Eagles

This article is about the American country rock band. For further meanings, see Eagles (disambiguation) .

Eagles
Eagles 2008
General information
Genre (s)	Country rock , rock , country
founding	1971, 1994, 2017
resolution	1980, 2016
Website	eagles.com
Founding members
Singing , guitar , piano	Glenn Frey († 2016)
Vocals, drums , guitar, piano	Don Henley
Singing, guitar, banjo , mandolin	Bernie Leadon (until 1975, 2013-2016)
Vocals, electric bass	Randy Meisner (until 1977)
Current occupation
Vocals, drums, guitar, piano	Don Henley
Vocals, guitar	Joe Walsh (since 1975)
Vocals, bass	Timothy B. Schmit (since 1977)
Vocals, guitar	Deacon Frey (since 2017)
Vocals, guitar	Vince Gill (since 2017)
former members
Vocals, guitar	Don Felder (1974-2001)
Live and session members
guitar	Steuart Smith (since 2001)
Keyboard	Timothy Drury (1994–1999) Will Hollies (2001–2015) Michael Thompson (2001–2015) John Corey (since 2017)
Drums	Joe Vitale (1977–1980) Scott F. Crago (since 1994)
Saxophone , violin	Al Garth (1994-2012)

The Eagles are an American country rock band. It was founded in Los Angeles in 1971 and was one of the most successful American groups and leading protagonists of the West Coast Music style of the 1970s for almost a decade . After a few line-up changes, the band developed their own, typical Eagles sound with their harmoniously precise, polyphonic vocals based on country music , folk , bluegrass and rock music . With Hotel California they made history and one of the most successful titles in rock music.

Their musical minds, Don Henley and Glenn Frey, played a key role in the band's success . Both were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000 . After some considerable disputes and personal rifts among the musicians, the Eagles disbanded in 1980. After a 14-year separation, during which individual band members pursued successful solo careers, the group was reunited in 1994 with further worldwide releases and tours until the summer of 2015. Since guitarist Don Felder left in 2001, the band consisted of only four regular members .

With Glenn Frey's death in early 2016, the Eagles lost one of their two central figures. Henley then ruled out the Eagles' continued existence, but revised this statement in the spring of 2017 by announcing that the remaining band members would continue to work together with live performances and new material. Glenn Frey was replaced by his son Deacon; in addition, the group was expanded again to a quintet with the addition of Vince Gill .

The group has sold over 200 million records worldwide and had five number one singles and six number one albums in the US charts. With Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 they released the best-selling album in the US. In addition to Hotel California , her most successful single releases include titles such as New Kid in Town , One of These Nights , Life in the Fast Lane and Heartache Tonight . The Eagles received, among other things, six Grammy Awards , five American Music Awards , a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in the Vocal Group Hall of Fame . In the list of the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists they are ranked 54th. In 2019, the Eagles gave their last concerts in Europe.

Band history

From the foundation in 1971 to the separation in 1980

Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner came to Los Angeles independently in the early 1970s to work as musicians. Frey from Detroit , at the time a protégé of Bob Seger , had already worked with Ry Cooder and JD Souther , who later wrote several songs with the Eagles. Henley made his debut with the Texas group Shiloh a year earlier , while Leadon had success with Doug Dillard, Gene Clark and the Flying Burrito Brothers . Meisner had been a member of Poco and Ricky Nelson's band for a year . Everyone played for themselves in various locations in the region until they finally met in 1971 in the renowned club The Troubadour in West Hollywood, which was considered the center of the scene for bands and musicians. There the country singer Linda Ronstadt became aware of Henley, Frey and Meisner and hired them for her band. At that time, Leadon was still working for the Flying Burrito Brothers.

After they had worked together successfully for some time, Ronstadt made the offer to start a supergroup with her as the front woman . Henley and Frey wanted their own band and turned down the offer. With the support of Ronstadt and their producer, John Boylan , they were able to win Leadon and Meisner for the new group - the founding formation of the Eagles was complete. They practiced at Ronstadt's house in Laurel Canyon , where she lived with JD Souther. With their own musical potential and the creative environment with authors such as Jackson Browne , Jack Tempchin or Souther, the success of the new formation seemed to be predetermined.

Development of the band name and the Eagles sound

The singer-songwriter Jackson Browne brought his former tenants Glenn Frey and Don Henley, who shared an apartment, and their band together with the music and film producer David Geffen , who signed them to his newly founded record label Asylum Records shortly afterwards , where they also met their later long-time manager Irving Azoff . Even the people involved have different interpretations of the name of the new group. What is certain is that under the influence of psychotropic substances the future band name Eagles was born on a night together in the Mojave Desert . Frey, who suggested, among other things, to dispense with the article The , is ascribed the largest part of the name finding.

A picture in Winslow, Arizona , reminiscent of a popular line of text from Jackson Browne's "Take it easy" ("I was standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, such a fine sight to see ....").

