Joe Walsh
Joseph Fidler Walsh is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Best known as a member of the rock band Eagles, his five-decade career includes solo work and stints in other bands: the James Gang, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, and New Zealand's Herbs. He was part of the supergroup The Best and had success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, appearing on other artists' recordings. In 2011, Rolling Stone ranked him No. 54 on its list of "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".
In the mid-1960s, after attending Kent State University, Walsh played with several local Ohio bands before reaching national fame with the James Gang, whose hit "Funk 49" showcased his skills. Roger Abramson signed the James Gang to BPI in Cleveland. After leaving the James Gang in 1972, Walsh formed Barnstorm with Joe Vitale and Kenny Passarelli. Though the band produced three albums, their work was marketed as Walsh solo projects. The last Barnstorm album, So What, featured significant contributions from Eagles members.
At producer Bill Szymczyk's suggestion, Walsh joined Eagles in 1975 as guitarist and keyboardist, replacing founding member Bernie Leadon. His first album with them was Hotel California. In 1998, a Guitarist magazine reader's poll named the solos by Walsh and Don Felder on "Hotel California" the best guitar solos ever. Guitar World ranked it eighth in the Top 100 Guitar Solos. As a member of Eagles, Walsh was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001. Eagles is one of the most influential bands of the 1970s and remain one of the best-selling American bands in history. Walsh's contributions to music have been praised by rock legends like Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Pete Townshend.
Walsh has released 12 solo studio albums, six compilation albums, and two live albums. His solo hits include "Rocky Mountain Way", "Life's Been Good", "All Night Long", "A Life of Illusion", and "Ordinary Average Guy".
Early life and education
Walsh was born on November 20, 1947, in Wichita, Kansas. His father, Lt. Robert Newton Fidler, was a pilot in the United States Air Force, who died in a mid-air collision while flying a Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star during maneuvers over Okinawa on July 22, 1949. Walsh's mother, Helen, was a classically trained pianist of Scottish and German ancestry.Walsh was adopted by his stepfather at the age of five and given his stepfather's surname, but retained Fidler as his middle name. In the 1950s, it was common practice for children to take the name of their stepfather for Social Security, school registration, and health records. Walsh and his family lived in Columbus, Ohio, for a number of years during his youth. When he was twelve, his family moved to New York City. Later, Walsh moved to Montclair, New Jersey, and attended Montclair High School, where he played oboe in the school band. Walsh played tight end briefly for the high school team before being injured. In his late teens he would often take the bus to Manhattan and stand outside the Bitter End club and listen to the Lovin' Spoonful, being too young to be allowed in. Similarly, he would stand outside the Peppermint Lounge in order to hear Joey Dee and the Starliters.
Walsh acquired his first guitar at the age of 10, and upon learning the Ventures' "Walk Don't Run", decided that he wanted to pursue a career as a guitarist. Inspired by the success of the Beatles, he replaced Bruce Hoffman as the bass player in the locally popular group the Nomads in Madison, New Jersey, beginning his career as a rock musician.
After high school, Walsh briefly attended Kent State University, where he spent time in various bands playing around the Cleveland, Ohio, area, including the Measles. The Measles recorded for Super K Productions' Ohio Express the songs "I Find I Think of You", "And It's True", and "Maybe". He planned to major in English and minor in music. Walsh has also stated he was present during the Kent State massacre in 1970. Walsh commented in 2012: "Being at the shootings really affected me profoundly. I decided that maybe I don't need a degree that bad." After one term, he dropped out of college to pursue his musical career.
Musical career
1965–1967: The Measles
Walsh and three other Kent State University students formed The Measles, a garage bar band, in 1965. Two tracks on Ohio Express's Beg Borrow and Steal album, "I Find I Think Of You" and "And It's True", were actually recorded by the Measles, led by Walsh who also provided the vocals. Additionally, an instrumental version of "And It's True" was recorded by the Measles, re-titled "Maybe" and released as the B-side of the "Beg Borrow and Steal" single.1968–1971: James Gang
Around Christmas 1967, James Gang guitarist Glenn Schwartz, who turned out to be AWOL from the army and was breaking up with his wife, decided to leave the band to move to California, where he ended up forming the band Pacific Gas & Electric. Days later, Walsh, a friend of Schwartz's, knocked on Jim Fox's door and asked to be given a tryout as Schwartz's replacement. Walsh was accepted and the band continued as a five-piece for a short time until Phil Giallombardo, who was still in high school at the time, left. Bill Jeric and Walsh worked together on guitar parts, but Jeric left as well in the spring of 1968. He was replaced by a returning Ronnie Silverman, who had been discharged from the military.In May 1968, the group played a concert in Detroit at the Grande Ballroom, opening for Cream. At the last minute, Silverman told the others that he would not join them at the show. The band, desperately in need of the money, took to the stage as a trio. They liked their sound as a threesome and decided to remain that way.
