Part of the reason I write Ted Tocks Covers is the opportunity to bring songwriters to light. Sometimes they are widely celebrated, requiring little introduction, while other times they reside as the unsung hero in some wonderful stories. ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling’ by the Eagles is a perfect example and today Jack Tempchin will take the spotlight.
On this day in 1972 ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling’ was released as the third single on the Eagles debut album. It followed ‘Take it Easy’ and ‘Witchy Woman’. All three tracks helped make the outstanding album a massive success and with the one-two combination of ‘Take it Easy’ and ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling’ the Eagles instantly became a band that helped to define what became known as the country rock genre. Truth be told, they took the baton from Gram Parsons, Clarence White and the Byrds, but that’s another story.
It was behind the scenes where Jack Tempchin resided in the early ‘70s. It’s a fun story that needs to be shared, and this space provides the perfect venue. For the purpose of today’s feature, we will head to the coffee shops of San Diego in 1970. Tempchin was performing the folk circuit in his hometown of San Diego. In order to set him apart from many others doing the same, a friend designed a series of posters that provided bogus testimonials attributed to famous people. They spoke to how life altering seeing Jack Tempchin live would be for anyone who accepted the invitation. The posters ended up in the hands of a gentleman who owned a club called El Centro. Tempchin became a regular performer at El Centro where he would perform, and on occasion, crash after his set. On one such occasion Tempchin had arranged to go on a date with a girl he met. The plan was to meet after his gig. She never showed up, so it was in the early morning hours after a show that Jack Tempchin began to formulate ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling’ on the back of one of his friend’s posters. He was suggesting that love may come, or it may not but either way everything will be alright. The song was modified a short time later as Tempchin found temporary shelter in a communal style home nearby. Here is a brief recollection from Jack Tempchin.
We’d sit in front of the picture window and watch the beautiful girls on the bus stop bench and fall in love with them until their bus came. We talked in those days about how love never seems to show up until you stop looking for it. But, as young guys, we were unable to stop looking for love even for one day.”
Jack Tempchin
Like every great songwriter does, Jack Tempchin was looking for inspiration at every turn. While visiting Old Town San Diego Historic Park he encountered a girl with “turquoise earrings against her dark skin”. This inspiration became the perfect visual for what became the opening verse.
I like the way your sparkling earrings lay
Jack Tempchin
Against your skin so brown
And I want to sleep with you in the desert night
With a billion stars all around”
Again, in Jack Tempchin’s words,
I guess I was trying to distill the beauty of every girl I saw into words on paper and then into a song.”
Jack Tempchin
There is something oddly poetic in the fact the Tempchin is on record as saying he finished the song while waiting for his hot dog order at Der Wienerschnitzel fast food restaurant in San Diego. Inspiration comes at unpredictable intervals. Like any good songwriter, Jack Tempchin was ready.
A short time later Tempchin made the decision to head to Los Angeles and explore the vibrant music scene the city of lights had to offer. The change in locales was facilitated by Jackson Brown who said he could crash at his house. So many great stories of this era, seem to involve Jackson Browne. It was while hanging out at Browne’s place that Tempchin met J.D. Souther and Glen Frey. When Glen Frey heard Tempchin’s demo of ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling’ he fell in love. As luck would have it, the original incarnation of the Eagles had formed just eight days earlier and the band members were on the lookout for suitable material to blend with their original creations. Frey asked Tempchin if he could develop the song to suit his new band’s style. The very next day Glen Frey handed Jack Tempchin a cassette demo of the Eagles version of ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling’. Jack Tempchin was blown away.
It was so good I couldn’t believe it.”
Jack Tempchin
For the Eagles part, Glen Frey, Don Henley, Randy Meisner, Bernie Leadon and Don Henley headed over to Olympic Sound in London, England and recorded their debut album under the watchful eye of producer Glyn Johns. By June of 1972 the album was released, and members of the band tracked Jack Tempchin down back in San Diego, and they listened to the record together. Here is Tempchin’s account of hearing this recording for the first time.
