’70s Country Rock Icon Announces First Album in Over 20 Years originally appeared on Parade.
Bernie Leadon and his guitar are returning to the studio like they never left.
The country rock legend, 78, is gearing up for the release of his first album in over two decades, titled Too Late to Be Cool, he revealed to Variety. He told the outlet it feels “very good” to be back in the music scene.
Leadon—a founding member of theEagles—reunited with the iconic rock band from 2013-15, performing in 175 shows across the globe as part of the History of the Eagles — Live in Concert tour. That reunion had a big impact on the Minneapolis-born rocker: it got his “juices going,” which inspired him to get back in the studio.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee further explained that following the tour, he “built a building around the studio gear” he owned and later got to work with his friend, record producer Glyn Johns, who visited him in July 2024. The pair finished the upcoming album in January or February 2025.
“So to me, it’s the logical extension of having gone back out and getting the creative juices going and making a commitment to songwriting, where I became more faithful to work on it,” Leadon said of Too Late to Be Cool, per Variety.
Last month, the uber-talented musician released the upcoming album’s first single, “Too Many Memories.” He dropped a second track, “Just a Little,” today, August 15. The full album is set for release on October 10.
Leadon—who now resides in Tennessee but considers himself “a Southern Californian” due to the time he spent there during his teenage and young adult years—has a show scheduled for September 12 at the City Winery in Nashville during AmericanaFest.
He says he’ll likely “do a few dates the rest of this year” with a band and is planning to return to the stage “when the tour season starts again” in the spring of 2026.
Prior to Too Late to Be Cool, Leadon released his last album, Mirror, in 2004, which followed 1977’s Natural Progressions with The Bernie Leadon-Michael Georgiades Band.
Speaking with Variety about the decades-long gaps between his projects, the acclaimed musician said, “Yeah, I’m all the way up to 22 years between projects. I’ll try to do another one before 22 years, I promise.”
Leadon co-founded the Grammy Award-winning Eagles in 1971 alongside Glenn Frey, Don Henley, and Randy Meisner. Don Felder notably joined the band in 1974, followed by Joe Walsh in 1975. Timothy B. Schmit replaced Meisner in 1977. Steuart Smith joined in 2001 before retiring in 2025. He was replaced by guitarist Chris Holt.
VinceGill and Deacon Frey joined the legendary band in 2017.
In addition to the Eagles, Leadon also played with the Flying Burrito Brothers and Dillard & Clark.
’70s Country Rock Icon Announces First Album in Over 20 Years first appeared on Parade on Aug 15, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
