Eagles: From the Troubadour to Hotel California

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From a Los Angeles backup band to the biggest American rock band of the 1970s.

The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. Founding members Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner had all played in Linda Ronstadt’s backing band before striking out on their own on David Geffen’s new Asylum Records label. Their country-rock harmonies carried them from “Take It Easy” to “Hotel California” — and their greatest-hits collection became the best-selling album in United States history.

Oldies Music Timeline

The Eagles in a 1975 press photo

The Eagles in 1975. Press photo distributed by Asylum Records. Public domain in the United States — published in 1975 without a copyright notice. Source: Wikimedia Commons, “File:Eagles 1975 press photo.png”.

At a Glance

  • Formed: 1971, Los Angeles, California, USA
  • Founding members: Glenn Frey (guitar, vocals) — born 6 November 1948, Detroit, Michigan; Don Henley (drums, vocals) — born 22 July 1947, Gilmer, Texas; Bernie Leadon (guitar, vocals) — born 19 July 1947, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Randy Meisner (bass, vocals) — born 8 March 1946, Scottsbluff, Nebraska
  • Later members: Don Felder (guitar, joined 1974), Joe Walsh (guitar, joined 1975), Timothy B. Schmit (bass, joined 1977); after Frey’s death, Deacon Frey and Vince Gill joined in 2017
  • Genre: Rock, country rock, soft rock
  • Active: 1971–1980; 1994–2016; 2017–present
  • Breakthrough: debut album Eagles (1972), with “Take It Easy” and “Witchy Woman”; peak with Hotel California (1976)
  • Studio albums: 7, from Eagles (1972) to Long Road Out of Eden (2007)

The Biography

From Ronstadt’s band to their own

The Eagles had their origin in early 1971, when Linda Ronstadt and her manager John Boylan recruited Glenn Frey and Don Henley for her band. Frey and Henley had met at the Troubadour club in Los Angeles. Leadon and Meisner also played backup for Ronstadt, and all four played on her self-titled third solo album (1972). In September 1971 the four signed with manager David Geffen, agreeing to record for his soon-to-be-launched Asylum Records, and adopted the name the Eagles.

The early albums

Their debut album, Eagles (1972), produced by Glyn Johns in London, spawned the top-20 singles “Take It Easy” and “Witchy Woman” in the US and Canada. The follow-up, Desperado (1973), a concept album about outlaws, peaked at only number 41 in the US, although its title song became a lasting favourite. On the Border (1974) added guitarist Don Felder and produced the band’s first US number-one single, “Best of My Love”. One of These Nights (1975), with Joe Walsh now in the band, gave them their first number-one album and three top-10 singles, including the title track and “Lyin’ Eyes”.

Hotel California and the peak

Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975), released in early 1976, primed the public for Hotel California, released in December 1976. The album sold more than 28 million copies in the US and more than 32 million worldwide, and its title track — with its celebrated twin-guitar coda from Felder and Walsh — became one of the defining songs of the decade. The band’s harmonies, precise arrangements and songs about the dark side of the California dream made them the biggest mainstream American rock band of the 1970s, with five number-one singles, six number-one albums and six Grammy Awards.

Break-up and return

The Long Run (1979) was their last studio album for nearly 28 years, spawning the North American number-one “Heartache Tonight”. The band broke up around 1980 after years of friction. They reunited in 1994 for the Hell Freezes Over album and tour — Frey joked on stage at their first reunion show, “For the record, we never broke up. We just took a 14-year vacation.” In 2007 they released Long Road Out of Eden, their first full studio album in 28 years and their sixth number-one album.

Founding member Glenn Frey died on 18 January 2016 in New York City, aged 67. In 2017 the band returned to the stage with Frey’s son Deacon Frey and country musician Vince Gill joining Henley, Walsh and Schmit.

Oldies Music Timeline

  • 1971 — Frey, Henley, Leadon and Meisner form the Eagles in Los Angeles after playing in Linda Ronstadt’s band; sign to Asylum Records in September.
  • 1 June 1972 — Debut album Eagles released, with “Take It Easy” and “Witchy Woman”.
  • 17 April 1973 — Desperado released.
  • 22 March 1974 — On the Border released; Don Felder joins; “Best of My Love” becomes their first US number-one single.
  • 10 June 1975 — One of These Nights released; first number-one album; Joe Walsh joins.
  • 1976 — Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) released; later the best-selling album in the United States.
  • 8 December 1976 — Hotel California released.
  • 24 September 1979 — The Long Run released, with “Heartache Tonight”.
  • 1980 — Band breaks up.
  • 8 November 1994 — Hell Freezes Over reunion album released.
  • 1998 — Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; all seven members perform together.
  • 2001 — Inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.
  • 30 October 2007 — Long Road Out of Eden released, first studio album in 28 years.
  • 18 January 2016 — Glenn Frey dies in New York City, aged 67.
  • 2017 — Deacon Frey and Vince Gill join the band for its return to the stage.

Studio Albums

Eagles (1972) · Desperado (1973) · On the Border (1974) · One of These Nights (1975) · Hotel California (1976) · The Long Run (1979) · Long Road Out of Eden (2007)

Why They Matter

  • Record sales: more than 200 million records sold worldwide, including more than 100 million in the US alone.
  • Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) (1976) is the best-selling album in the United States, with 40 million copies sold; Hotel California ranks third all-time for US sales, with more than 28 million copies in the US.
  • Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: inducted in 1998, Performer category; all seven members played together at the ceremony.
  • Grammy Awards: six, with five American Music Awards.
  • Ranked number 75 on Rolling Stone’s 2010 list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”.

Sources

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