Steel guitarist Dan Dugmore translated an interest in country-rock in the late 1960s into a career as an A-list Nashville session musician starting in the 1990s. Born in Southern California, Dugmore was inspired to take up the pedal steel guitar by seeing such country-rock bands like The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Poco, and the Flying Burrito Brothers. He wanted to learn to play the instrument, but couldn't find one for sale. So, he introduced himself to the Burritos' steel guitarist, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, who sold him is first Steel Guitar. After learning to play it, Dugmore joined John Stewart's band, and he can be heard on the Stewart album Phoenix Concerts (1974). The same year, he appeared on Dory Previn's self-titled LP, and successfully auditioned for Linda Ronstadt's band. 

Joining Ronstadt gave him entry to the Los Angeles session scene, and for the next decade-and-a-half, whenever a pop/rock performer needed a steel guitar, Dugmore tended to get the call. He began working with James Taylor regularly, starting with the re-recording of "Carolina in My Mind" on Taylor's 1976 Greatest Hits album. During the rest of the 1970s, in addition to appearing on Ronstadt's million-selling LPs Prisoner in Disguise (1975), Hasten Down the Wind (1976), Simple Dreams (1977), and Living in the U.S.A. (1978), and Taylor's equally successful JT (1977) and Flag (1979), he played on albums by Andrew Gold, Pablo Cruise, Karla Bonoff, David Gates, Richie Furay, Michael Martin Murphey, the Pointer Sisters, and J.D. Souther, among others. In 1980, Dugmore joined with other Ronstadt/Taylor backup musicians to form the band Ronin, which released one self-titled album.