Eagles
Eagles (left to right): Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit during their Long Road Out of Eden Tour
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Rock, country rock, soft rock, folk rock[1]
Years active	1971–1980, 1994–present
Labels	Asylum, Geffen, Polydor, Lost Highway
Associated acts	Linda Ronstadt, Poco, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Jackson Browne, J. D. Souther
Website	www.eaglesband.com
Members
Glenn Frey Don Henley Joe Walsh Timothy B. Schmit
Past members
Randy Meisner Bernie Leadon Don Felder

The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1971 by Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner.

With five number one singles, six Grammys, five American Music Awards, and six number one albums, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s. At the end of the 20th century, two of their albums, Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) and Hotel California, ranked among the 20 best-selling albums in the U.S. according to the Recording Industry Association of America. Hotel California is ranked 37th in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and the band was ranked #75 on the magazine's 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.^[2]

They have the best-selling album in the U.S. with Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975), which sold approximately 42 million copies worldwide. They have sold over 120 million albums worldwide, and 100 million in the U.S. alone. They are the fifth-highest-selling music act and highest-selling American band in U.S. history. No other American band sold more records than the Eagles during the 1970s.

The Eagles released their self-titled debut album in 1972 which spawned three Top 40 singles, "Take It Easy", "Witchy Woman", and "Peaceful Easy Feeling". They followed up the success of their debut album with Desperado in 1973. The album was less successful than the first, reaching only #41 on the charts and neither of its two singles reached the Top 40. However, the album contained two of the band's most popular and beloved tracks, "Desperado" and "Tequila Sunrise". They released On the Border in 1974 and added guitarist Don Felder midway through the recording of the album. The album released two Top 40 singles, "Already Gone" and their first chart topper, "Best of My Love".

It was not until 1975's One of These Nights, though, that the Eagles became America's biggest band. The album released three Top 10 singles, "One of These Nights", "Lyin' Eyes", and "Take It to the Limit". They continued with that success in late 1976 with the release of Hotel California, which would go on to sell over 16 million copies in the U.S. alone. The album yielded three Top 20 singles, "New Kid in Town", "Hotel California", and "Life in the Fast Lane". They released their last studio album for nearly 28 years in 1979 with The Long Run. The album showed that the Eagles were still at the top of their popularity at the time of their breakup. The album spawned three Top 10 singles, "Heartache Tonight", "The Long Run", and "I Can't Tell You Why".

The Eagles broke up in July 1980, but reunited in 1994 for Hell Freezes Over, a mix of live and new studio tracks. They have toured intermittently since then and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2007, the Eagles released Long Road Out of Eden, their first full studio album in 28 years. The album would top the album charts, release five singles on the Adult Contemporary Charts and win the band two Grammys. The next year they launched Long Road Out of Eden Tour in support of the album. The band members have discussed the possibility of making another album.

History[link]

The band began to form when Linda Ronstadt and then-manager John Boylan recruited session musicians Glenn Frey and Don Henley in the spring of 1971.^[3] Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon would join her group of performers for the summer tour.^[3] The original Eagles would play only once together as a live unit backing Ronstadt (for a July concert at Disneyland),^[3] but all four appeared on her eponymous 1971 album.^[4] After their tenure with Ronstadt and with her encouragement, they decided to form their own band, signing with Asylum Records, the new label started by David Geffen. Geffen and partner Elliot Roberts also initially managed the band.

[edit] Eagles (1972)

The group's eponymous debut album was recorded in England in February 1972 with producer Glyn Johns^[3] and released on June 26, 1972. Eagles was a breakthrough success, yielding three Top 40 singles. The first single and lead track, "Take It Easy", was a song written by Glenn Frey and his neighbor and fellow country-folk rocker Jackson Browne. Browne had written the majority of the song, up until the line "I'm standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, such a fine sight to see", where he was then stalled. Frey added the next line, and Browne continued to finish the rest of the song. The song reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and propelled the Eagles to stardom. The single was followed by the bluesy "Witchy Woman" and the soft country rock ballad "Peaceful Easy Feeling", charting at #9 and #22 respectively.