In 1968, the band signed with manager Mark Barger, who was handling the career of fellow Ohio outfit the Lemon Pipers, who had just scored a big hit with "Green Tambourine." Barger put the Gang in touch with ABC Records staff producer Bill Szymczyk, who signed them to ABC's new Bluesway Records subsidiary in January 1969.
They released their debut album, Yer' Album, in 1969. In November 1969, bassist Tom Kriss decided he was no longer into the music and left to be replaced by Dale Peters, who was brought in from a group called the Case of E.T. Hooley. The addition of Peters created the most successful incarnation of the James Gang. Walsh proved to be the band's star attraction, noted for his innovative rhythm playing and creative guitar riffs. In particular he was known for hot-wiring the pickups on his electric guitars to create his trademark "attack" sound. The James Gang had several minor hits and became an early album-oriented rock staple for the next two years. It was during 1969 that Walsh sold his Les Paul guitar to Jimmy Page. Later in 1969, the group's record producer, Szymczyk, arranged for the band to appear in the "electric Western" film Zachariah, with two James Gang songs, "Laguna Salada" and "Country Fever", also being used. For the recording of these two songs, vocalist Kenny Weiss was brought in to allow Walsh to focus on his guitar playing; he was gone by the time the group arrived in Mexico to shoot their movie scenes. "Laguna Salada" and "Country Fever" later reappeared as bonus tracks on the 2000 re-release of The James Gang Greatest Hits.
Shortly before the release of their second album James Gang Rides Again, they opened a show for the Who in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Who guitarist Pete Townshend met with James Gang before they left, impressed enough to invite them on the Who's subsequent European tour. When Walsh was asked about it, he said, "Pete's a very melodic player and so am I. He told me that he appreciated my playing. I was flattered beyond belief because I didn't think I was that good."
The James Gang's next two albums, James Gang Rides Again and Thirds, produced such classics as "Funk 49" and "Walk Away". The album James Gang Live at Carnegie Hall was Walsh's last album with them, as he became dissatisfied with the band's limitations.
The two remaining members, Peters and Fox, carried on with lead vocalist Roy Kenner and guitarist Domenic Troiano for two albums, Straight Shooter and Passin' Thru, both released in 1972. But in recent interviews, Fox stated that things did not work out musically with Troiano as hoped, so Troiano left the band in 1973 and later, in late 1974, joined the Guess Who. Guitarist Tommy Bolin was then brought into the band, after being recommended by Walsh.
1971–1975: Barnstorm
In December 1971, after Walsh left the James Gang, Steve Marriott, frontman guitarist of Humble Pie, invited Joe to move to England and join his band, which Peter Frampton had left, but Walsh declined. Instead he moved to Colorado and formed a band called Barnstorm, with drummer and multi-instrumentalist Joe Vitale, and bassist Kenny Passarelli, although both of their albums credited Walsh as a solo artist. They started recording their debut album immediately after forming, but at the time there were only Walsh and Vitale on these sessions. Chuck Rainey did the first bass tracks on the album but these were soon replaced by Passarelli. Walsh and Barnstorm released their debut album, Barnstorm, in October 1972. After taking a cue from Townshend, Walsh utilized the ARP Odyssey synthesizer to great effect on such songs as "Mother Says" and "Here We Go". Walsh also experimented with acoustic guitar, slide guitar, effects pedals, fuzzbox, talk box, and keyboards as well as running his guitar straight into a Leslie speaker 122 to get swirly, organ-like guitar tones. The album was a critical success, but had only moderate commercial success. The follow-up, The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get, released in June 1973, was marketed under Walsh's name and was their commercial breakthrough. It peaked at No. 6 on the US Billboard chart. The first and leading single, "Rocky Mountain Way", received heavy airplay and reached No. 23 on the US Top 40 chart. It featured new member, keyboardist Rocke Grace, and Walsh shared the vocals and songwriting with the other three members of the band. As a result, a variety of styles are explored on this album. There are elements of blues, jazz, folk, pop, and Caribbean music. In 1974, Barnstorm disbanded and Walsh continued as a solo artist.In late 1974, Walsh played slide guitar on Vitale's debut solo album Roller Coaster Weekend. Walsh was taught the slide technique by Duane Allman, co-founder of the Allman Brothers Band with his brother Gregg, who had done a standout turn on Eric Clapton's 1970 Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs double-album as a drop-in contributor to Derek and the Dominos.
Barnstorm's last tour was in the spring of 1975, shortly after Walsh joined the Eagles.