Dec 14

Kenny Edwards

Greatly Appreciated

KENNY EDWARDS
 
 
Kenny Edwards  (February 10, 1946 – August 18, 2010) was an American singer/songwriter, bassist, guitarist, mandolinist, and session musician.  He was a founding member of The Stone Poneys and a long-time collaborator with both Linda Ronstadt and Karla Bonoff.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 
Along with Andrew Gold, Karla Bonoff and Wendy Waldman, Kenny Edwards was part of a band called Bryndle that formed in the late 1960’s and was active on the L.A. scene for several years without making any records.  The four members of Bryndle have all had successful careers, and each had a close association with Linda Ronstadt later in the decade.  Kenny Edwards had been a founding member with her in the band Stone Poneys (“Different Drum”) prior to the formation of Bryndle, and he later recorded and toured with Linda for about 10 years beginning in the mid-1970’s. 
 
(January 2010)
 
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Linda Ronstadt never seems to get enough credit as a ground-breaking female performer if you ask me.  Her career started as a bandmember in the Stone Poneys, which was a sort of electric Peter, Paul and Mary.  Kenny Edwards would later work with her again beginning in the mid-1970’s, while Linda eventually performed background vocals on a song on a 2007 CD by the other bandmember in the Stone Poneys, Bob Kimmel. 

 

Everyone knows the 1967 hit song by the Stone Poneys, “Different Drum” – written by Michael Nesmith of the Monkees – which appeared on their second album, Evergreen, Volume 2.  By then, Linda was singing virtually all of the vocals solo (except on the album’s surprising psychedelic-flavored title track, “Evergreen (Part One)” which was sung by Kenny Edwards), but it wasn’t always like that.  Many critics think that their first album, The Stone Poneys is even better; on that album, Linda Ronstadt sang solos on only three songs plus one verse of a fourth.  

 

By the time their third album came out, Kenny Edwards had left the band; and in spite of pressure on Linda Ronstadt from Capitol Records to become a solo act, the Stone Poneys managed to score another fine album, Linda Ronstadt, Stone Poneys and Friends, Volume III.  The album included another Michael Nesmith song, “Some of Shelly’s Blues”, plus “Let’s Get Together” and “Stoney End” – several years before those songs became big hits for the Youngbloods and Barbra Streisand, respectively.  And Linda Ronstadt was already showing her gift for spotting excellent songwriting by including no less than three songs by Tim Buckley, including “Hobo” (which Buckley called “Morning Glory”), which might be my very favorite Linda Ronstadt song of them all. 

 

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Linda Ronstadt’s first songwriting credit was on “Lo Siento Mi Vida” (“I’m Sorry, My Love”), which she co-wrote with her father Gilbert Ronstadt and her former bandmate in the Stone Poneys, Kenny Edwards.  

 

(October 2013)

 

Last edited: March 22, 2021