Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters
Best known as the writer of classic Eagles hit such as “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and “Already Gone,” Jack Tempchin is a prolific Southern California troubadour. Emerging from the San Diego folk scene, Tempchin became a fixture in L.A.’s Laurel Canyon music community in the late 60s and early 70s where he formed personal and musical alliances with Jackson Brown, J.D. Souther, Glenn Fry, and others. Following his songwriting success with the Eagles, Jack’s band The Funky Kings scored with “Slow Dancing” a Tempchin-penned composition that went on to become a Top 10 pop single for Johnny Rivers and a Top 10 country hit for Johnny Duncan. In the 1980s he and former Eagle Glenn Frey collaborated frequently, co-writing Glenn’s hits “I Found Somebody,” “The One You Love,” “Smugglers Blues,” "You Belong to the City," and more. In the 1990s he found success in the country field when his songs were recorded by artists such as George Jones, Sammy Kershaw, Patty Loveless, and Trisha Yearwood. As an artist, Jack has released a half dozen studio albums and a handful of live records. His most recent EP, Room to Run, is available now via iTunes and Spotify, and his new album Leaning to Dance will be released this summer. Additionally, Jack has recently launched a series of online videos called "Go Write One," which is designed to inspire people to create their own songs. We assume he knows what he’s talking about because, in addition to the artists already mentioned, Jack’s songs have been recorded by Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Wilson Phillips, Buck Owens, Tanya Tucker, the Desert Rose Band, Dwight Yoakam, Glen Campbell, Kenny Rogers, and the list goes on and on....