Stone Poneys

Infobox musical artist |
Name = Stone Poneys


Img_capt = The band's 1960's promotional poster
Img_size =
Landscape =
Background = group_or_band
Origin =
Genre = Folk rock Rock
Years_active = 1964—1967
Label = Capitol Records

"The Stone Poneys" were a Los Angeles, California folk-rock trio consisting of Bob Kimmel (rhythm guitar), Ken Edwards (lead guitar), and Linda Ronstadt (vocals). The band's misspelled name came from Delta Blues singer Charlie Patton's song "The Stone Pony Blues." which was popularised in the year 1900. cite web | title=Cleveland Scene | work=Gypsy Eyes, Interview 1968| url=http://www.ronstadt-linda.com/artdis.htm | accessdate = 2007-05-08] In July of 2008, "The Stone Poneys Featuring Linda Ronstadt, "and" Evergreen - Vol. 2" were released together on a single CD for the first time.

After graduation from Tucson's Catalina Foothills High School and a semester at the seminal University of Arizona, on Speedway Boulevard, in 1964, Linda Ronstadt decided to move to the Los Angeles area to join Bob Kimmel and form a band. Ronstadt first met Kimmel in 1960 while performing gigs in and around Tucson with her older brother Peter and older sister Suzi. Kimmel was approximately five years older than Linda and was impressed with the strong voice and enthusiasm of the prococious fourteen year old. He relocated to southern California in 1961 and wrote regularly to cajole Linda into joining him throughout her high school years. cite web | title=Country Music Magazine, October 1978| url=http://www.ronstadt-linda.com/artcm78.htm | accessdate = 2007-05-11] Kimmel had already met and befriended Kenny Edward shortly before Linda's arrival in L. A. Kimmel and Edwards subsequently co-wrote several folk-rock songs.

Discovered by a couple of music executives, while rehearsing at a nearby soul food restaurant called "Olivia's" which was located in Ocean Park , a community between Venice Beach and Santa Monica, and which was famous for its food and clientle, including the The Doors, and "The Poneys". cite web | title=Rolling Stone| work=Linda Ronstadt, Heartbreak on Wheels, by Ben Fong-Torres, March 27, 1975 | url=http://www.ronstadt-linda.com/artrs75.htm | accessdate = 2008-03-08] They eventually recorded "So Fine" for Curb Records. However, the record company wanted them to change the group's name to "The Signets" and sing surf music, which the trio chose not to do. The group remained the Stone Poneys and worked intimate clubs like "The Insomniac" in Hermosa Beach, The Bitter End in Greenwich Village, and The Troubadour in Hollywood. At "The Troubadour" they were eventually signed by Nick Venet. They were opening for talent such as Oscar Brown Jr.cite web | title="Id"| work=| url=http://www.ronstadt-linda.com/artrs75.htm | accessdate = 2008-03-08] Consequently, the Stone Poneys became an opening act for "The Doors" on tour. ".cite web | title=M O J O, the Rock'n'Roll Magazine| work= Homecoming Queen, April 1995| url=http://www.ronstadt-linda.com/artmojo.htm | accessdate = 2007-05-07]

Their three albums were produced by Nik Venet, and most of the songs were written by Kimmel and Edwards. Under the guidance of producer Nik Venet and Capitol Records, the group recorded their first album in the fall of 1966, "The Stone Poneys", which was released in January 1967. The album is notable for its precise strong-voiced harmony vocals. The disc's one and only single release "Sweet Summer Blue And Gold" received no airplay and failed to chart anywhere. Eight years after the release of the album, it was reissued (in March of 1975) by Capitol Records, as a result of the multi-platinum success Ronstadt had that year as a solo artist with the #1 album "Heart Like A Wheel".

The Stone Poneys are best known for the second 45 (following "One For One") released off of their second album, "Evergreen, Volume 2" (released in June of 1967) that they did not write: Mike Nesmith's "Different Drum". Their version is similar to John Herald's vocal with the Greenbriar Boys. It hit the Billboard Magazine Pop Chart on November 11, 1967 and stayed in the Hot 100 for 17 weeks, getting as high as #13. Its parent record slid up Billboard's main album chart to #100 and lasted for a respectable fifteen weeks on that chart. Ronstadt has claimed dissatifaction with the arrangements of the three Stone Poneys albums many times over the years but Capitol Records has continually made money through re-issues of the early material in numerous configurations.

Their third album was titled "Linda Ronstadt, Stone Poneys and Friends, Vol. III" (released in April 1968), and only Linda's picture was on the cover. Like its predecessor the album had two single releases: "Up To My Neck In High Muddy Water" which stalled at #93 on the Hot 100 and "Hobo/Some Of Shelly's Blues" which, like the album, did not chart. "Some Of Shelly's Blues", was another Mike Nesmith song and the album ended with the Laura Nyro song, "Stoney End," which turned out to have been aptly named (although the song was not written for the Stone Poneys). Despite the lack of big hits, Linda Ronstadt was becoming increasingly well-known following the success of "Different Drum", and in 1969 she officially went solo with her album "Hand Sown...Home Grown".

In the mid-1970s, the Pickwick record label licensed nine Stone Poneys tracks from their out-of-print Capitol albums. The label issued "Stoney End / Linda Ronstadt & The Stone Poneys". The album featured "Different Drum", "One For One" and "Some Of Shelly's Blues" as well as a rare recording of the 1960s classic "Let's Get Together".

The legendary nightclub that helped launch the careers of Southside Johnny, Jon Bon Jovi, and others – The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey – was named for this band and was founded in 1974, shortly before Linda Ronstadt's major breakthrough album "Heart Like A Wheel" was released.

References

reflist|2 Re: Reference #2 - This article erroneously listed Arizona State University (which is located in Phoenix "not" Tucson) instead of Tucson's University of Arizona as the college that Linda Ronstadt attended for one semester in the fall of 1964. Enrollment records from U of A confirm this.

External links

* [http://www.ronstadt-linda.com/stonep.htm The Stone Poneys]
* [http://www.ronstadt-linda.com/thestoneponeys.htm Stone Poneys Lyrics]
* [http://www.ronstadt-linda.com/thestoneponeys2.htm Stone Poneys V2 Lyrics]
* [http://www.ronstadt-linda.com/thestoneponeys3.htm Stone Poneys V3 Lyrics]
* [http://www.bryndle.com/kenny/ke-bio.html Kenny Edwards]
* [http://www.richieunterberger.com/venet.html Nik Venet]
* [http://www.maniacworld.com/different-drum.html Linda Ronstadt and The Stone Poneys]