“IFIRST met Jackson when he was playing with Ned Doheny around 1971. I immediately knew that I’d found a kindred spirit for life, no matter what it entailed, whether it was music or just friendship or helping each other through life’s trials and tribulations. We both had surfing interests and never lived far from one another. When we lived up in the Canyons I could throw a stone from my house to his. Then he asked me and some of my other mates to play on his first record [1972’s Jackson Browne]. 1970-’72 was a power-packed period for me –I played on James Taylor’s albums, the first Jackson album, Joni Mitchell’s Blue, Carole King’s Tapestry. It was a mind-blowing time to be right in the middle of that Hollywood scene. Then I was fortunate enough to work with Jackson from then on. Just listen to things like The Pretender or Late For The Sky – the depth of his songwriting, the well that he pulls from, seems to be limitless. Not only that, but he’s always been committed to the downtrodden. Jackson is the first one to pick up the microphone and say something on behalf of someone who doesn’t have a voice. Sometimes he gets criticism for doing it, but politics is part of life and when people need to be represented it really touches him and causes him to do something about it. That part of him hasn’t changed at all over the years. He genuinely cares about people. As we’ve gotten older, I think we’re all amazed that we’ve lived this long. And with that realisation comes a whole set of changes. I can hear that gratitude in Jackson’s writing, for the opportunity to have done all the things he’s done in his life. I consider him to be one of my dearest friends.”
“Can’t Stop Progress” - the new EP from The Immediate Family, featuring Russ Kunkel - is now available from Quarto Valley Records