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Don Henley In his teens, Don Henley listened far into the night to powerful station WNOE in New Orleans, which broadcast the exotic sounds of that city northward, out across the still, Texas countryside. Southeastward from Tennessee came the deep, resonant voice of the famous "John R" (John Richborg), a white deejay who sounded black. His historic radio program was broadcast from WLAC in Nashville, a 50,000 watt, clear channel station that beamed its way, during the '50s and '60s, across a wide swath of America's heartland - and at night, when atmospheric conditions were just right - into Henley's little world. Also within range was KOMA in Oklahoma City and, last but not least, the legendary Wolfman Jack, whose nocturnal howls reached all the way from the Texas-Mexico border - some 600 miles - to Henley's tiny, transistor radio as he pressed it against his ear under the bedcovers until the wee hours of the morning. For a while, Elvis led the parade which included Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Bobby Freeman, Chuck Willis, Bobby Blue Bland, etc. Then, in the early '60s came the Beatles and Henley's life was changed forever. More remarkable things were yet to happen in that sleepy, little town than the young Henley could have imagined. Because of its geographical and cultural location, all sorts of music wafted through that particular corner of East Texas. The Louisiana Hayride, a legendary radio program akin to Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, broadcast live musical performances across 28 states from powerhouse station KWKH in Shreveport, Louisiana throughout the 1950s. In 1954, this program was the first radio broadcast performance of the young Elvis Presley. Henley's father tuned in religiously and he and his young son would listen intently to the likes of Red Foley, Kitty Wells, Jim Reeves, Hank Williams, Slim Whitman, Faron Young and Patsy Cline. There were the summer vacations in the Ozarks where Don was exposed to bluegrass music and, of course, there was always the Western Swing of groups like Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys which drifted east from Dallas and Fort Worth. There was a rich variety of blues and gospel music from both the black and white communities with veins running deep in the East Texas soil. Henley has often recounted the story of the African-American baptisms he witnessed as a young boy while hiding in the weeds beside a pond which was located in the woods near his home. "They would wade out into that muddy water with their arms stretched toward the sky. I remember the women being all dressed in white. The singing was unforgettable. At first, the whole thing was a little frightening, but the longer I watched the more I started to get into it. Underneath the fervor, there was a sincerity and openness about it - an expression of faith and longing like I had never heard before. That experience stays with me, not necessarily in terms of its religious connotations, but in terms of its humanity." In high school, he formed his first band, The Four Speeds, with friends Richard Bowden and Jerry Surratt. This band eventually morphed into Shiloh which included Jim Ed Norman (currently President of Warner/Reprise Nashville), who Henley had met at the University of North Texas. The group relocated to Los Angeles in 1970 where they recorded an album for the independent Amos Records, whose roster also included a young guitarist/songwriter by the name of Glenn Frey (who was half of a duo with John David Souther). Henley and Frey became friends, striking up a creative partnership during their tenure with Linda Ronstadt, with whom they toured and recorded. In the fall of 1971, they formed the Eagles, a group that pioneered and personified a uniquely American musical style blending country, folk, R&B, rock and pop sensibilities. The Eagles would go on to become one of the most creatively and commercially successful bands of all time, selling over 100 million albums worldwide. In the course of their decade-long career, the group won four Grammy awards, topped the album charts five times and became one of the top concert draws of the era. They were the first band in history to rack up domestic unit sales of over 10 million for two separate albums -Hotel California (16 million and counting) and Eagles - Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 (which, at 27 million copies, surpasses Michael Jackson's Thriller as the best selling album of all time in the U.S.). The facts and figures of Henley's subsequent solo career are also impressive. In 1982, his much anticipated debut album, I Can't Stand Still, featuring the hit single "Dirty Laundry," established a creative direction that would make him one of the most relevant, and resonant, musical voices of our time - with a gift for melody and lyric in the service of passionate conviction and incisive, socio-political observation. 1984's Building The Perfect Beast yielded four more hit singles: "The Boys Of Summer," "All She Wants To Do Is Dance," "Sunset Grill" and "Not Enough Love In The World." That year, Henley garnered Grammy nominations for Record, Song and Producer of the Year and won the award for Best Rock Vocal (Male) for "The Boys Of Summer." The artist's notable track record continued unabated with 1989's The End Of The Innocence, which yielded three more Henley hits: "The Heart Of The Matter," "The Last Worthless Evening" and the title track, which brought with it another Best Rock Vocal Grammy. At last count, The End Of The Innocence had racked up sales of over six million in the U.S. alone. "Inside Job" released in 2000 is described by Don as a "view of the world" in a particular time and place. In Don's own words, "My marriage and the birth of my children have had a profound effect. Despite all the sham and selfishness, life is still good. Children constantly rekindle hope and appreciation - and they have excellent bullshit detectors. It's a wonderful thing." Henley's career as a musician and an activist continues to roll on. To date, the Walden Woods Project has raised millions of dollars - much of which has gone toward the purchase of environmentally sensitive and historically significant acres in the Walden Pond environs. The Thoreau Institute at Walden Woods, an education and research facility owned and managed by the Walden Woods Project, continues to expand its programs for students, teachers and the public at large. Other causes to which Henley has lent his name and talents: the passage of clean water legislation in California; the preservation of wildlife habitat and open space in Los Angeles' Santa Monica Mountains; the establishment of a wetland science research institute and numerous environmental education programs, both in the public school system and in colleges and universities in his native East Texas. He has also participated in numerous other fundraising efforts including Farm Aid, The Race to Erase MS, The Rhythm and Blues Foundation and The Rainforest Foundation, to name a few. |