Geffen was able to arouse the interest of the renowned British sound engineer and producer Glyn Johns , who had worked with the Beatles , The Who , the Rolling Stones and, above all, Led Zeppelin , among others . However, he thought the Eagles were still too unfinished to deliver a complete album, especially since a corresponding repertoire with their own titles was not available until then. He let the band perform in clubs around Aspen to give them more playing practice and musical independence, but initially found no access to their style of music. He was on the verge of breaking off his engagement when the musicians intoned an a cappella version of Steve Young's song "Seven Bridges Road" during a rehearsal break, which Johns so impressed that he was finally convinced that the approach was appropriate in terms of style and sound to have found the band. Shortly thereafter, the group produced their first album in London's Olympic Studios , which had their band name Eagles as its title and was released in 1972. It contained Take It Easy (US Charts No. 12), a country rock hit begun by Jackson Browne and co-written with Glenn Frey, which became a classic of the genre. In addition, Witchy Woman (US charts number 9) and Peaceful Easy Feeling (US charts number 22, written by Jack Tempchin ) were successfully decoupled. The relaxed combination of country and rock, equipped with a clear guitar profile, stimulating rhythm and clear vocals, was well received by the audience. With Johns' influence on the production and his great affinity for country music, it seemed that the right concept had been found. Stephen Stills said somewhat disparagingly: "The boys want to be like ' Crosby, Stills and Nash '" .

The Eagles embarked on their first US tour and, after its completion in 1973, devoted themselves to the concept album Desperado . This album drew romantic parallels between the Doolin-Dalton gang , a gang of criminals that was up to mischief in the Kansas area around 1890, and the supposed outlawed existence of a "rock rebel". A superstar in the Eagles marked rise, euphoria, hubris and fall of Western - mythology to have thus met and seemed the nerve of her listeners. In commercial terms, however, the album was not yet the big breakthrough; the singles Desperado , Tequila Sunrise and Outlaw Man achieved a comparatively low response. Only much later, the piece was Desperado in the list of the 500 greatest songs of all time of Rolling Stone voted # 494th The record company said, "Oh man, you made a damn cowboy album!"

Final breakthrough

For the production of their third record On the Border , the Eagles wanted to strengthen themselves with another guitarist. It was hoped that the dynamics of three guitars would provide a clear musical leap forward. They invited Don Felder , who had previously played with the New York band Flow , to a recording session. He made a consistently positive impression, and so he was offered a permanent membership in the band.

Over time, however, a fundamental problem emerged with the way producer Glyn Johns worked. This sought a clear emphasis on country influences, while the group wanted to develop more in the direction of rock music. Johns' recording technology and production methodology also met with increasing resistance, as they only allowed the implementation of the band's ideas to a very limited extent. For example, he only used a few room microphones to pick up the drums, as he had already done in the Led Zeppelin productions . Henley, however, wanted an acceptance test in which a separate microphone was used for each drum, which results in a "fatter" sound for the bass drum , for example . Johns said: "If you want a louder kick drum, step harder on the pedal ." To which Henley replied: "I kick as hard as I can, but I'm not John Bonham !"

In order to have more influence on the sound and production, the collaboration with Johns was ended amicably, he was replaced by Bill Szymczyk as the new producer and the recording sessions were moved to the Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles. These changes in line-up and production method animated the Eagles to a "fuller, less rough sound and an exciting freshness in the guitar solos" ( Melody Maker ) . "Soft guitar tones and wonderful vocal passages" (music magazine Sounds ) brought with them the not-too-successful singles Already Gone (US charts number 32) and James Dean (number 77), two down-to-earth rock songs. The band supported their record sales with constant tours and live performances, so that On the Border finally exceeded the million mark. With the third release from this album, the Eagles achieved their breakthrough: The Best of My Love reached first place in the American charts.

Worldwide Success, Joe Walsh

In the course of this wave of success, the band went back to the studio in 1975 to produce the album One of These Nights . The record stormed the charts worldwide and delivered successful tracks with the title track (US charts number 1), Lyin 'Eyes (US charts number 2) and Take It to the Limit (US charts number 4). So it was not surprising that the Eagles then played in sold out halls on their first international tour. They received a Grammy for Lyin 'Eyes .

In early 1976, the album Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 was released, which contains the band's greatest hits up to that point and today (2018) with over 38 million copies before Michael Jackson's Thriller (33 million units) number one of the best-selling albums in the United States is. With a total of 42 million units sold worldwide, it is also the best-selling best-of album .

Despite the now global success, Bernie Leadon announced his departure from the band in 1976. On the one hand he suffered from travel stress, on the other hand it was rumored that he had the impression that the music was increasingly moving away from its country roots, which he denied. He then worked as a studio musician and founded the Bernie Leadon-Michael Georgiades Band with Michael Georgiades in 1977 . After Dan Fogelberg , a good friend of the band, was briefly discussed as a successor, Leadon was ultimately replaced by guitarist Joe Walsh , who had already celebrated successes with the US rock band James Gang .

