets Here

What Is The Eagles’ Sphere Residency?

The Eagles’ residency at The Sphere follows in the footsteps of other legendary rock acts that have recently made a temporary home out of the $2.3 billion venue, like U2, Phish, and Dead & Company. For their part, The Eagles’ residency is set to last for 14 weekends,...

At New York’s City Winery two years ago, both sides of the late J.D. Souther were on display. In a tidy dressing room backstage, Souther, looking like a dapper Old West ranch owner in his tailored suit and white hair and whiskers, was regaling a few visitors with stories. Among them were several women who were longtime fans of the songs he wrote with, or for, the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt — and of the charismatic Souther himself. It wasn’t hard to see why: Adhering to his legend, Souther remained,...

The Eagles began their residency at Las Vegas’ Sphere over the weekend, with opening shows on Friday, September 20th and Saturday, September 21st.

Eagles followed previous Sphere residents U2, Phish, and Dead & Company with a visually-dazzling show that made use of the venue’s 160,000-square-foot LED screen and immersive surround sound technology. The band, who are in the midst of their farewell tour, ran through a plethora of their biggest hits for the opening shows of the residency, including “Hotel California,” “Life in the Fast Lane,” “Take It Easy,” “Desperado,” and several more.

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For the first performance, Eagles also dedicated their final song “Heartache Tonight” to J.D. Souther, who died last week at the age of 78. In addition to co-writing “Heartache Tonight,” Souther worked extensively with the Eagles throughout their ’70s soft rock peak. “I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge a couple of people,...

The Eagles paid tribute to J.D. Souther during the band’s opening night show Friday at Las Vegas’ Sphere, dedicating “Heartache Tonight” — co-written by Souther — to the late singer-songwriter who died earlier this week.

“I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge a couple of people,” Don Henley told the audience before the final song of the evening.

“I want to acknowledge the co-writer of that song who we lost three days ago, Mr. J.D. Souther. J.D. is someone you may know played a pivotal role in the Eagles.

The Eagles have paid tribute to J.D. Souther, who co-wrote the band’s hits “Heartache Tonight” and “New Kid in Town,” following the singer-songwriter’s death Tuesday, “He was an extraordinary man and will be greatly missed by many.”

“We have lost a brother, a friend and a brilliant collaborator, and the world has lost a great songwriter, a pioneer of the Southern California sound that emerged in the 1970s,” the Eagles said in a statement posted on their official website.

“J.D. Souther was smart, talented, well-read, and in...

Jd Souther, a Songwriters Hall of Famer whose collaborations with The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor helped define the country-tinged Laurel Canyon/Southern California rock sound of the 1970s, has died. He was 78.

His reps said Souther died peacefully at his home in Sandia Park, Nm, but did not provide a cause or date of death.

Born John David Souther on November 2, 1945, in Detroit — he went by Jd, sans periods, throughout nearly all of his professional career — Souther was raised in Amarillo, Texas. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1960s, where he soon, and fortuitously, formed a band called Longbranch Pennywhistle with musician-songwriter Glenn Frey, a fellow Detroit native. The two would continue their songwriting collaboration even after Frey went on to cofound The Eagles, one of the most successful rock bands in history.

Together, Souther and Frey would contribute some of the Eagles’ most enduring and beloved songs,...

Singer, songwriter and actor Jd Souther, who co-wrote the Eagles hits “New Kid in Town” and “Best of My Love,” has died. He was 78. According to Variety, Souther passed away on Tuesday, September 17, at his home in New Mexico. No cause of death was provided, but a representative for the Eagles told the Los Angeles Times that Souther died “peacefully.” Born on November 2, 1945, in Detroit, Michigan, Souther began his music career with the local group The Cinders, who released their first record in 1965. He later moved to Los Angeles, forming a folk duo with fellow musician and songwriter Glenn Frey; the pair released one album in 1970. While Souther would record and release a solo album in 1972 and scored a Top 10 hit in 1979 with the ballad “You’re Only Lonely,” it was in writing for others that he found his biggest success. Most notably, Souther was a frequent collaborator with the Eagles.

Jd Souther, the singer and songwriter who co-wrote songs with the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt, has died. He was 78.

