Simple Dreams ~ A Musical Memoir (31 page)

WITH NICOLETTE LARSON trying to get her new single on the radio.

WITH LONGTIME FRIEND and collaborator John Boylan in Egypt, 1983.

DURING REHEARSALS for
La Bohème.

WITH ART DIRECTOR Kosh while shooting the album cover photo for
Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind.
Kosh designed twenty albums for me, of which three won him Grammys for best album cover design.
Robert Blakeman

Robert Blakeman

GETTING READY TO SING a Mexican show while riding sidesaddle on Chulo, a horse I had just met.
Danny Ferrington

MUSCLE SHOALS John Boylan producing

Acknowledgments

A number of people provided assistance to me in the process of assembling this memoir, and I would like to express my gratitude.

John Boylan, my friend, colleague, and fellow road warrior, has been a lot of help both in general and in particular since I met him in 1971. A consummate problem solver, John provided his excellent memory of the many times we shared, acted as research assistant, helped assemble photos, and was chief encourager and computer Sherpa. His support was indispensable.

My assistant, Janet Stark, who is the nicest person I have ever known and one of the most capable, read what I wrote on a daily basis and kept the rest of my life running smoothly so I could have a quiet place to unscramble my thoughts.

John Rockwell has been both friend and mentor to me since the early seventies, and long ago suggested that I might be able to write a coherent sentence. As this is my first attempt at doing so, I hope I don’t prove him wrong.

My editor at Simon & Schuster, Jonathan Karp, gave me invaluable encouragement and feedback. He also suggested through the elegant prose of his e-mails that I could write about people instead of every horse I knew and loved. Even though I feel somewhat guilty about leaving Gilliana, Mischief, Sugar Britches, Blue, Africa, and Valentine out of my story, I know that he was right about that and many other things.

Copy editor Philip Bashe did such a meticulous job correcting my flagging memory, appalling punctuation, and garbled syntax that I am red-faced and humbled. I wish I could run this sentence by him. From this day forward I will strongly attempt to place the adverb after the verb.

My agent, Steve Wasserman, gave me clear-eyed advice and galvanizing encouragement. I am both flattered and grateful that he agreed to represent me.

John Kosh has provided the design for twenty-one of my album covers, including three that won Grammys for best design, and has done his usual immaculate work for this project. He also endured days of my obsessing about font style without blocking me from his e-mail. My admiration, appreciation, and love for him is boundless.

Sam Sargent helped edit and process photos.

Mary Clementine provided hugs and encouragement. Team members: Peter Paterno, Wally Franson, Sue Ollweiler, and Carla Sheppard.

Finally, early readers who gave much-appreciated feedback include Lawrence Downes, Rick Kott, Sydney Goldstein, Peter Asher, Katherine Orloff, Virginia Baker, Wendy Brigode, Cathy Patrick, Wyatt Wade, and Jet Thomas.

Discography

1. THE STONE PONEYS—
THE STONE PONEYS
—CAPITOL—JANUARY 1967

Produced by Nik Venet
Sweet Summer Blue and Gold (B. Kimmel–K. Edwards) If I Were You (B. Kimmel–K. Edwards) Just a Little Bit of Rain (Fred Neil) Bicycle Song (Soon Now) (B. Kimmel–K. Edwards) Orion (Tom Campbell) Wild About My Lovin’ (Adapted by B. Kimmel–L. Ronstadt–K. Edwards) Back Home (Ken Edwards) Meredith (On My Mind) (B. Kimmel–K. Edwards) Train and the River (B. Kimmel–K. Edwards) All the Beautiful Things (B. Kimmel–K. Edwards) 2:10 Train (Tom Campbell–Linda Albertano)