Milestone: Hotel California

Hotel California , the 1976 album, showed that Joe Walsh had integrated well into the ensemble. Clear melody, polyphonic singing and gentle guitar accents, mixed with rock elements, resulted in a harmonious sound again this time. The album stayed in the American charts for 107 weeks; to date it has been sold millions of times. Sounds said at the time: "There are no sharp corners and edges in the music of the Eagles, everything is round and full-sounding, sometimes shallow, sometimes lavish, but always beautiful".

Although the Eagles with the title song Hotel California had expressed their displeasure with the affluent society of their sunny state California quite bluntly, they were by their own admission more and more regarded as the "embodiment of what people hate about California," as Frey noted. The song was initially composed as an instrumental by Don Felder, but for a while also had to contend with allegations that it was a plagiarism of the title "We used to know" by the British rock band Jethro Tull . Henley and Frey found the composition very promising and contributed the text, which is sung by Henley and has given rise to many interpretations, including about Satanism , drug use, psychiatric institutions, etc. to this day . The authors also had to expressly point out several times that the song never made any reference to a real “Hotel California”. The song became a world hit and her best-known composition, not least because of the multiple award-winning guitar duet with which Felder and Walsh ended the title.

Eventually the production evolved into a concept album, and all other numbers served as a framework for the title track. Here the first cracks appeared between the band members. Don Felder, who was the lead writer for Victim of Love and who had hoped to sing the song himself, was quickly replaced by Henley as lead singer during a break in recording, which hurt Felder very much. Henley's pragmatic explanation was that fields did not correspond to the "Eagles standard" from a vocal point of view.

The late 1970s

The three-year studio break that followed until the next album was bridged by the "perfect representatives of America in the seventies" ( Musikexpress ) with a world tour and various engagements as guest musicians with colleagues. In 1977 Randy Meisner decided to leave the group after an argument with Glenn Frey. The incompatibility of family and tour obligations as well as the increasing tension in the band led to this decision. The only new man for Henley and Frey was Timothy B. Schmit , long-time bass player and singer with Poco and already there Meisner's successor.

In 1978, the Eagles released a Christmas single entitled Please Come Home for Christmas , which hit # 18 on the US charts. In 1979 the production of The Long Run , the last studio work of the Eagles, which went platinum several times and which stayed at number 1 on the US hit lists for a few weeks, cost around a million dollars . The album contained three top ten singles, the rocking Heartache Tonight , the ballad I Can't Tell You Why and the title track. The Melody Maker recommended the album as "Record of the Year", the German television magazine Hörzu found it "unnecessary."

Once again, large-scale tours were organized and mastered with a great deal of technical effort. "Sun-clear perfection to excess" ( Musikexpress ) dominated the live legacy of the Eagles, a double album that was recorded in early 1980 in the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and in the Long Beach Arena. This album was also internationally successful. A single called Seven Bridges Road , which the American singer-songwriter Steve Young wrote in 1969 and which the Eagles regularly sang with an a cappella intro as a concert opener, was also released.

Tape disbandment in 1980

Personal arguments, rivalries , tour stress and pressure to succeed, among other reasons, led to the group breaking up. Despite friendly esteem and the cooperation as authors and heads of the band, Glenn Frey and Don Henley rubbed each other on. Frey commented on the situation as follows: ". We made it, and it ate us" ( ". We created it, and it has devoured us") While they themselves felt even as a leader, she felt other members long ago as a kind of dictators . When it even came to blows during live performances and open aggression especially between Frey and Felder, backstage after a concert behind Freys back smashed an acoustic guitar on the wall, the Eagles 1980 officially declared the end of their collaboration. One last time the band was at the top of the charts, because their record company Asylum released Greatest Hits, Volume 2 , after their breakup . Henley and Frey, however, were so divided that the statement made the rounds that the Eagles would only play together again "when hell freezes over".

Hell Freezes Over was then the title of the album with which they came back together in 1994. In between, however, each member of the band operated a more or less intense solo career. The most successful was Don Henley, among other things with the titles The Boys of Summer and The End of the Innocence . He won two Grammys as a solo artist. Glenn Frey also had a number of hits such as The Heat Is On or You Belong to the City , as well as film and television roles. Felder, Walsh and Schmit also produced solo albums, but were more guest musicians with colleagues than on their own.

Reunification 1994 - 2nd phase in the band's history

Over the years there have been a number of rumors and hints that seemed to suggest that the Eagles would reunite. However, the attitudes towards this were very different among the musicians. While Joe Walsh, Tim Schmit and Don Felder were ready for a reunion, Frey felt comfortable in the role as a successful soloist and had little ambition to revive the Eagles. Don Henley looked at the situation more calmly and was not averse to giving up the independent position as a solo artist, who had to hold his head for everything, in exchange for a renewed engagement in a band in which one could share joys and sorrows with others. So everything seemed to depend on Frey's approval.

For him, the release of a tribute album, Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles , in 1993 gave him the decisive impetus to give the Eagles a try again. A video by Travis Tritt recorded for this CD , in which Frey, Henley, Walsh, Schmit and Felder also played in a session for the title Take it Easy , woke old memories of the good times of the band and the friendship that was once cared for each other.

