Tonight I’ll Go Down Swingin’: a tribute to Don Heffington

Since Don Heffington passed…

I’ve been thinking about some memories about him from knowing him through Watkins Family Hour and the venue Largo in Los Angeles. The more I got to know him, the cooler he became, until he was untouchable, like one of the Greasers from S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. Don was like Dally’s brother, and like Dally, Don’s a saint now, too.

Don never lost his youthfulness, because sometimes that can happen with age. Life can wear you down. You get old. Along with his coolness, though, Don never got tired. He got grayer, but never older. In a way, how could he? He was a drummer. Drummers don’t wear out. They’re the heartbeat. But then how can anyone defy the grip of time?

I didn’t know Don well, but I did know him, and I have Sara and Sean Watkins to thank for that friendship, and Flan and everyone at Largo, too, that home away from home for all of us lucky enough to call Largo our home away from home.

And so, an album of Don’s special songs was made, and indeed they are special. It’s called Tonight I’ll Go Down Swingin’. It was produced by Sheldon Gomberg and Sebastian Steinberg and sometimes features percussion by Fiona Apple. People like Laura Heffington, Jackson Browne, Buddy Miller, David Garza, Watkins Family, Willie Watson, John C. Reilly, Elena Mandell, Jim Keltner, and Inara George are part of it. And I am, too. Buy it on CD, vinyl, or listen to it online and you’ll be supporting Don’s music and the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund.