Ex-Eagles member Bernie Leadon is living history in todays view.Leadons true love lay in country music, as he began playing in a California bluegrass outfit in 1962, the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers together with Chris Hillman (see +Byrds Fame).
After relocating to Florida by the mid '60s, Leadon joined the folk band, Hearts and Flowers, appearing on their second and final recording, 1968's Of Horses, Kids and Forgotten Women, before forming a new group, Dillard and Clark.
But once more, Leadon's tenure with the group would be fleeting, as he played on all of their 1968 debut, The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark, and only a few select tracks on their sophomore effort, 1969's Through the Morning, Through the Night. Up next for Leadon was a brief stretch with Linda Ronstadt's backing band, the Corvettes, before joining up with one of the
first ever country rock outfits, the Flying Burrito Brothers, in the fall of 1969. Leadon remained a member of the Burritos for a few years - appearing on such albums as 1970's Burrito Deluxe, 1971's self-titled release, and 1972's Last of the Red Hot Burritos. Upon leaving the Burritos, Leadon signed on once more as a member of Linda Ronstadt's backing band, which included guitarist/singer Glenn Frey and drummer/singer Don Henley. Shortly thereafter, the trio decided to form their own group, the Eagles, which was rounded out with the addition of ex-Poco bassist Randy Meisner. The band perfected and popularized the Poco country rock style. The
Leadon-era of the group lasted for a total of four albums (which many longtime Eagles fans consider the group's best) - 1972's self-titled debut, 1973's Desperado, 1974's On the Border, and 1975's One of These Nights - on which Leadon penned such underrated gems as My Man and Bitter Creek among others. But the band's never ending and grueling touring/recording schedule began to wear Leadon out, to the point where the guitarist decided to leave the group as a self-described act of survival. In 1977, the guitarist formed the Bernie Leadon/Michael Georgiades Band, who issued a lone album the same year,
Natural Progressions, before splitting up. The '80s saw Leadon back Chris Hillman for a pair of releases, 1982's Morning Sky and 1984's Desert Rose, and form a Christian Bluegrass group, Ever Call Ready, who issued a lone self-titled release in 1985(->see +Byrds Fame).Two years later, Leadon replaced John McEuen in the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - appearing on the recordings Hold On (1987), Workin' Band (1988), and Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. 2 (1989). Shortly after the dawn of the '90s, Leadon launched the novelty act Run C & W(->see +Eagles Fame), which specialized in doing country
versions of rap songs (and issued two releases, 1993's Into the Twangy First Century and 1995's Row vs. Wade). In 2003, he released his solo CD, Mirror.
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