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On the inside
an interview with Don Henley article by Clarisa Marcee ONE OF TEXAS’ legendary sons, Don Henley continues his brilliant career with the release of his CD, Inside Job, featuring artists such as Stevie Wonder, Jimmie Vaughan, and Stan Lynch. As a member of the ‘70s mega-group The Eagles, Henley’s star had music written all over it since he was a young child. Henley was born and raised in Linden, a small town in East Texas. His parents, grandparents, and family friends played a major role in turning little Don on to country, bluegrass, spirituals, as well as rock and roll. He says there was always music on everywhere, from the car to the voice of his mother as she did her house work. Henley’s first real taste of the music industry came about with a chance encounter with Kenny Rogers in Dallas in 1968. Rogers was looking for young talent to produce, checked out Henley’s band, and figured they had potential. Unfortunately, one of the band members was killed in a motorcycle accident soon after they returned home after making the trek to Los Angeles to cut a single. After a few months, the group reformed and cut an album with Rogers as producer. Henley says nothing really came of it, but they had made an important contact. Back in 1970, Henley met Glenn Frey, became friends with him, and struck a creative partnership as they eventually toured and recorded with Linda Ronstadt. In 1971, they formed The Eagles. With their rich blend of blues, rock, folk, and pop — over their more-than decade-long career — the Eagles won four Grammy Awards, topped the album charts five times, and became one of the top concert draws of the era. Henley’s solo career kicked off in 1982 with the release of I Can’t Stand Still. In 1984, he struck the charts and Grammy’s again with Building the Perfect Beast. 1989 was the year of The End of the Innocence, which yielded even more hits for his fans. I spoke with Henley about his album Inside Job. Clarisa Marcee: Why did you wait so long to marry and start a family? How does it feel? Don Henley: I think that everything in life is timing, and I think one of the most important things in anybody’s life is to be able to know yourself and to know whether you are ready or not ready to take certain steps. I waited so long for a couple of reasons. The first being that I just wasn’t ready. There were too many demands on me with regard to my career, and I knew that I wouldn’t be a good husband or a good father. I consider marriage and parenthood too important to screw up. There are too many kids running around in the world who lack the attention and the nurturing that they needed and I didn’t want to be guilty of that. I have seen the damage that it can do. The second reason is that I simply didn’t meet the right woman and I was just about to give up on the idea, and then fate stepped in and sent me the most wonderful woman in the world. I’m head over heels in love with these kids. They bring me a great deal of joy and satisfaction. CM: What dreams do you have for your children? DH: Right now, I simply want them to grow up healthy and strong. I want them to grow up to be responsible and compassionate people who are concerned about the environment and about community. I want them to be educated. It was very important and stressed in my house. As the years go by, I am more and more grateful for what my parents gave me. They |
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