They came down to San Diego and played me the record that they had just recorded in England… The first song was ‘Take it Easy’ and I thought, man that’s the best thing I have heard. The second song was ‘Witchy Woman’. Gosh! That’s the best thing I ever heard. Then the third song was ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling’ and I said this is the best album I ever heard. That’s how it happened…Boom”
Jack Tempchin
For the record, nine years ago, the Mayor of San Diego declared December 1st ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling Day’. During a ceremony at Der Wienerschnitzel Mayor Jerry Sanders commemorated the 40th anniversary of ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling’ by dedicating a plaque in Jack Tempchin’s honour, giving him a solid gold wiener. The proclamation read;
Jack Tempchin has been a quiet and positive force for the community as he plays almost every charity event presented to him…Be it resolved, that I, Jerry Sanders, the 34th Mayor of the City of San Diego, do hereby proclaim December 1, 2012, to be “Peaceful Easy Feeling Day” in recognition of its 40th Anniversary and for Jack Tempchin’s major contributions to music and to the world.”
San Diego Mayor – Jerry Sanders
This led Jack Tempchin to quip;
Lots of people have Grammys but they don’t have a solid gold wiener.”
Jack Tempchin
It wasn’t until 1978 that Jack Tempchin recorded and released his song. Here it is for your enjoyment.
Beyond ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling’, Jack Tempchin hung around to co-write ‘Already Gone’ with Glen Frey for the Eagles 1974 release ‘On the Border’, as well as ‘Smuggler’s Blues’ and ‘You Belong to the City’ for Frey’s solo career. Aside from soaring with the Eagles, one of Tempchin’s best known compositions is ‘Slow Dancing’ which was originally recorded by Funky Kings in 1976, before being renamed ‘Swayin’ to the Music’ and turned into a top 10 hit for Johnny Rivers in 1977, and even a top 10 country song for Johnny Duncan in 1979. The examples cited above only scratch the surface of Jack Tempchin’s collaborations. In addition to a lengthy list of associations, he has eight solo albums to his name as well as a couple of compilation packages and live albums. By all indications, he is a true gentleman and a very humble person. The kind of guy you would have a fifteen-minute conversation with and feel like you have known him all your life. In today’s world there could be no higher compliment.
To follow this, there is a long list of cover versions to share, but I have opted to reduce the list to five with a focus on style and diversity with regard to the range of the artist’s recognizability.
For instance, here is a 1972 version of ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling by country singer B.W. Stevenson. This country artist has the distinction of taping for the intended pilot of ‘Austin City Limits’ in October of 1974. It was later determined that the quality of the recording wasn’t to the show’s standard, so the tape was scrapped in favour of the country artist who performed the following evening. It was this shuffle that led to the acclaimed music program ‘Austin City Limits’ debuting with a performance by one Willie Nelson. Here is B.W. (Buckwheat) Stevenson and his recording of ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling’ on his 1972 self-titled debut album.
From the fateful tale of B.W. Stevenson we move on to the great Jackson Browne. Friend to many. Here is a live performance by this legendary artist doing ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling’. Unfortunately I am unable to share Youtube versions of his studio recordings of this song. I highly recommend these offerings though. Check them out when you get an opportunity.
I really enjoyed this moody, stripped-down version of ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling by Kate Wolf from her 1982 live album called ‘Give Yourself to Love’. Sadly, this talented musician passed away just four years later after a battle with leukemia.
In 1993, a tribute album called ‘Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles’ was released, and a band called Little Texas released this cover which presents the clear country rock origin of the piece.
After the untimely passing of Glen Frey in January of 2016 the captivating Brandi Carlile performed this live tribute during a performance in Atlantic City a couple of weeks later. Count me in on anything Brandi does. I consider her an essential artist of this era.
Before we move on to see what this day has to bring, let’s enjoy this moment from ‘The Great Lebowski’ which features Jeff Bridges.
Man, I had a rough night and I hate the fuckin’ Eagles man.”
Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski
So, if you are having a bad day, remember two things.
Things could be a lot worse, so just enjoy the ride.
Somehow things just seem to work out.
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