One of Frey's conditions for the band's reunion in 1994 was that he and Henley should make more money, as he saw the band not as 'the musketeers' but as a sports team where all the players are important but some are more important than others. Ensemble Cast: Straight and averted - they began with the concept of splitting everything (almost) equally, but by the end, it was obvious that Glenn Frey and Don Henley dominated the songwriting and singing, not to mention decision making.Early Installment Weirdness: The first two albums had a more bluegrass-inflected style courtesy of Bernie Leadon rather than the Arena Rock sound they developed later.Cue the Flying Pigs: After repeatedly stating that they would only re-form "when Hell froze over," when they finally put the band back together, they titled the resulting live album Hell Freezes Over.Crapsack World: several of their songs, but "Life in the Fast Lane" is probably the harshest.Crapsaccharine World: Hotel California.Hotel California is said to be one according to Don Henley, at least loosely so, as a reflection on the state of America at the time.Concept Album: Desperado, about the Wild West.Celebrity Song: "James Dean", a romanticized ode to the actor of the same name.Bittersweet Ending: The main theme of "After The Thrill Is Gone" (What can you do when your dreams come true / And it's not quite like you planned?)."I only got drunk once, for thirty years." 2005 Farewell 1 Tour - Live from Melbourne.Vince Gill lead and rhythm guitars, backing and lead vocals (2017present).Deacon Frey rhythm and lead guitars, backing and lead vocals (2017present).Joe Walsh guitar, backing and lead vocals, keyboard, organ (1975≨0, 1994present).Schmit bass, backing and lead vocals (1977≨0, 1994present) Randy Meisner bass, backing and lead vocals, guitar, guitarrón (1971≧7).Bernie Leadon guitar, backing and lead vocals, mandolin, banjo (1971≧5).Don Henley lead vocals, drums, percussion, guitar, tabla, keyboard (1971≨0, 1994present).Glenn Frey lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboard, piano, harmonium, synthesizer, bass (1971≨0, 1994≢016 died 2016).
Don Felder guitar, backing and lead vocals, organ, mandolin (1974≨0, 1994≢001).Principal members (Founding members in bold, current members in italic): but shortly afterwards, it was announced that the band would continue to perform, with Glenn's son Deacon taking over his father's role and country singer Vince Gill contributing as well. After the band took part in a moving tribute performance with Jackson Browne at that year's Grammy Awards, Don Henley stated the band was more or less over. On January 18, 2016, Glenn Frey died while recovering from surgery, at the age of 67. The band's mix of country and rock has also had an obvious influence on modern country adopting rock influences as well. In addition, Henley recorded two duets with country superstar Trisha Yearwood. In 1993, several country singers joined forces to record a tribute album called Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles Travis Tritt's decision to include the 1980 line-up in the video for his cover of "Take It Easy" is said to have been a catalyst in the band's 1994 reunion. In addition, Eagles' trademark use of layered harmonies has shown up in a very large number of country music bands, from '80s mainstream groups Alabama and Restless Heart, to more recent acts like Alison Krauss & Union Station and Diamond Rio. Three of the band's singles have been top 40 country hits, and Long Road out of Eden was the best-selling country album of 2008. Their instrumental space-country-rock song "Journey of the Sorcerer" (from the album One of These Nights) is famous for being used as the theme song for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.Īlthough Eagles are not primarily considered a country music act, the band has loads of credibility in that department. Eagles officially reunited to release their first new album in 28 years, 2007's Long Road Out of Eden and have spent much of the time since on tour. It is also worth noting that at their "Hell Freezes Over" reunion tour, Glenn Frey quipped "For the record, we never broke up we just took a fourteen-year vacation." However, disagreements between Frey, Henley, and Felder would result in the latter's firing in 2001 and subsequent lawsuits against Frey and Henley.