Souther died peacefully at his home in New Mexico, according to his rep. No cause of death was given. He was about to embark on a tour with Karla Bonoff.

Souther, a Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, was responsible for some of the Eagles’ biggest hits, including the songs “Best of My Love”, “Victim of Love”, “Heartache Tonight”, and “New Kid in Town”. “How Long.” With Ronstadt, he wrote and duetted on the classic songs “Prisoner in Disguise,” “Sometimes You Can’t Win” and “Hearts Against the Wind.” He also enjoyed a successful solo career and penned the hit songs “You’re Only Lonely” and “Her Town Too,” the latter a duet with Taylor.

Born John David Souther on Nov. 2, 1945 in Detroit, Michigan, he was raised in Amarillo, Texas. He started...

John David “J.D.” Souther, a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame known for co-penning hits with the Eagles, James Taylor, and Linda Ronstadt, has died at the age of 78.

The singer-songwriter died peacefully at home in New Mexico, according to reps at Solters PR. A cause of death was not given.

Souther was born in Detroit, Michigan, on Nov. 2, 1945, and raised in Amarillo, Texas. After moving to Los Angeles, California, in the late Sixties, he formed a longtime partnership with the Eagles’ Glenn Frey. The duo briefly formed...

Jd Souther, the singer, songwriter and actor who co-wrote some of the biggest hits of the Eagles, like “New Kid in Town” and “Best of My Love,” and had a long solo career that included the top 10 hit “You’re Only Lonely,” died Tuesday at age 78. No cause of death was given but he was described by reps at Solters PR as dying peacefully at home in New Mexico.

Souther was about to go out for joint concert dates this fall with Karla Bonoff, another veteran of the 1970s Southern California singer-songwriter scene, and had performed as recently as five days ago.

Besides “New Kid” and “Best of My Love,” other compositions co-written by Souther that appeared on Eagles albums included “Heartache Tonight,” “Victim of Love,” “James Dean,” “Doolin-Dalton,” “The Sad Cafe,” “You Never Cry Like a Lover,” “Teenage Jail” and “Last Good Time in Town.” He was the sole writer of “How Long,...

Judee Sill’s story is one of raw talent and inner turmoil. Born in the 1940s, she showed an early gift for music even amidst a troubled family life. By her teens, drug use and crime saw her cycle through jail and the streets. Yet music remained her guiding light. Gaining recognition in the L.A. folk scene, Sill signed with Asylum Records in the 1970s, a star-studded label home to the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt.

While contemporaries found fame, Sill’s complex songs defied radio formatting. Her self-titled debut and Heart Food earned critical praise, yet sales stalled. Personal issues spiraled too, and asylum cut ties. By 35, Sill was found dead—her light extinguished—decades before her full genius would become clear. That’s where Lost Angel steps in to shine a light.

Directors Andy Brown and Brian Lindstrom piece together Sill’s rich legacy through archival material and interviews with collaborators.

Singer-songwriter Judee Sill packed a lot of living into her 35 years, much of it hard. Drugs, reform school, losing her father when she was just 8. Of her mother she said, “She was mean on top of being dumb.”

In her late teens, in the early 1960s, she got involved with a bad hombre in Southern California and they pulled off a few armed robberies. In one incident, she reportedly told a guy behind a liquor store counter, “Okay, mother sticker, this is a fuck up!” Humor she did not lack.

As a child Sill learned piano at an upright in a saloon owned by her dad. She mastered other instruments, including bass and guitar. In juvenile hall – where she was sent after an arrest for forging checks – she played the organ. Somehow, through cracks in the unpolished concrete of a difficult youth, a flowering talent emerged. She could draw, she could sing,...

Exclusive: Greenwich Entertainment has acquired North American distribution rights to Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill, a documentary about the gifted singer-songwriter who was equal parts talented and tortured.

The film directed by Andy Brown and Brian Lindstrom (Alien Boy: The Life & Death of James Chasse) premiered at Doc NYC in 2022. Greenwich plans to release Lost Angel in theaters on April 12. Watch the trailer below.