The Eagles were a major force in popularizing the Southern California country rock sound. Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" ranked Eagles at number 374.^{[5][dead link]}

[edit] Desperado (1973)

Their second album, Desperado, was themed on Old West outlaws, drawing comparisons between their lifestyles and modern rock stars. This album introduced the group's penchant for conceptual songwriting. It was during these recording sessions that Don Henley and Glenn Frey began writing with each other, co-writing 8 of the album's 11 songs, including two of the group's most popular songs: "Tequila Sunrise" and "Desperado". The bluegrass songs "Twenty-One," "Doolin-Dalton" and the ballad "Saturday Night" showcased guitarist Bernie Leadon's abilities on the banjo, guitar and mandolin.

Throughout the album, the story of the notorious Wild West "Doolin-Dalton" gang was the main focus, featuring the songs "Doolin-Dalton," "Bitter Creek" and "Desperado". The album was less successful than the first, reaching only #41 on the US pop album charts, and yielding only 2 singles, "Tequila Sunrise", which reached #61 on the Billboard charts, and "Outlaw Man", which peaked at #59.

The album marked a significant change to the band, with Henley and Frey co-writing the bulk of the album, a pattern that would continue for years to come. Subsequently, the pair began to dominate the band in terms of leadership and songwriting, turning the focus of the band away from Leadon and Meisner despite early presumptions that it would be Leadon and Meisner who would steer the band.^[6]

[edit] On the Border (1974)

For their next album, On the Border, Henley and Frey wanted the band to break away from the country music style they were known for, moving more towards hard rock. Initially, the Eagles started off with Glyn Johns producing, but he tended to emphasize the lush side of their double-edged music. After completing only two songs, the band turned to Bill Szymczyk to produce the rest of the album. Szymczyk brought in Don Felder to add slide guitar to a song called "Good Day in Hell", and the band was so impressed that two days later they invited Felder to become the fifth Eagle. He appeared on only one other song on the album, the uptempo breakup song "Already Gone", on which he performed the guitar duet with Glenn Frey. On the Border yielded a No. 1 Billboard single ("Best of My Love"), which hit the top of the charts on March 1, 1975, becoming the Eagles' first of five chart toppers."Already Gone" was also successful, reaching #32 on the charts and showcasing the harder edge of the band's new sound with the addition of Felder. The album also featured a cover version of Tom Waits "Ol'55" and the single "James Dean" which reached #77 on the charts.

The band also played at the famous California Jam festival in Ontario, California on April 6, 1974. Attracting over 200,000 fans, appearing alongside 70's rock giants Black Sabbath; Emerson, Lake & Palmer; Deep Purple; Earth, Wind & Fire; Seals & Crofts; Black Oak Arkansas and Rare Earth. Portions of the show were telecast on ABC Television in the US, exposing the band to a wider audience.

[edit] One of These Nights (1975)

The Eagles released their fourth studio album, One of These Nights, on June 10, 1975. It was their last album to feature founding member Bernie Leadon, who left the group during the One of These Nights tour. Leadon was disillusioned with the direction the band's music was going. Leadon co-wrote two songs on the album, "I Wish You Peace," which he wrote with Patti Davis (daughter of future president Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis Reagan) and sang lead vocals on. He also wrote the instrumental "Journey of the Sorcerer," which would later be used as the theme music for the BBC's radio presentation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Leadon would be replaced by guitarist/singer/keyboardist Joe Walsh. Walsh, who previously performed with the James Gang, Barnstorm, and as a solo artist, connected with the Eagles through producer Bill Szymczyk, who had also worked on Walsh's band and solo records. With the departure of Leadon, the Eagles' early country sound almost completely disappeared, with the band employing a harder sound with the additions of Felder and Walsh.