Hell Freezes Over - success returns

During a charity performance for Henley's "Walden Woods Project" in Aspen in February 1994, the Eagles decided to reunite for an MTV concert in the same line-up that had split up in 1980. It should have the title Hell Freezes Over , to which an album of the same name would also appear. Frey introduced the concert with the words: “For the record: We never broke up, we just took a fourteen-year-vacation” (“Just to be clear: We never broke up, we only went on vacation for 14 years "). The cast consisted of Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Don Felder, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit; there were also guest musicians John Corey (guitar, keyboards and vocals), Timothy Drury (keyboards and vocals), Paulinho Da Costa (percussion) and Scott Crago (drums and percussion). For all of them, the first joint appearance after 14 years was accompanied by some tension and excitement, despite satisfactory rehearsals, which promptly manifested itself in Henley's brief memory gap: he forgot the text of the second stanza of a title specially written for the concert, Learn to Be Still , - which, however, was received with understanding and humor by the audience and finally broke the last ice among the musicians.

The Eagles were back together - and were faced with the question of whether Frey and Henley were still able to write high-quality songs together. The initial attempts were extremely unsatisfactory for both of them, everyone feared that their contributions were not good enough. Finally, Henley wrote the title Get Over It the pent-up frustration from the soul and delivered together with his co-author Frey a convincing continuation of earlier creativity and creativity. The chemistry was right now in the area of ​​songwriting, and the musical minds of the Eagles had found each other again. Six years later, both of them received their recognition when they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame .

This was followed by an extensive tour, three times through Europe, which was interrupted by Frey for a few months in 1994 because of a serious colon disease and continued in 1995. The initial concern of the musicians that they would dare to reunite after 14 years but had to find out that no one would come to their concerts was quickly dispelled: The Eagles played consistently in sold-out halls and stadiums. The pressure to succeed was also dealt with more relaxed. The musicians had changed over the years and in the meantime founded families that offered them support and grounding. The success was fun again and set the course for a permanent second phase in the band's history.

In 1998 the Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . On this occasion, the former members Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner, whom Tim Schmit expressly thanked as his two-time successor to Poco and the Eagles, stood on stage with the other five musicians to attend the Hotel California and Take It Easy reception ceremony to play.

Millennium change - personnel and artistic reorientation

In 2001, Felder was thrown in a dispute over alleged breaches of contract, withheld profit sharing and misappropriated copyrights from the joint marketing company Eagles Ltd. finally out of the group. Since then the band consisted of only four members. Felder sued the company, Henley and Frey as individuals, and 50 other people for $ 50 million in damages. In 2007, an out-of-court settlement was reached, although the disputes lasted for years.

In June 2005 a double DVD was released by Warner Music Vision with the concert in Melbourne Farewell I Tour recorded in November of the previous year ; it contains 30 of their greatest hits as well as two new songs.

Long Road Out of Eden - First studio album in 28 years

Eagles 2008

On October 30, 2007, the album Long Road Out of Eden was released in the United States . About the recording of the Eagles' first studio album in 28 years, Don Henley said in an interview: "We will release the new album in a few weeks if we haven't killed each other by then!" The Eagles marketed this for the first time in the United States an album exclusively through an exclusive strategic partner, the retail chain Walmart , who, as a reseller , gave them significantly more freedom of action than record companies had previously done. The alliance had already been concluded in 2006 and has now been implemented for the first time for Long Road Out of Eden .

The double album contains 20 songs; the first CD slower, the second rockier, faster tracks. As in the past, some of the pieces were written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey, others by prominent writers such as Jack Tempchin, Larry John McNally or JD Souther . Also, Joe Walsh , Timothy B. Schmit and guitarist and long-time guest musicians Steuart Smith , who had increasingly assumed the role of Don Felder already from 2000, were active as a songwriter. A number of texts dealt critically with the political situation in the world as well as global warming and environmental degradation. The album was produced by the Eagles themselves, supported by their then producer Bill Szymczyk, among others.

The first released single How Long is a song that JD Souther wrote in 1972 and released on his long-playing record of the same name . The song won the Grammy Awards 2008 for "Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group". The single Busy Being Fabulous , which was released in January 2008, was able to place itself in the American country and pop charts and can also be heard frequently on German adult contemporary radio . The album was nominated for three Grammys in 2009; the song I Dreamed There Was No War was awarded a Grammy for "Best Pop Instrumental Performance".

The documentary: History of the Eagles - The Story of an American Band

Stage line up at the Amway Center Orlando, Florida, 2013

In April 2013 an authorized DVD documentary History of the Eagles - The Story of an American Band was released about the background, formation and career of the Eagles, starting with the musical development of the individual musicians, through the first time together in Linda Ronstadt's band up to 2013 started tour that ended in July 2015. The production represents an extensive outline of the history of the Eagles and contains a special edition of a concert recording "Eagles Live at the Capital Center - March 1977". The work is supplemented by detailed film flashbacks, statements and comments from band members, producers, managers, colleagues and companions. One reason to produce this documentary was the need to show what the band really was like, how hard everyone involved tried to make it a success and how much they had invested over the years. What was initially approached as a time-limited project developed into a hard-earned life achievement with many ups and downs.

