Rod Crosby
Jack:
My name is Rod Crosby. I’m 65, have lived here in El Paso, Texas since ’59 when I was literally ejected out of Corona, California, and landed here. I was in my first band “Rod Crosby & The Intruders” by ‘ 60, played full time for 20 years till ’ 80. Quit, got a job, went to self-employment till present time, but always found time to make music.
Please bear with me. This letter is a little long, but I’m going somewhere with it, cuz it’s ultimately about that incredible song that wrote you, I mean, you wrote !!.
Just wanted to give you a little background on me so, hopefully, what I write will have more meaning when you read the rest. At 13, I was inspired by Johnny Cash’s “I Walk The Line”, became a rocker by learning to sing and play an entire Buddy Holly album, played here in EP when native El Pasoan Bobby Fuller, of the Bobby Fuller Four was alive, a friend of mine, who made “I Fought The Law And The Law Won”, a Sonny Curtis tune, into the rock icon that it has become.
Speaking of icons, all that above said, here’s why I wrote you. I find it difficult to put into words how much I love “Peaceful Easy Feeling”, just hearing it, over and over and over again, as I came to know it via the Eagles, but love even more, performing it over, and over, and over again, full blown band on stage, or on an acoustic, singing it for friends, or just playing it for myself.
Your song lives and breathes in the core of my musical soul. I am more of a live performer than I am a songwriter, but I have written a couple of really good ballads, and anytime I think of writing another one, my dream and desire is to write one as incredible as “Peaceful”, exactly like yours, but completely different.
For me, your song is as a beautiful lady. Like my beautiful Goddess wife, not only do I never get tired of her, I just love her more and more everyday. Musically, I feel the same way about “Peaceful”. It is, without doubt, a genuine Masterpiece. I’m sure you get multitudes of compliments on that song, but I bet you never saw, or got, a love letter sent, not to you, but to your song. She Is A Musical Work Of Art!
Lastly, I wanted you to know that there are other reasons why the song means so much to me. I never referenced to the song from the “boy / girl” standpoint. Quite the opposite! My mother, when she was young, was drop dead beautiful, her skin, so brown, and her sparkling earrings lay…….
Long story short, my parents divorced when I was 5. I adored my beautiful mother, as all little boys do, but due to extenuating circumstances, never got to be with her much from that time on. I missed out on all that, forced to be with my dad and stepmom almost all of the time. She tried to send for me at times, but hardly ever succeeded, broke, single, and down on her luck.
All my dad ever did, rest his soul, was hate her so, and tell me, over and over, “she let you down, she let you down. She doesn’t love you! If she loved you, she would have you with her!”
But I never saw it that way. I loved her too much. When I was little, all I ever wanted was to be with her, and just sleep, slumber with her, as you wrote, in the peaceful, easiness of the desert, with a billion stars all round, not bothered by all the hatred and bitterness. But, as I said, all that was lost.
What a woman can do your soul! She did a number on me, for sure, as the beautiful entity she was, and still is. She also did a number on my dad’s soul, and she never did a thing to him. He did it to himself, because he couldn’t get past the power of her beauty, and the undying, indestructible love I had for her. But now, I have a peaceful, easy feeling about all that was lost. You said it so well. Amazing!
Your song has more meaning to me than probably anybody you know, probably even you. I wrote to thank you for creating it. I get chills up my spine every time I perform it.
Sincerely & Respectfully Yours,
Rod Crosby
