Heartache Tonight

Lightmancer

Legend
Location
Sunny Frimley
Name
Bill Palmer
Farewell Glenn Frey. You provided much of the soundtrack to my teens and early adulthood. I saw you live, twice, and remember both as if it was yesterday. "We never broke up, we just took a 14 year vacation." Thank you, and rest in peace.
 
It's sad, but in a way it's nice to see a lot of these guys dying of something approaching old age instead of the stereotypical "hope I die before I get old" rock star death. As for going in their late 60's instead of 80's, guys like Frey did indulge pretty heavily for a loooong time. He attributed many of his health problems, which he'd had for many years, to hard living.

I grew up in the Southwest and Linda Ronstadt (who grew up in my home town and went to my high school - one of my best friends is her cousin), the Eagles, and Jackson Browne were around ALL THE TIME in my high school years (early '70s), just before they got really huge nationally and globally. They toured together as a triple bill a lot - the Eagles started as Ronstadt's backing band and all 3 had the same management. We didn't have a clue how lucky we were...

-Ray
 
When my son was 14 (now 29) he got to play bass with "Mike's Trio". Brother Mike, Cousin Bill and Cousin John. Was your friend either John or Bill? (I have a photo around somewhere...) p.s. I know there are a zillion Ronstadt cousins.
 
Last edited:
When my son was 14 (now 29) he got to play bass with "Mike's Trio". Brother Mike, Cousin Bill and Cousin John. Was your friend either John or Bill? (I have a photo around somewhere...) p.s. I know there are a zillion Ronstadt cousins.
No, my friend was Lisa - she and her sister Roberta had a decent career as mostly regional musicians too as Sisters Morales - you can find them on various streaming services. There were a couple of brothers named John and Mike who lived across the street from Lisa and Roberta who were part of the same group of close friends, but I don't THINK they were related to the Ronstadts. Although, as you said, they were a huge family in Tucson - her brother was the Police Chief for quite a while and Ronstadts Hardware was a Tucson institution for a long time...

I'm in my mid-50s, as are the other folks I'm mentioning, so perhaps a different generation from the folks your son was playing with?

-Ray
 
Last edited:
...I'm in my mid-50s, as are the other folks I'm mentioning, so perhaps a different generation from the folks your son was playing with?

-Ray
These guys were Linda's brother Michael J. Ronstadt and her two cousins. The group went by a couple different names including Santa Cruz River Band. This was in about 2001 or so when Graham got to play with them and I'd say they (Mike/Bill/John) are/were a bit younger than Linda but older than me. I'm 61. (they are talked about in Linda's bio's). Mike's son Petie is/was a bass player too, so he and my son wrote emails back and forth for a while. Petie I think is a year or two older than my son. We didn't get to meet him in person.
 
These guys were Linda's brother Michael J. Ronstadt and her two cousins. The group went by a couple different names including Santa Cruz River Band. This was in about 2001 or so when Graham got to play with them and I'd say they (Mike/Bill/John) are/were a bit younger than Linda but older than me. I'm 61. (they are talked about in Linda's bio's). Mike's son Petie is/was a bass player too, so he and my son wrote emails back and forth for a while. Petie I think is a year or two older than my son. We didn't get to meet him in person.
Oh, that's pretty cool! I didn't know Linda or her immediate family, just these cousins - I don't know if they were first cousins or more extended than that - probably the latter, but close enough that they knew her pretty well. She was about 10-11 years ahead of me at my high school and when I started she wasn't quite a legend there yet, but by the time I finished, she was huge and the pride of the school. Although I don't think she was as big on the school as it was on her!

Did you live in Tucson?

-Ray
 
The thing that's worrisome to me with fame and great fortune is the shallowness of so many relationships, because fame provides so much opportunity for different experiences, and there isn't time for everything.
 
And now Paul Kantner, gone at 74. Founding member of the Jefferson Airplane. Not quite the musical flash of Marty Balin or Grace Slick or Jorma or Jack, but kind of the driving force behind the band and wrote some of their best stuff. Man, it's more and more fine musicians from that era...
 
Back
Top