Ronstadt, the Eagles and Browne mixed in more folk, creating what was called the California sound, while the rest mixed in Rock. The songs were frequently very strongly influenced by the drug culture, although they tended more towards cocaine and marijuana than LSD and other psychedelics drugs. In Lonesome LA Cowboy, for example:
I've been smokin dope, snortin coke, trying to write a song,
Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen were another group in this genre, along with the Flying Burrito Brothers.
OK...what an excellent response... There was so much transitional music in the late 60’s-70’s. And so many bands changing members that it’s hard when u hear a song to tell who was playing with who.
I would have called NRPS Alternative Country...yeah, like Flying Burritos, Gram Parsons & EmmyLou Harris, etc.
Fuggin outlaws
I remember an interwiew with Townes where he talked about being pulled over for speeding and he tried to talk his way out of it by saying he was a songwriter. The cops started to give him a hard time - what songs did you write, boy? He said Poncho and Lefty and their attitude changed. The cops nicknames were Pancho and Lefty and they let him off with a warning.