by Robert Wilkinson
Our Sunday Special features three fantastic Scorpio songwriters, each a pioneer in his own way! We have the Sir Douglas Quintet, the man who wrote “L.A. Freeway” and “Desperados Waiting on a Train,” and the Eagles!
These guys are all considered ground breaking talents in what they did or what they do. Each has a compelling quality about their songs, which are some of the most famous in history. While this won’t be a long tribute, I’ll give you a few of their best!
First, Doug Sahm (November 6, 1941 – November 18, 1999). He founded the Sir Douglas Quintet back in 1964 in Texas with Augie Meyer, and that band was unique in its blend of styles. They eventually became part of the Texas Tornadoes, a legendary Tex-Mex group. If you want to know what South Texas music sounds like, welcome to the world of Doug Sahm!
From Hullabaloo in 1965, a live performance of his breakthrough hit modeled on the Beatles’ sound! “She’s About A Mover” (Dig the mid-60s “British look” outfits!)
From the same year on Shindig, you get where they were coming from. “I’m A Tracker”
Here’s one of their biggest! From Playboy After Dark, in January 1969, a live performance of “Mendocino”
From June 1985, here they are in Germany doing “Mendocino”
Live in Austin in 1975, Doug Sahm doing “Nuevo Laredo.” From the same gig, “Dynamite Woman” and a medley! “Crazy Baby,” “One Night,” “Sometimes,” and “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights.”
Here’s the Sir Douglas Quintet on Austin City Limits doing the rave up hit by the Kinks, “Who’ll Be the Next in Line”
From 1990, just after Doug Sahm, Augie Meyers, Flaco Jimenez, and Freddy Fender formed this legendary “supergroup,” here’s an hour and 19 Live From Austin Texas of The Texas Tornados
A classic 40 minutes of Texas music! For your enjoyment, from 1992, another great show by Doug Sahm, Augie Meyers, Flaco Jimenez, and Freddy Fender titled The Original Texas Tornados Live at Gruene Hall
We’ll close with a great 8+ minute documentary focused on San Antonio, Doug Sahm, and Augie Meyer called South Texas Soul: The San Antonio Sound
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We now wish the great Guy Clark (November 6, 1941- May 17, 2016) a very happy birthday. While he’s not really known as a performer on his own, his songs have been made famous by some of the greatest!
First, his most famous! Yes, he actually was the one who wrote this! Live in Austin, “L.A. Freeway”
Here’s Jerry Jeff Walker live with John Inmon on smokin’ lead on Austin Pickers in 1984, performing an incredible duet of "L.A. Freeway"
From 1993, here’s Guy Clark and Emmylou Harris backed by Los Lobos on Leno! ”I Don’t Love You Much Do I”
An early live performance by Guy of “Homegrown Tomatoes”
From Live in Austin, “Old Friends””On Letterman, here’s Guy Clark, Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Nancy Griffith, and more performing "Desperados Waiting For A Train"
From 2008, “Dublin Blues”
We’ll close with a performance from 1983 on the Austin City Limits stage of his classic "L.A. Freeway"
For the encore, almost an hour of a classic performance on a legendary stage! Guy Clark Live at the Kerrville Folk Festival 1996
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And now a celebration of Glenn Frey (November 6, 1948 – January 18, 2016). One of the founders and songwriters of the Eagles, he helped forge the California sound of the 70s. Here are a few of the great ones he wrote, or co-wrote.
First, from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1998, here are the Eagles performing their first hit, a song Glenn wrote with Jackson Browne, “Take It Easy”
Because the performance of this song from The Eagles in Concert is gone this year, instead we have an awesome 1973 performance on BBC TV of “Take It Easy.”
In a real treat, I found the entire 33 minute video! The Eagles Live on BBC tv - 1973
Here’s a rare clip of the Eagles with Jackson Brown in 1974 performing “Take It Easy.”