One of These Nights proved to be a breakthrough album for the Eagles, making them international superstars. It also began a string of four consecutive No. 1 albums. The dominant songwriting partnership of Don Henley and Glenn Frey continued on this album. The first single was the title track, which became their second consecutive chart topper. Frey has said that it is his all time favorite Eagles tune. The second single was "Lyin' Eyes", which reached No. 2 on the charts and won the band its first Grammy for "Best Pop Performance by a duo or group with vocal". The third and final single was "Take It to the Limit," which was written by Randy Meisner, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey. It features Meisner on lead vocals and reached No. 4 on the charts. It also became the Eagles' first single to be certified gold. The album also features "After The Thrill Is Gone". The band launched a huge worldwide tour to support the album. "One of These Nights" was nominated for a Grammy award for Album of the Year.

In early 1976, the band released their first compilation album, "Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975". The album would go on to become the highest-selling album in U.S. history with over 29 million copies sold in the U.S. alone and over 42 million copies worldwide. It also cemented their status as the most successful American band of the decade.

[edit] Hotel California (1976–1978)

Hotel California was released on December 8, 1976 as the band's fifth studio album, and the first to feature Joe Walsh. The album took a year and a half to make, a process which along with touring, drained the band. Hotel California is also the last album to feature founding member Randy Meisner, who left the band after the album to return to his native Nebraska in order to be with his family. He eventually began a solo career. His biggest contribution to the album was the track "Try and Love Again", which he wrote and sang lead vocals on. Coincidentally, he was replaced by the same man who replaced him in Poco, Timothy B. Schmit. The album's first single was "New Kid in Town," which became the Eagles' third No. 1 single.

The second single was the title track, which also topped the charts in February 1977. The song became the Eagles' signature song. It featured Henley on lead vocals, and the guitar duet at the end of the song was performed by Don Felder and Joe Walsh. The song was written by Felder, Henley and Frey. Felder wrote all the music to the song. The song is also known for its mysterious lyrics. The lyrics have been interpreted in many ways, some of them controversial. When he was told during a 60 Minutes interview (November 25, 2007) that "everyone wants to know what this song [Hotel California] means," Don Henley replied, "I know, it's so boring . . . It's basically a song about the dark underbelly of the American Dream, and about excess in America, which was something we knew about."^[7]

"Life in the Fast Lane" was also a major success, establishing Joe Walsh's position in the band with its more hard rock sound. It was the third and final single from Hotel California and reached No. 11 on the charts. The ballad "Wasted Time" closed the first side of the album, while an instrumental reprise of it opened the second side. The album concluded with "The Last Resort", the song Frey, to this day, refers to as Don Henley's greatest work. ^[8]

The run-out groove on side two has the words "V.O.L. Is Five-Piece Live", which means that the song "Victim of Love" was recorded live in the studio, with no overdubs. Don Henley confirms this in the liner notes of The Very Best of Eagles. Hotel California has appeared on several lists of the best albums of all time.^[5] It is also their best-selling studio album, with over 16 million copies sold to date in the U.S. The album also won two Grammys for "Record of the year" (Hotel California) and "Best arrangement for voices" (New Kid in Town). Hotel California topped the charts and was nominated for Album of the Year in the 1977 Grammys, but lost to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. Nonetheless, the album further established the Eagles as America's number one band and made the Eagles household names. To support the album, the Eagles would go on another huge worldwide tour that further drained the band members and strained their personal and creative relationships.

After the tour, Randy Meisner left the band and moved back to his native Nebraska, where he began a solo career. The band replaced Meisner with the same musician who had succeeded him in Poco, Timothy B. Schmit. In 1977, the group, minus Don Felder, performed some instrumental work and backing vocals for Randy Newman's album Little Criminals, including the controversial surprise hit "Short People", which has backing vocals by Frey and Schmit.

