Hey Phil,
Yes, it has been quite the week for rock icons. David Bowie, the drummer for Mott the Hoople, and several other lessor artists and musicians. But Glenn Frey has hit the music community here very hard. While the Eagles were an LA based band, they had a HUGE influence on the people in this town. This community is reeling unlike much I have ever seen. I guess the last was the death of George Jones. The Eagles had a HUGE impact on everyone around the age of 40 or 50, who are the principal ages of the hit writers now. The tributes have been pretty much non stop on Facebook, social media, web sites, and all over the TV and radio here.
Bernie Leadon, one of the founding members, lives here and most everybody knows him. And at one point or another, Don Henley (who was here a couple of months ago), Glenn, Timothy B. Schmidt and Joe Walsh have all been in town to write, perform, and record. In fact, when they reunited in 1994 (After a LONG LONG TIME, 14 years of HATING EACH OTHER) it was TRAVIS TRITT, who got them to appear in a video and sing backups on his version of TAKE IT EASY. There had been a very good selling CD, COMMON THREAD, THE SONGS OF THE EAGLES, done by major country artists like Vince Gill, Reba, Martina, and almost every other hot artist of that time. Was a great time.
We were always vastly impacted by the Eagles. If you were in harmony bands, (and every band was harmony oriented, you patterned your harmonies on the Eagles. You sang all their songs, because they were the one people danced, drink and party to. Want to get a big HELL YEAH, and hit the dance floor? Hit LIFE IN THE FAST LANE AND HOTEL CALIFORNIA! Want them all to dance? Crank up BEST OF MY LOVE, I CAN'T TELL YOU WHY, TEQUILA SUNRISE. Want to rock the house, TAKE IT EASY, VICTIM OF LOVE, HEARTACHE TONIGHT, ALREADY GONE. And want to "SEAL THE DEAL" with the hot girls at the end of the night? DESPERADO was the final nail in the coffin of their resistance. You could just play Eagles songs and cover three sets. They were the ALWAYS work BAND. And you probably TRIPLED YOUR TIPS with an EAGLES SONG. Cause everyone loved them.
They had three or four of the best selling albums in history. The Eagles Greatest hits record alone are at something like 25 million records. Altogether it is like 100-150 million in record sales. There are not many that are even near them.
For those of us who came of musical age in the 70's to the 80's, they were to us, what ELVIS had been in the 50's, the BEATLES had been in the 60's, the EAGLES were our voice in the 70's They were played constantly, in every bar, resturant, on every radio station, amusement park, you name it. They were there. When Joe Walsh joined them in 76',it was one of our favorite pairings since we were all playing ROCKY MOUNTAIN WAY and Joe's songs.It was like a Supergroup that got bigger and bigger.
They were always strict perfectionists. Even on their last tours, they had multi hour vocal reherals every day, and insisted every song sound like ON THE RECORD. It wasn't till years later that they added musicians, horns, and other singers, as they included songs from Henley and Frey's solo careers.
They were an interesting band,but had a very dark side. AS their songs like LIFE IN THE FAST LANE says, they were really about the decadance of the 70's and 80's. Enormous drug use, and crazy times.Joe Walsh was just as damaging as one of his running buddies, Keith Moon was, carrying a chain saw on tour with him and cutting holes in walls, legs off furniture, etc. They had a road manager who carried a briefcase filled with hundred dollar bills to pay for damages they did to hotels, resturants and bars. But you never heard as much of it in the press. They paid off those guys too. And it was before YOU TUBE, so you didn't see it.
Toward the years of 1977-80, they went through a really tough break up, very nasty. They got to where they wouldn't speak to each other, and even once, Frey and Don Felder almost got into a fist fight onstage. There is an actual tape recorded off the sound board, where they are cussing each other on stage, and digging at each other.Counting down the songs till Frey was going to "Kick Felder's ASS!" It is why their first reunited tour in 94 was called "WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER" tour. Because Henley told a reporter who asked when they would get back together. He said "WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER!"
14 years after their break up and after successful solo careers, they saw KISS put the old stage makeup back on and all the dinosaur groups started coming back out and make HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of DOLLARS, THE EAGLES decided to do the same. And they began their series of "FINAL TOURS." Final I, final II, Final III, they rode that "going out of business" train for about 15 years. Amazing.
So when Glenn died on Monday, I think I was the only one who was not really surprised. Same with Bowie. Those guys lived VERY, VERY HARD and FAST. It was what you did as a rock star in the 70's and 80's. Even in my little segment of it from 82-86, I saw part of that in my own life. Had I kept going, I probably wouldn't be here now. So I guess NOT BEING SUCCESSFUL SAVED MY LIFE! LOL!
But they influenced me and always will. As a writer they are the biggest influences on me. Ray Charles was my biggest influence as a singer, but Frey and company were my writing inspiration. We were lucky to have them. I really appreciate what they did and always will do. They will go on, I'm sure,that is what Glenn would have done. But that lead and baritone part will never quite be replaced.
God Speed Glenn Frey, Thanks for so many ONE OF THOSE NIGHTS!
MAB
