Kenny Loggins is trying something new.
The singer behind “Footloose” and “Danger Zone” announced he’s producing another artist for the first time in his career, teaming up with Hunter Hawkins for a fresh take on his 1985 song “Love Will Follow.”
The project serves as a reminder that, long before he became one of the most recognizable voices of the ’80s, Loggins needed a little help establishing himself as a solo artist. And that an unexpected friend provided that help: Stevie Nicks.
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In 1978, the Fleetwood Mac singer joined Loggins on “Whenever I Call You Friend,” a breezy, harmony-filled duet that became one of his signature recordings and one of Grunge‘s picks for greatest yacht rock duets.
Interestingly, their collaboration wasn’t simply a meeting of two celebrated voices. It grew out of a friendship forged on the road and a recording session that Nicks later remembered as surprisingly intense.
How Stevie Nicks Became Kenny Loggins’ Secret Weapon
After finding success alongside Jim Messina in the duo Loggins and Messina, Loggins faced a new challenge when the pair split in 1976. Could he build a successful solo career?
His first solo album, Celebrate Me Home, arrived in 1977, but his next album would prove particularly important. While opening for Fleetwood Mac during the band’s Rumours tour, Loggins became friendly with Nicks and other group members.
In the 2024 HBO documentary Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary, Loggins recalled that Nicks offered to help if he ever needed a female vocalist.
“She said to me one day, probably we were drunk, she said, ‘If you need a chick singer, give me a call,’” he told People.
Loggins took her up on the offer when he recorded “Whenever I Call You Friend,” which he wrote with singer-songwriter Melissa Manchester for his 1978 album, Nightwatch.
The timing was ideal. Nicks was becoming one of rock’s most celebrated female performers, and her appearance added a spark to the song. The track ultimately reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1978.
Loggins later credited Nicks with making a major difference in his transition from a successful duo to a solo career.
“I didn’t realize at the time how difficult it was to go from a successful duo into being a successful soloist,” he told People, adding that the duet “ultimately made a huge difference in launching my solo career.”
The Recording Session Wasn’t Quite as Dreamy as the Song
Listening to “Whenever I Call You Friend,” it’s easy to imagine that the singers slipped effortlessly into their harmonies. The reality, according to Nicks, was considerably more demanding.
In a 1982 interview with High Times, Nicks recalled that Loggins pushed her to deliver precisely the performance he wanted.
“I call him Slave-Driver Loggins,” she said. “He cracked the whip on me for two days to get that particular performance.”
Nicks admitted she grew frustrated during the sessions, even reaching a point where she considered giving up.
“I really had to keep my mouth shut and do what I was told,” she said. “And it worked. He wasn’t interested in a dull vocal.”
The story offers a fascinating contrast to the finished recording. The song’s gentle groove and shimmering harmonies sound relaxed and affectionate, but achieving that sound took persistence and a willingness to keep working when the results weren’t quite right.
A Friendship That Helped Create a Yacht Rock Classic
“Whenever I Call You Friend” became one of Nightwatch‘s defining tracks, with the album reaching No. 7 on the Billboard 200. The album also featured the first recorded version of “What a Fool Believes,” a song Loggins co-wrote with Michael McDonald that later became a major Doobie Brothers hit.
Although the term “yacht rock” came into popular use years later, Loggins’ smooth arrangements and melodic songwriting became central to the genre’s identity.
His collaboration with Nicks remains especially memorable because it captures a particular moment in both singers’ careers: Nicks riding the success of Fleetwood Mac and Loggins finding his footing outside his former duo.
Their friendship brought them together, but the song’s lasting appeal rests on more than the names attached to it. It is a polished, emotionally warm recording that sounds effortless, even when the process behind it wasn’t.
Now, as Loggins explores a new creative role with Hunter Hawkins, his breakthrough duet serves as a reminder of how much a collaboration can change an artist’s trajectory. Sometimes, the right person answering a phone call can make all the difference.
Related: 1982 Ballad, Which Knocked Kenny Rogers From No. 1, Named One of Soft Rock’s Greatest One-Hit Wonders
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