[edit] The Long Run and breakup (1979–1980)

In 1977, the Eagles went into a recording studio to produce their next studio album, The Long Run. The album took two years to make, and was originally intended to be a double album but the band members were unable to come up with enough songs. The Long Run was released on September 24, 1979, to great success. Though considered a disappointment by some critics for failing to live up to Hotel California, it proved a huge commercial hit nonetheless. The album topped the charts and sold 7 million copies. In addition, it released three Top 10 singles. "Heartache Tonight" became their last single to top the charts on November 10, 1979. The title track and "I Can't Tell You Why" (the latter introducing new member Timothy B. Schmit), both reached #8. The band also won their fourth Grammy for "Heartache Tonight". "In The City" by Joe Walsh and "The Sad Cafe" both became live staples. While recording the album, the band also recorded two Christmas songs in 1978, "Please Come Home For Christmas" and "Funky New Year". "Please Come Home For Christmas" was released as a single in 1978 and reached #18 on the charts.

The Eagles also contributed to Boz Scaggs' hit single "Look What You've Done to Me", the love theme from the 1980 film Urban Cowboy, and featured on its soundtrack. The Eagles helped Scaggs re-record certain vocals for "Look What You've Done to Me" so that his most recent hit could be included on his greatest hits album. The soundtrack album was released by Elektra, who would not license Scaggs' original mix to Columbia for his Hits! album. The Eagles' work for Scaggs was perhaps a favor to their manager Irving Azoff who was also the producer of Urban Cowboy. The version of "Look What You've Done to Me" that was featured in the movie and soundtrack album uses a female chorus instead of the Eagles' background vocals. However, the Eagles' 1975 hit "Lyin' Eyes" was featured in the movie.

On July 31, 1980, in Long Beach, California, tempers boiled over into what has been described as "Long Night at Wrong Beach."^[9] Frey and Felder spent the entire show describing to each other the beating each planned to administer backstage. "Only three more songs until I kick your ass, pal," Frey recalls Felder telling him near the end of the band's set.^[10] Felder recalls Frey making a similar threat to him during "Best of My Love."^[9] "We’re out there singing ‘Best of My Love,’ but inside both of us are thinking, ‘As soon as this is over, I’m gonna kill him’" recalled Frey.^[11]

It appeared to be the end of the Eagles, although the band still owed Elektra a live record from the tour. Eagles Live (released in November 1980) was mixed by Frey and Henley on opposite coasts; the two decided they could not bear to be in the same state, let alone the same studio, and as Bill Szymczyk put it, "The record's perfect three-part harmonies were fixed courtesy of Federal Express."^{[citation needed]} With credits that listed no fewer than five attorneys, the album's liner notes simply said, "Thank you and goodnight". However, there was a single released from the album - "Seven Bridges Road" - which was a live concert staple for the band. It was written by Steve Young in an arrangement created by Iain Matthews for his Valley Hi album in 1973. The song reached #21 on the charts in 1980, becoming their last Top 40 single until 1994.

Breakup years (1980–1994)[link]

After the breakup of the Eagles, each ex-member tried his hand in a solo career. Joe Walsh had already established himself as a solo artist in the 1970s before and during his time with the Eagles, but it was uncharted waters for the others.

Joe Walsh released a successful album in 1981, There Goes the Neighborhood, but subsequent albums throughout the 1980s, such as Got Any Gum? were less well-received. During this time Walsh also performed as a session musician for Dan Fogelberg, Steve Winwood, Richard Marx and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, among others, and produced and co-wrote Ringo Starr's Old Wave album.

Don Henley achieved the greatest commercial solo success of any former Eagle. In 1982, he released I Can't Stand Still, featuring the hit "Dirty Laundry". This album would pale in comparison to his next release, 1984's smash, Building the Perfect Beast which featured Billboard #5 hit and classic rock radio staples, "The Boys of Summer", "All She Wants to Do Is Dance (#9)," "Not Enough Love in the World" (#34), and "Sunset Grill" (#22). Henley would not release another album for five years until 1989's The End of the Innocence. This album was also a major success and included the hits "The End of the Innocence", "The Last Worthless Evening" and "The Heart of the Matter". His solo career was cut short due to a contract dispute with his record company, finally resolved when the Eagles reunited in 1994.