“An intimate portrait of a one-of-a-kind singer-songwriter from 1970s Los Angeles, the documentary charts the life of Judee Sill from a troubled adolescence that included armed robbery and prison through her meteoric rise in the music world and tragic early death,” notes a description of the documentary. “In just over two years, Judee went from living in a car to a deal with Asylum Records and the cover of Rolling Stone. As told by Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, David Geffen and Jd Souther...

Selena Gomez will play Linda Ronstadt in an upcoming biopic based on the superstar singer’s 2013 memoir Simple Dreams.

The Only Murders In The Building star and executive producer gave credence to the months-old internet rumors about the project today by posting a photo of the memoir as an Instagram Story. Deadline’s sister publication Rolling Stone later confirmed the casting.

The movie is in pre-production, with James Keach and Ronstadt’s longtime manager John Boylan co-producing. Additional casting and release date have not been announced.

An unconfirmed report of Gomez’s involvement in the biopic surfaced last July, but the Ig Story today moved the possibility into the definite.

Keach directed the 2020 film Linda and the Mockingbirds, a documentary chronicling a road trip undertaken by Ronstadt, Jackson Browne and a group of younger musicians to the Mexican town of Banámichi in the state of Sonora, the birthplace of Ronstadt’s grandfather.

Under a starry western sky last weekend, Park City Song Summit founder Ben Anderson stood onstage and held court in front of an audience of creatives.

“We’re going to change the legacy and culture of music on this mountain,” Anderson howled into the evening chill, his voice echoing far and wide into the surrounding high-desert peaks of Utah. Then he dove headlong into a rendition of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”

Ivan Neville, Eric Krasno, and Anders Osborne all joined Anderson for the tribute, along with a slew of...

Randy Meisner, the co-founder of the iconic American rock band The Eagles, best known for tracks such as ‘Take it to the Limit’ has passed away at the age of 77.

Meisner was the singer of the band and was known for his soft but powerful approach to vocal melodies.

As reported by their official website, the rock legend was found dead on July 26 in Los Angeles due to medical complications caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The bassist and singer for the band, Meisner was a rock icon and has recorded some of the band’s biggest classic albums such as ‘Eagles’, ‘Desperado’, ‘On The Border’, ‘One of These Nights’, and ‘Hotel California’.

“The Eagles are sad to report that founding member, bassist, and vocalist, Randy Meisner, passed away last night (July 26) in Los Angeles at age 77, due to complications from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease (Copd),” the band said on their official website.

Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer and founding member of both The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, David Crosby, passed away yesterday at the age of 81. A legendary and influential musician, Crosby recently developed a new generation of fans following the theatrical documentary, "David Crosby: Remember My Name," which was narrated and produced by Cameron Crowe. Not long after, Crosby famously made headlines when he pulled his musical catalog from Spotify after they continued to platform problematic podcaster, Joe Rogan. When Crosby's passing was announced, fans rightfully cited his remarkable contributions to the world of music, but many also referenced his eclectic collection of appearances in film and television.

Crosby's music is as distinctive as his appearance, with his trademark mustache unmistakably "Crosby." The combination of his legacy and his distinguished look made him the perfect person to make random cameo appearances in sitcoms and in tertiary roles, in addition to fictionalized versions of himself.

Everyone from Jackson Browne to Weyes Blood reflects on the brilliance of Judee Sill in a new trailer for an upcoming documentary about the widely revered, if little-known, singer-songwriter.

Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill will trace Sill’s remarkable rise from a troubled teen responsible for a handful of armed stick-ups to one of the most promising and revered artists of the Seventies. But tragically, Sill died of a drug overdose in 1979, never reaching the same heights as some of her peers, like Browne, Graham Nash, Linda Ronstadt,...

Occasionally a high-profile film or TV documentary arrives at just the right time to appear as if it were created to address the frustrations created by another high-profile documentary, however coincidental the timing. That’s certainly the case with Alison Ellwood’s “Laurel Canyon,” a feature-length doc about the Los Angeles rock scene of the ‘60s and ‘70s that’s airing as a two-parter on Epix on May 31 and June 7. It’s not exactly an “answer song” to “Echo in the Canyon,” a much-debated 2018 theatrical release that covered a lot of the same ground, but it does address a few important questions left hanging by its predecessor. Like: “Where the hell was Joni Mitchell?” She’s in this one — there are two shots of her within the first minute of the credit sequence, to immediately reassure us there will be ladies of, and in, the canyon this time around.

