Black Rose

While Jackson Browne and The Eagles went on to represent the mellow Southern California sound of the '70s, their friend and co-conspirator John David Souther kept a lower profile. Yet anyone who enjoyed the early country-rock strains of The Eagles will surely love the smooth country-rock sounds of Souther's early solo albums. Black Rose was his second, and it features an all-star cast ranging from The Eagles’ Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Joe Walsh to Stanley Clarke, David Crosby, Art Garfunkel, Andrew Gold, Little Feat’s Lowell George, and Linda Ronstadt, plus top-notch session men (Kenny Edwards, Jim Keltner, Russ Kunkel, Danny Kortchmar, and Waddy Wachtel) and producer Peter Asher. “Faithless Love” was covered by Ronstadt on her Heart Like a Wheel album and became a country hit for Glen Campbell in 1984. Other exemplary songs—such as “If You Have Crying Eyes,” “Baby Come Home," and “Simple Man, Simple Dream”—illustrate Souther’s heart-tugging genius. His mellow, smooth vocals fit the scene perfectly.