{"id":38595,"date":"2025-04-21T14:58:09","date_gmt":"2025-04-21T14:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/38595\/"},"modified":"2025-04-21T14:58:09","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T14:58:09","slug":"the-musician-don-henley-called-his-kindred-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/38595\/","title":{"rendered":"The musician Don Henley called his “kindred spirit”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Don<\/p>\n

(Credits: Far Out \/ Derek Russell)<\/p>\n

Mon 21 April 2025 13:00, UK <\/p>\n

As much as there are many cases to disprove the notion, many people think that it\u2019s unusual to have the drummer in any given band be one of the principal songwriters. Sure, Ringo Starr may have put his name to a handful of The Beatles\u2019 tracks and then forged his own solo career afterwards, and Josh Tillman is a more modern example of this phenomenon, departing Fleet Foxes in 2011 to pursue a career as indie rock troubadour Father John Misty. However, there are few quite as prolific as Eagles\u2019 Don Henley<\/a> in the world of songwriting drummers, and few as naturally gifted at the art.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s far from an elite group, Henley\u2019s brilliance at crafting a tune is a wonderful counterpoint for anyone who chooses to argue that drummers are good for hitting skins and little else. Alongside Glenn Frey, the duo wrote the vast majority of Eagles<\/a> songs between them, with Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner occasionally dipping their toes into duties every once in a while. The band were clearly blessed with a wealth of talent in this department, but Henley\u2019s virtuosity is something that ought to be celebrated to a greater degree.<\/p>\n

When the group put out their 1994 live album, Hell Freezes Over, which was their first release since initially splitting in 1980, they recruited a few additional members to assist them with the lavish new arrangements of old songs and a handful of new tunes, with one of the new people on board being percussionist Stan Lynch. Best known as the original drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers<\/a>, Lynch himself was a gifted songwriter as well, adding further proof to the fact that drummers can be multi-talented.<\/p>\n

While he didn\u2019t flex any of his songwriting prowess on this record, he and Henley formed a strong bond over their shared experiences, and Hell Freezes Over wouldn\u2019t be the last time the duo found themselves working together. Henley would recruit Lynch\u2019s services as a drummer, songwriter and producer for his 2015 solo release, Cass County, and this is where their special connection truly blossomed.<\/p>\n

In a 2017 interview with Uncut, Henley discussed how he and Lynch became such a formidable partnership. While he acknowledged the tendencies people have to make jokes about drummers not having much going on upstairs, he would effusively praise the talents of Lynch as a musical polymath. After recounting some of his favourite drummer gags (\u201cwhat\u2019s got three legs and an asshole on top? A drumstool!\u201d being his favourite), he outlined just why the two of them worked together so well.<\/p>\n

\u201cStan Lynch and I are just kindred spirits,\u201d Henley explained. \u201cWe\u2019ve both been the drummers in bands, had conflicts in bands, and we became friends way back. We\u2019re soul brothers, we can talk about anything.\u201d While their similar career paths may have been a major point of why they were a perfect pairing, it was the songwriting chops that he had that really allowed Henley to take a shine to his colleague.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you write songs with someone, you have to be real open with them,\u201d he continued. \u201cYou have to be able to reveal the real philosophical, personal things, and Stan and I can do that. He\u2019s also got a great sense of humour \u2013 he helps inject humour into songs that might otherwise be a little too dark.\u201d If you\u2019re in a band and ever feeling doubtful about the merits of your drummer, then perhaps take a listen to Cass County and see just how powerful drummers can be when they knock their heads together. If you keep on bullying them, they might just form some sort of uprising and create magic without you.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Related Topics<\/p>\n

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