The...

Last week filmgoers were treated to a rather nifty feature documentary, Fiddler: A Miracle Of Miracles, all about the creation of the beloved stage classic “Fiddler on the Roof”. Well, let’s continue the “musical mood” with another doc about a very popular lady singer. Uh oh, the last big female singer feature docs were 2015’s Amy (Ms. Winehouse) and last year’s Whitney (Ms. Houston), so could this be about another songstress struck down at far too young an age? Happily, I can give a resounding “No!”. She appears in new footage and narrates several sequences. However, there’s more than a hint of tragedy at the film’s conclusion. But the journey is quite magical, as she dazzles in a wide range of musical styles and genres. All this audio delight comes courtesy of Linda Ronstadt: The Sound Of My Voice.

Her screen story starts in the...

One of the many reminders of the often discounted greatness of Linda Ronstadt arrives about 30 minutes into Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s documentary Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice. We see the biggest female rock star of the time (1976) in a studio with her band, filming what’s essentially an early music video. The song — Karla Bonoff’s sad-sack ballad of epic proportions, “Lose Again” — builds in gale-force winds with each verse and chorus. The band appears to be instrument-synching with the track, but Ronstadt, standing behind a microphone,...

The summer of 2018 produced three documentaries that earned over $10 million at the domestic box office. While this summer didn’t get quite as close, this fall has documentary releases about rock stars, athletes and even one posthumous release from an auteur. New films by Bruce Springsteen, Agnès Varda and Asif Kapadia could help make for a busy season for non-fiction cinema, with many more potentially on the way from the fall festival circuit. Here are 10 with impending releases you need to check out.

“Untouchable” – Sept. 2 (Hulu)

Too soon? The Hulu documentary “Untouchable” opens some still fresh wounds about the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the #MeToo movement. Ursula Macfarlane’s documentary first made its premiere at Sundance, and it features some harrowing interviews with accusers such as Rosanna Arquette, Hope D’Amore, Paz de la Huerta, Erika Rosenbaum and others.

“Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice” – Sept. 6 (Greenwich Entertainment...

Greenwich Entertainment and 1091 have acquired the North American rights to the rock documentary “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice” and plan to release the film in theaters this September, the companies announced Monday.

CNN Films, who also produced co-financed the documentary with Pch Films, has also acquired the North American broadcast TV rights for North America.

“The Sound of My Voice” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year and also won an audience award for documentaries at the Provincetown International Film Festival.

Also Read: 'Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice' Review: Rock Doc Starts and Ends With the Music

The film includes archival footage spanning 50 years, following her from the start of her career in the 1960s through becoming the highest paid female rock and roll performer in the ’70s, all culminating in her retirement in 2011 due to her battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Greenwich Entertainment and 1091 have co-acquired the North American distribution rights to the documentary “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice.”

Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman directed the movie with James Keach, Michele Farinola and CNN Films producing. The film was co-financed by Pch Films and CNN Films. CNN Films has acquired broadcast television rights for North America. A September theatrical release is planned.

The film premiered to glowing reviews at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and recently won the Documentary Audience Award at the Provincetown International Film Festival.

Variety’s Owen Gleiberman wrote in his Trebeca review that “‘Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice‘ is a no-frills documentary that tells the enthralling story of one of the most powerful women in the history of pop music, and the movie is a testament to how different empowerment once looked, yet how potent it still was.”

Ronstadt broke out during the 1960s...

Exclusive: North American distribution rights to Linda Ronstadt: The Sound Of My Voice have been co-acquired by Greenwich Entertainment and 1091 (formerly The Orchard).

The documentary, directed by Oscar winning filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman and produced by James Keach and Michele Farinola and CNN Films, had its World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April and recently took the Documentary Audience Award at the Provincetown International Film Festival.

Co-financed by Keach’s Pch Films and CNN Films, the latter has also acquired broadcast television rights for North America. It will open in theaters in September. It is a powerful and no-holds barred look at the 1960s and ’70s music icon whose voice transcends all genres, and as I said when I wrote about its Tribeca premiere, the film is another sterling example in the wave of musical documentaries and biopics sweeping the theatrical exhibition scene.