For the associated world tour from 2013 to 2015, it was planned to integrate at least one former member into the band 's line-up. Bernie Leadon agreed and played the first concerts with the band, Randy Meisner had to decline the offer for health reasons, and Don Felder did not even receive an invitation due to ongoing legal disputes.

Death of Glenn Frey - continuation of the band history

Glenn Frey, 2008

On January 18, 2016, founding member Glenn Frey died in New York of the consequences of his chronic illnesses. A few weeks earlier, the upcoming presentation of the Kennedy Prize to the Eagles had been postponed until the coming year because of his poor health .

In February 2016, Henley and Walsh played Take it Easy with Jackson Browne as a tribute to Frey at the Grammy Awards . Henley then said that this was the final farewell and that the band would probably no longer play together. In an interview with Rolling Stone in June 2016, Henley confirmed the end of the Eagles, which he revised in the spring of 2017 with the announcement of a reunion and first confirmation with the Eagles' participation in Classic West in Los Angeles and Classic East in New York . The American guitarist and singer Vince Gill becomes a new member of the band, as does Frey's son Deacon . Both have been on stage at the concerts since 2017. As recently as 2019, the Eagles announced that this was probably their last big tour, but they continue to play concerts regularly to this day.

Style and musical focus

The musical roots of the Eagles lie in different styles, which, depending on the album or individual tracks, have different focuses and characteristics and can therefore also be described as hybrid .

This includes country music with its typical composition patterns, arrangements, polyphonic vocal parts and preferably acoustic instrumentation, sometimes combined with complementary bluegrass stylistic devices ( banjo , dobro , fiddle ). In particular, Bernie Leadon, as a former member of the Flying Burrito Brothers and Dillard & Clark, was strongly inclined to this contemporary form of music, played the banjo and dobro excellently himself and processed them accordingly in his titles (e.g. Twenty One , Midnight Flyer ). The influence of country music is most evident in the album Desperado , but continues with varying degrees through all productions up to the most recent work Long Road Out of Eden (e.g. How Long ).

Although there was a clear presence of electric guitars from the start and some borrowings from hard rock were made on On the Border with a new producer , One of these Nights worked more with the softer elements of pop music (Lyin 'Eyes, Take it to the Limit) . An emphasis on the harder stylistic devices of rock only prevailed with the departure of Bernie Leadon and the entry of Joe Walsh, also due to his musical career and instrumental focus, for example slide guitar play. These possibilities led to corresponding compositions and arrangements (e.g. Life in the Fast Lane ), sometimes with musical excursions to rock and roll (Get over It) .

The fusion of country and rock music to country rock in the early 1970s was also pursued by bands and artists such as The Byrds , Crosby, Stills and Nash , The Doobie Brothers , Poco and James Taylor . The geographic commonality of the origins of music and the lifestyle prevailing on the US Pacific coast led to the establishment of the term West Coast Music . Nevertheless, the band can hardly be confused with anyone else in the genre, their sound is individual. This Eagles sound is carried by vocal arrangements - often developed on the basis of the so-called Close Harmony - which are still the main reason for the Eagles' high recognition value . Critics, however, accuse the group that precisely these perfect productions are superficial and emotionless. The Rolling Stone described the sound of the Eagles as a mixture of "Country Dyed vocal harmonies with hard rock guitars and lyrics - alternately yearning and romantic oversaturated, while in contrast to the political rock of the 1960s massively broad impact and depoliticized."

It was not until the new millennium, the band moved with titles such as Hole in the World ( 9/11 ) No more Walks in the Wood (global deforestation ) or I Dreamed There Was No War critical look at the current political and social issues and left so that their domain the sunny attitude to life and the "easy going".

Influence and sustainability

In addition to the influence that the Eagles exerted on traditional country and rock musicians such as Vince Gill and Sheryl Crow , they were among the pioneers of a new generation of country music, the New Country , which was established in the mid-1980s . Their protagonists like Garth Brooks , Clint Black or Trisha Yearwood were more oriented towards the elements of pop music, which - especially in Europe - was much more suitable for the masses than the traditional stylistic devices of country music.

In general, the Eagles' influence on country musicians was significantly greater than that on rock musicians. A corresponding expression of appreciation was the 1993 publication of Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles , a tribute album by the leading representatives of the New Country scene at the time, among others. Little Texas , Suzy Bogguss , Tanya Tucker , Lorrie Morgan and Travis Tritt . The album achieved three platinum status and is considered to be an important factor in the process of the band's reunion in 1994. In addition, measured by their extraordinary success in terms of record sales, popularity, audience numbers and now decades of existence, the Eagles are at a point that they perceive se already guarantees a high degree of influence. From a musical point of view, titles like Take it Easy , Desperado and Hotel California have long been part of American culture, and renowned artists count the Eagles among their most important influences. Henley and Frey are placed in a row with the most influential songwriting duos in rock music, such as John Lennon / Paul McCartney , Mick Jagger / Keith Richards or Elton John / Bernie Taupin .

