The Amazing David Lindley

 

A lifelong aversion to crowds trumped my desire see many favorite artists back in the day, but a handful still managed to get me out. Gordon Lightfoot, Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, and my main man, Jackson Browne. All in their prime when I saw them. But as great as he is, Jackson Brown wasn’t Jackson Browne without the amazing David Lindley. His lap steel channeled an angel choir in perfect harmony. Beauty so pure it can only be experienced, words fail.

Meriweather Post Pavilion in 1977 was one of those nights for me. Jackson was recording live for his “Running on Empty” album. He had been breathing new life into the Maurice Williams classic “Stay” and when it came time for the famous “Oh won’t you stay…” high vocal, everyone assumed the voice coming from the stage to be that of Rosemary Butler, Jackson’s blond powerhouse background singer at the time.

But it wasn’t.

It took a few seconds for the crowd to realize that the incredible falsetto was coming from the little gnome with hair down to his knees, now front and center…the incomparable David Lindley.

Cheers and applause came with appreciative cries of “It’s David Lindley! Yea David!” We all knew and loved his musicianship, but this singing gig was out of left field. Of course, he aced it.

It gave me a rare, indelible peak moment that many people who actually go to concerts must be familiar with but felt familiar, something of a flashback. I remembered the scene from the “Little Rascals” take on Romeo and Juliet. Alfalfa called up to the balcony, “Juliet, my Juliet, wherefor art thou?” Darla was expected to show up but she had refused the scene because Alfalfa had been eating onions. So up popped Buckwheat with “Here I is!” After a delayed double take the crowd went crazy, yelling and pointing “It’s Buckwheat! Hooray for Buckwheat!”

That's how it was with David.

I wrote a little story about it, sending it to David Lindley’s e-mail address. Within a few days, David’s wife, Joan, sent me back a note letting me know that she had read my story to the entire band when they were all gathered around her large kitchen table. Much appreciated, she said everyone laughed and applauded.

Made my day.

RIP to my favorite musician, who worked with many of my favorite artists, people like Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt, Warren Zevon, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Crosby, Nash, James Taylor, Dolly Parton…

Still alive and well in the cloud, I’m listening to David’s music this morning. "For Everyman", "Late for the Sky", "Running on Empty," and one of the best albums on the planet if you want to kick it up a notch or 12, David Lindley El Rayo-X.

I am forever grateful for his brilliance.