Constructed from interviews over 50 years,...

1979: Edge of Night's Bobbie was hired to be the Whitneys' maid.

1986: Another World's Nicole Love returned to Bay City.

1992: Guiding Light's Ross had an Election Day dream.

2005: Laura Wright ended her run as Guiding Light's Cassie."The best prophet of the future is the past."

― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1967: On Dark Shadows, after a run-in with Carolyn Stoddard, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Grayson Hall) was convinced that Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) was planning to kill her.

1970: On Another World, Walter (Val Dufour) was thrilled when Lenore (Judith Barcroft) told him she was pregnant.

1977: On Guiding Light, a hateful Georgene...

Glenn Frey and Jd Souther’s Longbranch/Pennywhistle duo will be resurrected when the long out-of-print 1969 self-titled LP is reissued this September. Pre-orders are available on the duo’s website.

The album was recorded before Frey co-founded the Eagles. It will be pressed on compact disc for the first time, while the 180-gram vinyl will mark Longbranch/Pennywhistle‘s first pressing since its release nearly 50 years ago.

“Glenn Frey was my roommate, best friend, and first songwriting partner in Los Angeles,” Souther said in a statement. “We knew we were onto something original,...

J.D. Souther John David Souther Black Rose Home by Dawn (Omnivore)   J.D. Souther's songs are better known as sung by other people, which is good for his bank account but puzzling if you've heard his fine LPs. I wouldn't be surprised if more people nowadays know of him from his acting on the TV series Nashville than from his career in music. If there's any justice, these three reissues will redress that imbalance.

After this Texan moved to L.A., he teamed with Glenn Frey in the band Longbranch/Pennywhistle (they kept co-writing songs after Frey founded the Eagles, notably "New Kid in Town"), lived upstairs from Jackson Browne, and dated Linda Ronstadt.

Browne told him to audition for David Geffen, who'd just started the Asylum label, and that led directly to 1972's John David Souther. Its original ten-song program, which kicks off with "The Fast One," one of...

Eagles guitarist Glenn Frey has died at age 67, the band's official web site reports. According to a statement from the group, Frey died of complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis, and pneumonia. Frey got his start as a musician in Detroit in the 1960s alongside Bob Seger and Jackson Browne, and one of his earliest recordings came as a session guitarist on Seger's "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man." Frey moved to Los Angeles in 1969, where he became part of the Laurel Canyon music scene. His first band was a short-lived folk duo called Longbranch Pennywhistle with J.D. Souther, who was dating Linda Ronstadt. The connection got Frey a job playing in Ronstadt's backing band, where he met his future bandmates Don Henley, Randy Meisner, and Bernie Leadon. After Frey and Henley finished touring with Ronstadt, the four men decided to form their own band, which quickly became the best band in the world.

Florida Georgia Line’s new single, “Dirt,” veers the duo far from the bro-country they embraced with such songs as “Cruise" and "This Is How We Roll." The mid-tempo ballad features Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley celebrating a couple who create a life on a dirt field, raise their family, surround it with a white picket fence, and enjoy the good life right there on their own little plot of the American Dream. The video, which came out a few hours after the song debuted earlier today, gives the song a nice narrative with noted songwriter-turned-actor Jd Souther playing a husband eulogizing his wife, who has returned to the dirt. We can’t imagine that Souther, who wrote a number of hits for the Eagles and has most recently appeared on “Nashville,” is a Fgl fan, but who knows. The duo are tying in the single with the Dirt Campaign,...

New York — Sting performed in honor of Elton John, Billy Joel sang snippets of Foreigner's hits when introducing the band and Smokey Robinson debuted part of a new song he wrote about Berry Gordy.

The 44th annual Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony was full of star power that included Alison Krauss, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, Nickelback, Petula Clark, Wiz Khalifa, Jordin Sparks and a video message from Bill Clinton.

Tyler, Perry, Mick Jones and Lou Gramm of Foreigner, Holly Knight, Jd Souther and Tony Hatch were inducted Thursday into the Songwriters Hall 2013 class in New York City.

John and writing partner Bernie Taupin received the Johnny Mercer award, and Sting kicked off the night with a performance of "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting." Sting also called John and Taupin "my two heroes."