Another indication of the Eagles' sustainability is the fact that at the time of their last major world tour from 2013 to 2015 their oeuvre consisted of titles that were mostly over 40 years old. Six out of seven studio albums were produced in the 1970s, and only one is from the new millennium. Nonetheless, the interest in their music remains unbroken. JD Souther believes that their enduring influence is due, among other things, to the fact that the band continues to write extraordinary songs after more than 40 years, and that the younger generations want to use the Eagles to gain access to the 1970s that they have not experienced themselves .

The Rolling Stone listed the Eagles ranked 75 of the 100 greatest players of all time .

Overview of band members

Discography

→ Main article : Eagles / discography

Studio albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)					Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US
1972	Eagles	-	-	-	UK- silver UK	US22nd platinum (49 weeks)US	First published: June 17, 1972 Sales: + 1,000,000
1973	Desperado	-	-	-	UK39 silver (9 weeks)UK	US41 × 2 Double platinum (70 weeks)US	First published: April 17, 1973 Sales: + 2,200,000
1974	On the border	-	-	-	UK28 silver (9 weeks)UK	US17th × 2 Double platinum (87 weeks)US	First published: March 22, 1974 Sales: +2,000,000
1975	One of these nights	DE49 (4 weeks) DE	-	-	UK8th platinum (43 weeks)UK	US1 × 4 Quadruple platinum (56 weeks)US	First published: June 10, 1975 Sales: + 4,500,000
1976	Hotel California	DE3 platinum (54 weeks)DE	AT9 gold (24 weeks)AT	CH99 × 2 Double platinum (1 week)CH	UK2 × 6 Six-fold platinum (85 weeks)UK	US1 × 2 × 6 Double diamond + six-fold platinum (154 weeks)US	First published: December 8, 1976 Sales: + 32,000,000
1979	The long run	DE20 (23 weeks) DE	-	CH- gold CH	UK4th gold (16 weeks)UK	US1 × 7 Seven times platinum (57 weeks)US	First published: September 24, 1979 Sales: + 7,760,000
2007	Long Road Out of Eden	DE2 gold (19 weeks)DE	AT2 platinum (14 weeks)AT	CH2 gold (14 weeks)CH	UK1 × 2 Double platinum (30 weeks)UK	US1 × 7 Seven times platinum (75 weeks)US	First published: October 30, 2007 Sales: + 8,500,000

hatched gray : no chart data available for this year

Honors

Excerpts:

Awards

year	Award	category	title
1976	Grammy Award	Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus	Lyin 'eyes
1977	Grammy Award	Best Arrangement For Voices	New Kid in Town
1977	American Music Awards	Winner category "Pop / Rock Album"	Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975
1978	Grammy Award	Record of the Year	Hotel California
1979	Grammy Award	Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group	Heartache Tonight
1981	American Music Awards	Winner category "Pop / Rock Group"	Eagles
1996	American Music Awards	Winner category "Adult Contemporary Artist"	Eagles
1996	American Music Awards	Winner category "Pop / Rock Group"	Eagles
1996	American Music Awards	Winner category "Pop / Rock Album"	Hell Freezes Over
2007	Grammy Award	Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group	How long
2008	Grammy Award	Best Pop Instrumental Performance	I Dreamed There Was No War
2016	Kennedy Prize	38. Kennedy Center Honors

Nominations

year	Award	category	title
1996	Grammy Award	Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group	Love Will Keep Us Alive
1996	Grammy Award	Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group	Hotel California (live version)
1996	Grammy Award	Best Pop Album	Hell Freezes Over
2004	Grammy Award	Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group	Hole In The World
2008	American Music Award	Favorite Pop / Rock Band / Duo / Group	Long Road Out of Eden
2008	American Music Award	Pop / Rock album	Long Road Out of Eden
2008	American Music Award	Adult Contemporary Artist	Long Road Out of Eden
2008	American Music Award	Artist of the Year	Long Road Out of Eden
2008	Country Music Association Award	Vocal Group of the Year	How long
2008	CMT Music Award	Wide Open Country Video of the Year	How long
2008	Academy of Country Music Awards	Top vocal group	Eagles
2008	BRIT Awards	Best International Group	Eagles
2008	BRIT Awards	Best International Album	Long Road Out of Eden
2008	echo	International pop / rock group
2009	Grammy Award	Best Pop Vocal Album	Long Road Out of Eden
2009	Grammy Award	Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals	Long Road Out of Eden
2009	Grammy Award	Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals	Waiting in the Weeds
2009	Country Music Association Award	Vocal Group of the Year	How long

literature

• Don Felder and Wendy Holden: My Life with the EAGLES. Through heaven and hell . Hannibal Verlag, Höfen 2008, ISBN 978-3-85445-295-9 (Original edition: Heaven And Hell - My Life In The EAGLES 1974-2001 )
• Irwin Stambler: The Encyclopedia Of Pop, Rock And Soul . 3rd revised edition. St. Martin's Press, New York City 1989, ISBN 0-312-02573-4 , pp. 202-204.
• Craig Morrison: American Popular Music. Rock and roll . Preface by Kevin J. Holm-Hudson. Checkmark Books, New York City 2006, ISBN 0-8160-6929-8 , pp. 73-75.
• Andrew Vaughan: The Eagles: An American Band . Sterling Publishing Co Inc. (September 2010), ISBN 978-1-4027-7712-7
• Ben Fong-Torres: The Eagles . Carlton Books Ltd. (September 2011), ISBN 978-1-84732-793-2
• Marc Eliot: To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles . Da Capo Press, (December 2004), ISBN 978-0-306-81398-6
• Siegfried Schmidt-Joos , Barry Graves : Rock Lexicon. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1973, 2nd edition 1975, reprint 1978, ISBN 3-499-16177-X , p. 125.