Glenn Frey also found solo success in the 1980s. In 1982, he released his first album, No Fun Aloud, which spawned the #15 hit, "The One You Love". He followed this album with 1984's The Allnighter, which featured the #20 hit "Sexy Girl." He reached #2 on the charts with "The Heat Is On" from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack. He had another #2 single in 1985 with "You Belong to the City" from the Miami Vice soundtrack, which featured another Frey song, "Smuggler's Blues". He also contributed the songs "Flip City" to the Ghostbusters II soundtrack and "Part of Me, Part of You" to the soundtrack for Thelma & Louise.

In 1982, former music writer turned filmmaker Cameron Crowe saw his first screenplay turn into a feature length movie, Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Crowe was a fan and had written articles about Poco and the Eagles. The film was co-produced by the Eagles' manager Irving Azoff, who also co-produced the soundtrack album released by the Eagles' long-time record label Elektra, which also owned the rights to solo albums from each member of the Eagles (though several of them would move to different labels in ensuing years). Henley, Walsh, Schmit, and Felder all contributed solo songs to the film's soundtrack. In addition, the band playing the dance toward the end of the movie covers Life in the Fast Lane.

Don Felder also released a solo album, and contributed two songs to the soundtrack of the movie Heavy Metal: "Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride)" (with Henley and Schmit providing backing vocals) and "All of You". He also had a minor hit called "Bad Girls" off his solo effort Airborne.

Timothy B. Schmit had a prolific career after the band's initial breakup. He had a hit song on the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack with "So Much in Love", and would contribute vocals to the Crosby, Stills & Nash album Daylight Again when CSN needed an extra vocalist due to David Crosby's drug overindulgence. Schmit contributed vocals to "Southern Cross" and "Wasted on the Way". Schmit sang backing vocals on Toto's Toto IV album, including "I Won't Hold You Back", and appeared as a backing vocalist on Toto's 1982 European tour. Schmit also spent three years (1983–1985) as a member of Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer band and coined the term "Parrotheads" for Buffett's die-hard fans. He had a Top 40 solo hit in 1987 with "Boys' Night Out" and also a top-30 Adult Contemporary hit with "Don't Give Up", both from his album Timothy B. Schmit appeared with former Eagles Randy Meisner and Joe Walsh on Richard Marx's debut hit "Don't Mean Nothing". In 1992, Schmit toured along side his former Eagles bandmate Joe Walsh as members of Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band and appeared on the live video from the Montreux Jazz Festival. Schmit released two solo albums: Playin' It Cool in 1984 and Tell Me the Truth in 1990. Schmit was the only Eagle to appear on the 1993 Eagles tribute album Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles, singing backing vocals on Vince Gill's cover of "I Can't Tell You Why".

Randy Meisner had a #14 hit with the song "Hearts on Fire" in 1981.

Reunion (1994–present)[link]

[edit] Hell Freezes Over (1994–1999)

Fourteen years after the breakup, an Eagles country tribute album titled Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles was released in 1993. Travis Tritt insisted on having the Long Run-era Eagles in his video for "Take It Easy" and they agreed. After the "Take It Easy" video was completed the following year, and following years of public speculation, the band finally formally reunited. The lineup comprised the five Long Run-era members – Frey, Henley, Walsh, Felder and Schmit – supplemented by additional musicians: Scott Crago (drums), John Corey (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals), Timothy Drury (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals) and Al Garth (sax, violin) on stage.

"For the record, we never broke up, we just took a 14-year vacation", announced Frey at their first live performance in April 1994. The ensuing tour spawned a live album titled Hell Freezes Over (named for Henley's recurring statement that the group would get back together "when hell freezes over") which debuted at #1 on the Billboard album chart, and included four new studio songs, with "Get Over It" and "Love Will Keep Us Alive" both becoming Top 40 hits. The album itself proved as successful as the reunion tour, selling 6 million copies in the U.S. While the tour was briefly interrupted in September 1994 (because of Frey's serious recurrence of diverticulitis), it resumed in 1995 and continued into '96.^[12]

In 1998, Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For the induction ceremony, all seven Eagles members (Frey, Henley, Felder, Walsh, Schmit, Leadon and Meisner) played together for two songs, "Take It Easy" and "Hotel California". Several subsequent reunion tours followed (without Leadon or Meisner), notable for their record-setting ticket prices.^[13][14]

New millennium (1999–2001)[link]

The Eagles performed at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on December 28 and 29 1999, followed by a concert at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on December 31, 1999. These concerts marked the last time Don Felder played with the band and these shows (including a planned release of the video) would form a part of the lawsuit that Felder later filed against his former band mates.