John, who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall in 1992, said songwriting is often taken for granted.

New York — Benny Blanco, who has co-written and co-produced hits like Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" and Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger," is getting a songwriting honor.

The Songwriters Hall of Fame announced Tuesday that the 25-year-old will receive the Hal David Starlight Award at its annual gala on June 13. Past recipients include Taylor Swift and Alicia Keys.

Blanco has been behind a slew of hits in the last few years, including Rihanna's "Diamonds" and Ke$ha's "TiK ToK." He's also worked with Bruno Mars and Nicki Minaj, and often collaborates with mega-hitmaker Dr. Luke, who is his mentor.

Tony Hatch, Mick Jones and Lou Gramm, Holly Knight, Jd Souther, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry will be inducted into the hall of fame at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York.

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Online:

http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/...

New York — Berry Gordy will be honored at this year's Songwriters Hall of Fame gala.

The organization announced Tuesday that the Motown founder will receive the Pioneer Award at its 44th annual induction ceremony on June 13 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

The award was established last year to honor people who have "been a major influence on generations of songwriters." It was presented posthumously to Woody Guthrie.

As the head of Motown, Gordy helped establish careers and hits for Diana Ross and the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, and Michael Jackson and The Jackson Five. A Broadway musical about Gordy's life, "Motown: The Musical," debuted this week.

Previously announced inductees include Tony Hatch, Mick Jones and Lou Gramm, Holly Knight, Jd Souther, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry.

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Online:

http://songhall.org/join...

So far, Nashville has shied away from tapping into Music City's vast stable of stars for celebrity cameos, focusing instead on the fictional fame of Rayna Jaymes (Connie Britton) and Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere). That all changes in this week's episode, which features guest appearances from real Nashville notables Vince Gill, Pam Tillis, Kip Moore, Kate York and the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach. They play themselves as guests at a star-studded surprise party that Juliette throws for Deacon (Charles Esten) at the Bluebird.

Nashville: Rolling Stone's Complete Coverage

At the soiree,...

"Nashville's" Rayna Jaymes (Connie Britton) has been having a tough few months. She's been forced to tour with upstart pop starlet Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere) after the young diva stole Rayna's former flame and loyal guitarist Deacon Claybourne (Charles Esten) as her own bandleader and she's watched her marriage with Teddy (Eric Close) disintegrate after her husband asked for a divorce. Clearly, being on top clearly ain't all it's cracked up to be.

In HuffPost TV's exclusive preview clip from this Wednesday's episode (Feb. 27 at 10 p.m. Est on ABC), Rayna is given another unwelcome reminder about the price of fame after she tries to watch her daughters' ballet class in peace. Sadly, when you're in the public eye, it seems like all your dirty laundry is fair game for both nosy moms and paparazzi.

Here's an episode synopsis for "Dear Brother":

Juliette plans a surprise birthday party for Deacon,...

New Nashville episode 14,season 1 intense spoilers & clips hit the net. Last night, ABC dropped the new spoilers and sneak peek/spoiler clip (below) for their upcoming "Nashville" episode 14 of season 1. The episode is titled, "Dear Brother," and things appear to get intense and out control again,as Gunner starts to spiral down a dark path,Rayna gets a lot of unwanted press attention,and more. In the new "Dear Brother" episode, Juliette is going to plan a big surprise birthday party for Deacon, which is attended by real-life country stars Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), Vince Gill, Pam Tillis, Kate York ,and Kip Moore. During the celebration, Rayna will sing, backed up by Pam Tillis and Kate York as themselves, Watty White (Jd Souther) ,and Adria (Erin McCarley). On a down note, Juliette's performance will get totally derailed by her own mother. Rayna and Teddy's divorce is going to move forward,...

New Nashville episode 14,season 1 official spoilers,plotline revealed by ABC. Recently, ABC released the new,official,synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "Nashville" episode 14 of season 1. The episode is titled, "Dear Brother," and it sounds pretty intense and drama-filled as Rayna's concert will get sabotaged by her own mother,real life country stars show up on the scene, and more. In the new,14th episode press release, Juliette is going to plan a surprise birthday party for Deacon, which is attended by real-life country stars Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), Vince Gill, Pam Tillis, Kate York ,and Kip Moore. During the celebration, Rayna will sing, backed up by Pam Tillis and Kate York as themselves, Watty White (Jd Souther) ,and Adria (Erin McCarley). However, Juliette's own performance will get derailed by her mother. As Rayna and Teddy's divorce moves forward, the tabloids are going to move in, speculating about Rayna's cheating...