Web links

• Official website (English)
• Eagles at Discogs
• Rolling Stone Magazine - Eagles Biography
• Eagles at AllMusic (English)
• Eagles at laut.de
• Rock's Backpages Library - Eagles Interviews, Articles and Reviews

Individual evidence

1. ↑ https://www.zeit.de/kultur/musik/2016-01/glenn-frey-eagles-gitarrist-gestorben
2. ↑ https://www.chartsurfer.de/artist/the-eagles/biography-ffcu.html
3. ↑ Don Henley on Glenn Frey , accessed March 20, 2016
4. ^ Website of the Songwriters Hall of Fame ( Memento of August 23, 2011 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on March 20, 2016
5. ↑ https://monkeypress.de/2019/04/live/ankuendigungen/hell-freezes-over-again-die-eagles-auf-deutschland-tour-2019/
6. ↑ ^{a b} BBC News - Interview of March 10, 2016, Don Henley: The Eagles won't play again . accessed on March 23, 2016
7. ↑ ^{a b} abc news - John Bream: Henley: Eagles Reunion Is On
8. ^ Eagles - Music on Google Play. Retrieved May 5, 2020 . 
9. ↑ https://variety.com/2018/music/news/the-eagles-greatest-hits-surpasses-michael-jacksons-thriller-as-best-selling-album-1202911115/#article-comments
10. ^ American Music Awards website , accessed March 20, 2016
11. ^ Website of the Vocal Group Hall of Fame ( memento of March 30, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on March 20, 2016
12. ^ Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists
13. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q} History of the Eagles - The Story Of An American Band. DVD documentation, April 2013.
14. ↑ Troubadour - Official Website , accessed March 20, 2016
15. ^ ^{A b} Gary Graff: How Glenn Frey & Don Henley Became the Eagles, as Told by Linda Ronstadt - Interview with Linda Ronstadt on billboard.com , accessed on March 20, 2016
16. ↑ ^{a b} "Eagles Biography & History" on allmusic.com , accessed on March 20, 2016
17. ↑ Take it easy - discogs.com , accessed March 20, 2016
18. ↑ 100 Greatest Country Rock Songs - digitaldreamdoor.com
19. ↑ The 25 best Country Rock Songs of all Time - Louder.com
20. ^ Peaceful easy feeling - discogs.com , accessed March 20, 2016
21. ↑ John Einarson, Desperados: The Roots of Country-Rock , 2001, pp. 226 f. , Accessed on March 20, 2016
22. ↑ Rolling Stone Magazine list 401-500 ( memento from June 20, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
23. ↑ | Best Selling Album: Eagles Outstrip Michael Jackson , accessed August 21, 2018.
24. ↑ Michael Jackson's Thriller Set To Become Top-Selling Album Of All Time. In: www.mtv.com. July 20, 2009, accessed May 2, 2012 . 
25. ↑ EAGLES BAND - lindaronstadt.de ( Memento from December 16, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
26. ^ ^{A b} Eagles Tour will feature founding guitarist Benie Leadon . In: Rolling Stone, July 5, 2013.
27. ↑ From Rock around the World - Interview with Dan Fogelberg , accessed March 20, 2016
28. ↑ Dan Fogelberg - Lindaronstadt.de ( Memento of 16 January 2014 Internet Archive )
29. ↑ Ian Anderson in an interview on Songfacts.com
30. ↑ From Guitarworld.com: Did the Eagles Get the “Hotel California” Chords from Jethro Tull?
31. ↑ Pop songs and their backgrounds , accessed on March 20, 2016
32. ^ Todos Santos Pages - Don Henley Fax , accessed March 20, 2016
33. ↑ Best Solos. rocklistmusic.co.uk
34. ^ Rolling Stone Magazine - Eagles Biography , accessed March 20, 2016
35. ↑ Timothy White in Rolling Stone, November 15, 1979: Album Review "The Long Run"
36. ↑ Marc Vetter: Rewind Today 1980: The Eagles quarrel on the open stage , from "Rolling Stone Magazine", July 31, 2014 , accessed on March 20, 2016
37. ↑ Press-Telegram: Glenn Frey: Remembering the Eagles' split and the 'Long Night in Wrong Beach' , accessed March 20, 2016
38. ^ Website of the Walden Woods Project ( Memento of March 10, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on March 20, 2016
39. ↑ Hell Freezes Over - Credits on allmusic.com , accessed March 20, 2016
40. ↑ Internet Archive Wayback Machine: Frey's Illness Grounds Eagles in Mid-Tour ( Memento of October 11, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on March 20, 2016