2 years ago I had a great live version of this song from Live on Popgala in 1973, but it’s gone. Instead, live on ABC tv, the Eagles performing Glenn’s song “Tequila Sunrise”
I found this entire show again! From 1974, live on Don Kirchner’s Rock Concert tv show, the Eagles performing “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” “Already Gone,” “Midnight Flyer,” “Ol’ 55,” and “James Dean”
in 1974, but it’s disappeared. So instead,Here’s a great 1976 performance, live in Houston on Glen Frey’s birthday, cranking up “James Dean”
Last year I had 3 clips from the 1974 California Jam, but this year they’re gone.
From 1974 in Seattle, “James Dean”
The live video of them performing this song sometime in the 70s is gone, but I did find this audio only of the Eagles in 1976 performing “Best of My Love”
Their 1976 live performance of this song is gone, so instead, from their Hell Freezes Over tour, here’s “Desperado”
All the clips from their 1977 Washington DC show have disappeared this year. Better luck next year.
Live at the Forum in 1980, a song so iconic, I’ll play it again, Sam! Yes, at times in LA “I was thinking to myself this could be Heaven or this could be Hell,” and it is “such a lovely place, where any time of year, you can find it here," where truly "We are all just prisoners here of our own device." “Hotel California”
From 1980, a live audio only version of “Heartache Tonight.”
This looks like it’s from the Hell Freezes Over tour. Enjoy this live performance of their hit song written by my long ago LA friend Jack Tempchin, “Already Gone.”
From the 1995 “Hell Freezes Over” tour, 2 hours and 3 minutes of classic Eagles in New Zealand! The Eagles – Concert in the Rain in New Zealand
From their 2013 tour, live in Montreal, “Doolin’ Dalton”
Moving into Glenn’s solo career, here’s a variation of the original music video soundtrack from Miami vice for another song he wrote with Jack Tempchin that went to #2 on the Hot 100, “You Belong To the City”
While he didn’t write it, he made it come alive and took it to #2 on the charts in 1985! From The Arsenio Hall show, Glenn live performing “The Heat is On”
His performance of “Desperado” on Letterman in 1984 has disappeared.
From 1988, a performance in Brisbane with the Little River Band of “The Heat Is On.” From the same gig, “The Night Owls.”
A great live performance of the gentle “The One You Love”
We’re told this was one of his last live performances! “The One You Love”
We’ll go to some performances where Glenn is joined by other great talents! First, from the 2012 NAR Convention, 7+ minutes of Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh performing live! It’s a mash up of pieces of their various hits. Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh medley 2012 (Set list: “Take It Easy,” “Heartache Tonight,” “Life’s Been Good To Me So Far,” “Life in the Fast Lane,” “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” “Funk 49,” “Rocky Mountain Way,” and an extended solo by Joe.)
Here’s a live performance by Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh of Joe’s hit from the James Gang, “Walk Away”
In previous years there were several videos of Glenn Frey performing “Smuggler’s Blues,” including one with the Eagles in Pittsburgh in 1994 but that’s disappeared. So instead, here’s Glenn and Joe Walsh live in Tennessee cranking out “Smuggler’s Blues.”
Here’s the original music video from Miami Vice which was pretty dramatic the first time we saw it! For your enjoyment, Glenn Frey live performing a great tune he took to #12 on the charts, “Smuggler’s Blues.”
I also found this live performance by the co-writer, Jack Tempchin, of “Smuggler’s Blues”
We’ll close with 2 songs from their 1998 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The first was their first hit which I gave you at the beginning. Written by Jackson who got stumped where to take the line "Standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona," Glenn came up with "Such a fine sight to see. It's a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford, slowin' down to take a look at me,” and history was made! “Take It Easy,” while the second one was written by Glenn, Don Henley, and Don Felder, and is easily the only fitting close to this birthday set. From the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1998, the Eagles live performing “Hotel California”
So happy birthday to three amazing talents who have written songs that will live for ages! While you all left the stage a while back, as it is written, “you can check out any time you want but you can never leave ...”
Copyright © 2020 Robert Wilkinson
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