2. THE STONE PONEYS—
EVERGREEN, VOL. 2
—CAPITOL—JUNE 1967

Produced by Nik Venet
December Dream (John Braheny) Song About the Rain (Steve Gillette) Autumn Afternoon (K. Edwards–B. Kimmel) I’ve Got to Know (Pamela Polland) Evergreen Part One (K. Edwards–B. Kimmel) Evergreen Part Two (K. Edwards–B. Kimmel) Different Drum (Mike Nesmith) Driftin’ (K. Edwards–B. Kimmel) One for One (Al Silverman–Austin DeLone) Back on the Street Again (Steve Gillette) Toys in Time (K. Edwards–B. Kimmel) New Hard Times (M. Smith–B. Kimmel)

3. LINDA RONSTADT—
THE STONE PONEYS AND FRIENDS, VOL. III
—CAPITOL—APRIL 1968

Produced by Nik Venet
Fragments: Golden Song (Steve Gillette)

Merry-Go-Round (Tom Campbell)

Love Is a Child (Steve Gillette) By the Fruits of Their Labor (Robert Kimmel–Ken Edwards) Hobo (Tim Buckley) Star and a Stone (Robert Kimmel–Ken Edwards) Let’s Get Together (Chet Powers) Up to My Neck in High Muddy Water (Wakefield–Herald–Yellin) Aren’t You the Girl? (Tim Buckley) Wings (Tim Buckley) Some of Shelly’s Blues (Mike Nesmith) Stoney End (Laura Nyro)

4. LINDA RONSTADT—
HAND SOWN . . . HOME GROWN
—CAPITOL—MARCH 1969

Produced by Chip Douglas
Baby You’ve Been on My Mind (Bob Dylan) Silver Threads and Golden Needles (J. Rhodes–D. Reynolds) Bet No One Ever Hurt This Bad (Randy Newman) A Number and a Name (S. Gillette–T. Campbell) The Only Mama That’ll Walk the Line (Ivy J. Bryant–Earl Ball) The Long Way Around (Ken Edwards) Break My Mind (John D. Loudermilk) I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (Bob Dylan) It’s About Time (Chip Douglas) We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus (And a Lot Less Rock & Roll) (Wayne Raney) The Dolphins (Fred Neil)

5. LINDA RONSTADT—
SILK PURSE
—CAPITOL—MARCH 1970

Produced by Elliot Mazer
Lovesick Blues (Irving Mills–C. Friend) Are My Thoughts with You? (Mickey Newbury) Will You Love Me Tomorrow (Gerry Goffin–Carole King) Nobody’s (Gary White) Louise (Paul Siebel)

Long Long Time (Gary White)

Mental Revenge (Mel Tillis)

I’m Leavin’ It All Up to You (D. Terry Jr.–D. Harris) He Darked the Sun (Bernie Leadon–Gene Clark) Life Is Like a Mountain Railway (Trad. arr. E. Mazer–L. Ronstadt)

6. LINDA RONSTADT—
LINDA RONSTADT
—CAPITOL—JANUARY 1972

Produced by John Boylan
Rock Me on the Water (Jackson Browne) Crazy Arms (R. Mooney–C. Seals) I Won’t Be Hangin’ Round (Eric Kaz) I Still Miss Someone (Johnny Cash–Roy Cash) In My Reply (Livingston Taylor) I Fall to Pieces (Hank Cochran–Harlan Howard) Ramblin’ ’Round (Woody Guthrie–Huddie Ledbetter–John Lomax) Birds (Neil Young) I Ain’t Always Been Faithful (Eric Andersen) Rescue Me (W. C. Smith, R. Miner)

7. LINDA RONSTADT–
DON’T CRY NOW
—ASYLUM—SEPTEMBER 1973

Produced by Peter Asher, John Boylan, and John David Souther
I Can Almost See It (J. D. Souther) Love Has No Pride (Eric Kaz–Libby Titus) Silver Threads and Golden Needles (J. Rhodes–D. Reynolds) Desperado (Don Henley–Glenn Frey) Don’t Cry Now (J. D. Souther) Sail Away (Randy Newman)

Colorado (Rick Roberts)

The Fast One (J. D. Souther)

Everybody Loves a Winner (Bill Williams–Booker T. Jones) I Believe in You (Neil Young)