December is a month that increasingly sees few releases of new albums, so the closer this list gets to the present day, the fewer albums of importance there are to discuss, and most of those are hip-hop albums.

1967

Traffic: Mr. Fantasy Aka Heaven Is in Your Mind (Island)

Shortly after Steve Winwood quit the Spencer Davis Group (of which he was the lead singer and organist), he formed Traffic with some guys he'd jammed with at a club in Birmingham: guitarist/vocalist Dave Mason, saxophonist/flutist Chris Wood, and drummer/lyricist Jim Capaldi. After a couple of hit singles, they convened at a country cottage and put together the debut album by Traffic, titled Mr. Fantasy in their native country. By the time it was released, Mason had already quit.

The English and American editions were rather different. Not only did the U.S. LP (on United Artists) have...

With its series premiere, ABC’s Nashville (airing Wednesdays at 10/9c) introduced you not only to country music superstar Rayna James (played by Connie Britton), but you also met other singers at different points on the spectrum.

For one, there’s Juliette Barnes, the nubile crossover sensation whose popularity is threatening to dim Rayna’s spotlight. And while Juliette has a lot to learn about acting “nice,” and even as she sets her professional and prurient sights on Rayna’s bandleader Deacon, Hayden Panettiere is quick to sing her alter ego’s praises.

“I don’t find a draw in...

J.D. Souther Studio 201 July 21, 2012

Fans of '70s rock know John David "J.D." Souther's work even if they don't recognize his name. Linda Ronstadt, always good with a bittersweet ballad, made several of his highlights of her mid-decade LPs. Fellow Detroiter Glenn Frey and Souther hooked up again after both had moved to Los Angeles, and this eventually led to Souther co-writing several of the Eagles' biggest hits.

Those who do know his work swear by his output for the talented if commercially unsuccessful supergroup Souther-Hillman-Furay Band, and his occasional solo LPs offered his own versions of his songs made familiar by others plus plenty of "deep tracks." But after his fourth solo LP in 1984, he didn't release another one until 2008' If the World Was You. Fortunately he's kept his comeback going, and the opportunity to hear him in a very intimate setting arose thanks to a friend...

Eagles: Hotel California (Asylum/Elektra)

The Eagles were considered one of the top country-rock bands practically from the day the group came together. Certainly the consecutive No. 1 singles "Best of My Love" and "One of These Nights" and No. 2 "Lyin' Eyes" in 1974-75 made them mainstream rock fans' favorite country rockers by a wide margin. Extensive touring ensued, in the midst of which founding member Bernie Leadon (previously in the Flying Burrito Brothers) quit and the more rock-oriented Joe Walsh (ex-James Gang, and already with a moderately successful solo career) took his place after having opened for the Eagles on tour in 1974 thanks to sharing the same manager, the ruthless Irving Azoff. 

The reconstituted quintet took its time recording its fifth album. Their eponymous debut had been laid down in two weeks; Hotel California took eight months. Asylum filled in the gap with the best-selling collection Greatest Hits 1971-1975., which,...

Lincoln Centers acclaimed series American Songbook returns to the elegant Allen Room in January for its fourteenth season celebrating the diversity of American popular song. For 16 nights the series will explore the best of the golden age of musical standards through to todays most dynamic songwriting. Week One of the 2012 season will start off with a relatively new composer on the scene, multiple Tony-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda In the Heights who will be bringing his new rap composition about American historical figure Alexander Hamilton called The Hamilton Mixtape. Next up is the just-nominated-for-a-Grammy Award duo Chris Thile and Michael Daves, who play a dazzling, modern form of bluegrass that nonetheless references legendary bluegrass artists from the past. From the rock canon will be J.D. Souther, performing songs he wrote for Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles as well as newer compositions. To close out Week One, composer William Finn Falsettos, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,...