Joe Walsh
Joe Walsh is a rock guitarist, singer and songwriter who led the James Gang and Barnstorm, had solo hits with “Rocky Mountain Way” and “Life’s Been Good,” and joined the Eagles in 1975. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Eagles in 1998.
He was born Joseph Woodward Fidler in Wichita, Kansas, on 20 November 1947. He lived for several years in Columbus, Ohio, moved to New York City at twelve and went to high school in Montclair, New Jersey. He spent a term at Kent State University before leaving to play music, first with a Cleveland-area band, the Measles.
Around Christmas 1967 he joined the James Gang as guitarist, and he made Yer’ Album (1969), James Gang Rides Again (1970) and Thirds (1971) with the band before leaving after Live at Carnegie Hall. In Colorado he formed Barnstorm with Joe Vitale and Kenny Passarelli. Barnstorm came out in 1972, and The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get (1973) reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200 with the single “Rocky Mountain Way.” His solo album So What followed in December 1974.
In 1974 he also produced Dan Fogelberg’s Souvenirs for Epic, recorded at the Record Plant and Elektra studios in Los Angeles. He played guitar on several of its tracks, among them the electric guitars on “Morning Sky,” where Al Perkins played banjo, and sang background vocals on two songs. The album reached No. 17 on the Billboard album chart in 1975.
In 1975 he replaced Bernie Leadon in the Eagles, and his first album with the band was Hotel California, released on 8 December 1976. His own “Life’s Been Good,” from But Seriously, Folks... (1978), reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Eagles broke up in 1980 and reunited in 1994. He toured with Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band in 1989 and 1992, reunited with the James Gang for a tour in 2006, and released Analog Man, co-produced by Jeff Lynne, in June 2012.
