The Stone Poneys - The Stone Poneys (1967)

The Stone Poneys were a folk-rock trio active from 1965 to 1968.

In the early 60s a young Linda Ronstadt was performing in a folk group with her older brother and sister in Tuscon, Arizona, and it was this way that she met and first performed with singer-songwriter Bobby Kimmel. Kimmel was impressed by the fourteen year old, and when he moved to Southern California in 1961 he stayed in contact. A few years later  Ronstadt made the move to L.A. and met up with Kimmel again. Joined by guitarist Kenny Edwards, they formed The Stone Poneys in 1964. They performed as an acoustic folk trio, and by 1966 had been signed to Capitol Records. Their debut album came out in 1967, a fine folk-rock record. It was mostly acoustic, though they were augmented by drums and bass for much of the album. The highlight was on their strong three-part harmonies, all three of them contributing equally, though Rondstadt's clear, strong voice took the lead on a few songs. Most of the material was written by Kimmel and Edwards, with a couple by fellow singer-songwriter Tom Campbell and a Fred Neil cover.

The album was good, but it did not sell well, and the trio briefly broke up. However they were convinced to stick at it, which was fortunate as success was just around the corner.

|> Evergreen, Volume 2 (1967)

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