41. ↑ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Eagles in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, accessed March 20, 2016
42. ↑ Fired Eagles guitarist Felder Sues Henley, Frey - from billboard.com on February 12, 2001 , accessed March 20, 2016
43. ↑ Don Felder - biography on chartsurfer.de , accessed on March 20, 2016
44. ↑ Jeff Leeds: Reborn Eagles Lose Peaceful, Easy Feeling . In: Los Angeles Times , Dec 8, 2002, pp. C-1.  , accessed March 20, 2016
45. ^ Eagles & Wal-Mart in Strategic Marketing Partnership , In: finanzen.net, October 2006, accessed on March 20, 2016
46. ↑ Steuart Smith on allmusic.com , accessed March 20, 2016
47. ↑ Alexander Menden from "Süddeutsche.de": Tame, the wild eagles of the past , accessed on March 20, 2016
48. ↑ Katie van Syckle: Q&A: Don Henley Opens Up About 'The History of the Eagles' at Sundance - Rolling Stone Magazine, January 20, 2013 , accessed March 20, 2016
49. ^ Daniel Kreps in Rolling Stone Magazine: Glenn Frey, Eagles Guitarist, Dead at 67 . , accessed March 20, 2016
50. ↑ Barney Hoskyns, JD Souther and Bill Szymczyk on billboard.com: Glenn Frey's Friends Pay Tribute to the Eagles Co-Founder: "He Had Big Balls and a Heart Full of Love" , accessed on March 20, 2016
51. ↑ Colin Stutz on billboard.com: Eagles Postpone Kennedy Center Honors Due to Glenn Frey's Health , accessed March 20, 2016
52. ^ Billboard - Jackson Browne, Eagles Members Pay Tribute to Glenn Frey With 'Take It Easy' at the 2016 Grammys, accessed March 23, 2016
53. ↑ David Browne: Eagles' Complete Discography: Don Henley Looks Back . Rolling Stone Interview June 10, 2016
54. ^ Classic West Marks Eagles' First Concert Since Glenn Frey's Death
55. ^ Website of the Egales - news and tour dates
56. ^ About.com - The Eagles: Godfathers of "New Country," accessed March 20, 2016
57. ↑ Eagles Biography on Rockhall.com , accessed March 20, 2016
58. ↑ Joshua Pickard: Record Bin: How The Eagles perfected soft rock on “Hotel California” at nooga.com , accessed March 20, 2016
59. ^ David J. Steffen: From Edison to Marconi: The First Thirty Years of Recorded Music . McFarland Verlag, 2005, page 85 ff. ISBN 978-0-7864-5156-2 .
60. ↑ Rezensator.de - Westcoast as a music genre , accessed on March 20, 2016
61. ↑ Michael Pilz from "Die Welt": Has anyone missed the Eagles? November 2007 , accessed March 20, 2016
62. ^ Rolling Stone: Eagles Biography. , accessed March 20, 2016
63. ↑ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: The Eagles Biography , accessed March 20, 2016
64. ^ David Dicaire: The New Generation of Country Music Stars . McFarland Verlag, 2008. ISBN 978-0-7864-8559-8
65. ^ ^{A b} David V. Moskowitz: The 100 Greatest Bands of All Time: A Guide to the Legends Who Rocked the World . Verlag ABC-CLIO, 2015. Pages 227–233. ISBN 978-1-4408-0340-6
66. ↑ Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles on allmusic.com , accessed March 20, 2016
67. ↑ Press of Atlantic City: Are the Eagles America's best rock band? , accessed March 20, 2016
68. ↑ Billy Dukes on taste of country.com: 15 Country Artists Inspired by Eagles Guitarist Glenn Frey . January 19, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2016
69. ↑ Randy Hogan on Helena-Arkansas.com: Glenn Frey left his mark on the music world , January 21, 2016 , accessed March 20, 2016
70. ↑ i95.com: FIRE AND ICE: Rock's Most Explosive duo retrieved on March 20, 2016
71. ↑ KPSU.org: Dynamic Duos , accessed March 20, 2016
72. ↑ 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Rolling Stone , December 2, 2010, accessed August 8, 2017 . 
73. ↑ Chart sources: DE AT CH UK US
74. ^ The Billboard Albums by Joel Whitburn , 6th Edition, Record Research 2006, ISBN 0-89820-166-7 .
75. ↑ Mark Savage: Glenn Frey: How Hotel California Destroyed The Eagles. In: BBC News. January 19, 2016, accessed November 12, 2016 . 
76. ^ Grammy.com - Past Winners , accessed March 20, 2016
77. ^ American Music Award website , accessed March 20, 2016
78. ↑ "Carole King, Cicely Tyson, Rita Moreno and More Named 2015 Kennedy Center Honorees" playbill.com, July 15, 2015, accessed March 20, 2016