The concert was released on CD as part of the four-disc Selected Works: 1972–1999 box set in November 2000. Along with the millennium concert, this set included the band's hit singles, album tracks, as well as outtakes from The Long Run sessions. Selected Works sold approximately 267,000 copies at about $60 a unit.^{[citation needed]}

The group resumed touring once more in 2001 with a line-up consisting of Frey, Henley, Walsh, and Schmit, along with Steuart Smith (guitars, mandolin, keyboards, backing vocals; Smith unofficially replaced Don Felder who was fired in early 2001), Michael Thompson (keyboards, trombone), Will Hollis (keyboards, backing vocals), Scott Crago (drums, percussion), Bill Armstrong (Horns) Al Garth (sax, violin), Christian Mostert (sax) and Greg Smith (sax, percussion)

Don Felder sues the Eagles (2001–2002)[link]

On February 6, 2001, Don Felder was fired from the Eagles. Felder responded by filing two lawsuits against "Eagles, Ltd., a California corporation; Don Henley, an individual; Glenn Frey, an individual; and "Does 1–50", alleging wrongful termination, breach of implied-in-fact contract, and breach of fiduciary duty, reportedly seeking $50 million in damages.^[15][16]

In his complaint, Felder alleged that from the 1994 Hell Freezes Over tour onward, Henley and Frey had "... insisted that they each receive a higher percentage of the band's profits ...", whereas the money had previously been split in five equal portions. Felder also accused them of coercing him into signing an agreement under which Henley and Frey would receive three times as much of the Selected Works: 1972–1999 proceeds than Felder.

On behalf of his clients Henley and Frey, attorney Daniel M. Petrocelli stated:

[Henley and Frey] felt — creatively, chemistry-wise and performance-wise — that he should no longer be part of the band...They removed him, and they had every legal right to do so. This has been happening with rock 'n' roll bands since day one.^[15]

Henley and Frey then countersued Felder for breach of contract, alleging that Felder had written and attempted to sell the rights to a "tell-all" book. The book, Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles (1974–2001), was published in the United Kingdom on November 1, 2007. The initial U.S. release was canceled after publisher Hyperion elected to back out, in September, when an entire print run of the book had to be recalled for further cuts and changes.^[17] The American edition of Heaven and Hell was published by Wiley on April 28, 2008,^[18] with Felder embarking on a full publicity campaign surrounding its release.

On January 23, 2002, the Los Angeles County Court consolidated the two complaints, and the single case was dismissed on May 8, 2007 after being settled out-of-court for an undisclosed amount.^{[citation needed]}

"Hole in the World" (2003–2006)[link]

In 2003, the Eagles released a new greatest hits album The Very Best of Eagles. The two-disc compilation was the first that encompassed their entire career, from Eagles to Hell Freezes Over. The album also included a new single, the September 11 attacks-themed "Hole in the World". The album debuted at #3 on the Billboard charts and eventually gained triple platinum status.

Also in 2003, Warren Zevon, a longtime Eagles friend, began work on his final album, The Wind, with the assistance of Henley, Walsh, and Schmit.

On June 14, 2005, the Eagles released a new 2-DVD set titled Farewell 1 Tour-Live from Melbourne featuring two new songs: Glenn Frey's "No More Cloudy Days" and Joe Walsh's "One Day at a Time". Fellow guitarist Steuart Smith joined the band's touring line-up at this time but has never been an official member. A special edition 2006 release exclusive to Walmart and affiliated stores also included a bonus audio CD with three new songs: a studio version of "No More Cloudy Days" plus "Fast Company" and "Do Something".^[19]