While I was there in Chicago [in November 1974, after Carrie Snodgress's mother's death], I called Ben Keith, who was in Nashville, and Crazy Horse in LA so that they could come and play with me at Chess Recording Studios, the historic Chicago studio where so many great blues records had been made. I had already played with Poncho once at Billy Talbot’s house in Echo Park. Billy and his new, young wife, Laurie, had been there with a few kids. We had played on the porch, and the music had echoed in the canyon outside. I guess that’s why they named it Echo Park. Poncho had fit in real well, and we’d been able to jam on some cool stuff. I don’t remember what we were playing, but it had a good sound. Poncho is Spanish, Billy is Italian, and Ralph is Portuguese; three Latins and a Canadian, I thought to myself. There was something sympathetic about the way we played together. It felt really fluid and hot, yet funky and solid. When we all got to Chess Studios, we found it on the fifth floor of a big old brick building that really had a historic vibe. I felt I was in a hallowed place. It was funky and there was nothing high-class about it, like some of the studios we had played in Hollywood. It had everything it needed, though. We recorded one song, “Changing Highways,” at that session. It was kind of an experiment with Poncho in the studio, and it went well. We rocked. Crazy Horse went back to LA. Neil Young Waging Heavy Peace Sept 2012

About that time, I called Crazy Horse and asked Billy, Ralph, and Poncho to come to Chicago, where I was visiting with Carrie after her mother’s death, to record at the Chess Records Studio. I had located it in the phone book and booked studio time. I needed something to do and a reason to disengage from Carrie’s dad’s house. Poncho Sampedro was new in the group and we had only jammed once in Echo Park at Billy’s house, so I thought getting the band to Chicago would be a great way to feel it out in the studio. I called Nashville and asked Ben Keith to come up as well. I had a new song I had written called “Changing Highways.” The guys soon arrived and we checked into a hotel downtown. We got together the night before the sessions so Poncho had a chance to learn the songs with us. He remembers that I was playing the songs and he would say, “Hey, Ben, you try the guitar,” then he’d smoke some weed and dig the song. Poncho thought we were just hangin’ out, didn’t see that we were woodshedding for the sessions so he would know the songs when we got into the studio. It didn’t matter, though. We got it down. Poncho’s laid-back attitude is a big part of who we are today as a band. [...] The sessions went well and we got a funky take of “Changing Highways,” which is still unreleased today. We were there for two or three days. I loved recording wherever I was and whenever I could. That’s how we did it best. Neil Young Special Deluxe October 2014

In 1975 I was living on Broken Arrow ranch in Northern California but I had rented a place on the Beach in ZUMA to be able to visit my friends. One day I was talking to Billy and he told me he had finally found someone who could fill the void left by Danny Whitten’s death. His name was Poncho Sampedro. We played with Poncho at Billy’s house in Echo Park, a part of LA. We sounded good right away and he joined us in Chicago shortly thereafter for a session at Chess records. That session in December of 1974, with Ben Keith along on steel guitar, produced ‘Changing Highways’, a song in the Archives we have never shared; the first song recorded with Poncho Sampedro. Neil Young NYA - Album of the Week - Zuma September 4, 2019