Family First: Danny Kortchmar on The Immediate Family’s Brotherly Bonds
“We’ve earned the right not to have to be judged by anyone”
There was a time back in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s when the term “supergroup” was tossed about as a guaranteed way to grab headlines and build a fair amount of eager anticipation.
Blind Faith (featuring Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker and Rick Grech) and Crosby, Stills & Nash (and sometimes Young) were the early personification of that phenomenon, and the bands that pretty much set the supergroup standard until the Traveling Wilburys (consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty) arrived on the scene some 20 years later.
Ironically, the outfit that can currently be labeled a supergroup is one whose roots go back at least as long as any other. Known collectively as The Immediate Family, guitarists/singers/songwriters Danny Kortchmar, Waddy Wachtel and Steve Postell, drummer Russ Kunkel and bassist Leland Sklar were originally spawned from The Section, a studio ensemble that included Kortchmar, Sklar and Kunkel and one that earned its own well-deserved reputation as one of the most prolific collectives in rock’s entire trajectory.
Over the expanse of well over 50 years, the various members have shared both studios and stages while backing such notables as Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, Keith Richards, Warren Zevon, Graham Nash, Neil Young, David Crosby and dozens of other icons as well. In the mid ‘70s, they were joined by Wachtel, whose own studio credentials rivaled those of his collaborators. Postell joined when the others rebooted and branded themselves as the band they are today.
“I’ve known these guys for over 50 years,” Kortchmar told Rock and Roll Globe. “I can say we truly love one another. We communicate instinctively. When we’re together on the stage or in the studio, all we have to do is look at one another and then we automatically know where the music will go next. It’s actually instinctive.”
With a new album, Skin in the Game, and a recent self-titled documentary, the band is launching a tour that will initially include a series of shows in California, followed by several shows in Florida and a headlining appearance on the Rock Legends Cruise alongside Sammy Hagar, Billy Gibbons, Canned Heat, Rick Springfield,Collective Soul, Jefferson Starship and any number of other venerable artists. Nevertheless, Watchel’s ongoing commitment as musical director and lead guitarist for Stevie Nicks and her band precludes the possibility of joining the group for the current leg of the tour, but his replacement is equally renowned, that being guest guitarist Elliot Easton, former guitarist for the Cars.
“He’s a great player and we’ve been friends for years,” Kortchmar said in reference to Easton. “So in addition to our songs, we’ll do several by the Cars — “Drive,” “Best Friend’s Girl” and we’ll include a couple of others in our set as well.”
Of course, when the musicians involved are in such constant demand as these particular players are, partnering for a tour isn’t always as easy as one would hope.
“It can be a challenge to get everyone together and to coordinate our individual schedules,” Kortchmar confessed. “Waddy has his responsibilities with Stevie, and Russ and Leland tour with Lyle Lovett. They get good money, better than they get when touring with our band. Stevie is always gonna want to work and I understand that. So I’m really not sure when Waddy will be available for us, but it probably won’t be until the fall. So at that point, we’ll start moving around the country a little bit more.”
Following a series of albums and EPs, Skin in the Game is the group’s most definitive effort yet. Aside from a savvy cover of Sparks’ “The Toughest Girl In Town,” Wachtel, Kortchmar and Postell had a hand in writing each of the remaining 13 tracks, which range from the definitive rockers “Whole Lotta Rock and Roll,” “24/7/365,” “Confusion,” and “Lost in the Shuffle,” to occasional slower songs such “Fragile Heart” and “Catch You On the Other Side.” On the other hand, “Looking Away” leans on nuance over novelty, just as the otherwise ominous “Party at the Graveyard” and the cheeky “High Maintenance Girlfriend” demonstrate the band’s versatility and variety.
“We made it a point to be sure that the material was spread equally between us,” Kortchmar said. “So whoever wrote the song, took the lead vocal.”
Notably then, Kortchmar insists that despite his fabled history, he doesn’t spend his time dwelling on his many accomplishments.
“Of course I’m proud of all those recordings I’ve been a part of,” he says. “But I don’t stand around patting myself on the back. I don’t tend to look back at the past. I’d rather think about the future.”
The suggestion is made that because of their collective history and their landmark achievements, an audience might come to the band’s shows with a high level of expectation. After all, they set the benchmark for what a venerable and respected outfit can achieve. However, Kortchmar says that they’re happy to stand on their own merits without the need to consider outside opinion one way or another.
“After 50 years, we’ve earned the right not to have to be judged by anyone,” he declares. “When people come to our shows, they either like it or they don’t. But that’s up to them.”
At the same time, he maintains that the rock ‘n’ roll The Immediate Family makes is clearly not in sync with most modern music these days. “Guitar players like me are out of fashion,” he insists. “I occasionally play lead, but mostly I’m a rhythm guitar player. My main function is to support the rhythm section. And while real rock ‘n’ roll may be a rarity nowadays, we’re proud to continue the tradition.”
In that regard, Kortchmar and company are proud to do what they do. “I like music with rhythm and melody,” he suggests, eschewing much of what passes for modern music these days. “That’s the kind of songs I write, but you don’t find much of that anymore. We’re a rare breed, but we’re happy to revive it and remind people what real rock ‘n’ roll is all about.”
VIDEO: The Immediate Family “Skin in the Game”
Given the fact that he’s played with so many artists of note over the span of the past fifty years, one has to wonder if he still has a bucket list of artists that he’d still like to work with.
“That’s a good question,” he replied. “Most of the people I’d like to play with are dead.”
It’s clear then that Kortchmar is firmly engaged in the present. When the subject drifts back to the way things once were, it becomes clear that he’s pleased that certain aspects of what was once termed “the record business” have evolved from the norm that once was. “It’s pretty much over,” he insists. “And for good reason. The label bosses were a bunch of tyrants and egomaniacs who enjoyed nothing more than stifling their artists’ creative efforts to suit their own objectives. Critics don’t mean anything any more either. They never did as far as I’m concerned. In the old days, a review in Rolling Stone was looked upon as the ultimate sign of affirmation. These days, they’re not a factor whatsoever.”
Ultimately then, at age 77, Kortchmar clearly seems content. After all, he has every reason to be. He’s making music with his best friends — a group that epitomize the fact that they are The Immediate Family in every way possible. Even now, he’s enjoys playing the role of a rock star, the ability to take to a stage or enter a studio and simply make music. That, he said, is the most enjoyable thing one could ever imagine.
“I consider myself very lucky,” Kortchmar concludes. “I feel fortunate I’ve never had to have a real job.”
- Remembering Dave Mason - April 23, 2026
- Young Fresh Fellows: Live, Love, ‘Loft’ - April 9, 2026
- The Return of The (True) Guess Who - March 24, 2026
You May Also Like
-
August 17, 2018 -
July 26, 2018 -
August 23, 2022
