Dr. Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh[1] (born
November 20, 1947)[2] is an American guitarist and rock musician. He has served stints in two successful bands,
James Gang and Eagles. He has also experienced success as a
solo artist.
Biography
Early life
A native of Wichita, Kansas, Walsh and his family lived in Columbus, Ohio for a number of years, and subsequently moved to New York
City. Later, Walsh moved to Montclair, New Jersey and attended Montclair
High School. He spent time in various bands playing around the Cleveland area while
attending Kent State University.
Career
In 1968, he replaced Glen Schwartz as lead
guitarist for the James Gang, an American power
trio. Walsh proved to be the band's star attraction, noted for his innovative rhythm playing and creative guitar riffs. The James Gang had several minor hits and became an early album-oriented rock staple for the next two years. In November, 1971, Walsh left the group for a
solo career. Walsh released his solo debut Barnstorm in 1972. Although it was a critical success, it only sold moderately. The follow-up, The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get (1973) was his commercial breakthrough. The first single "Rocky Mountain
Way", received heavy airplay and reached #23 on the US top 40 charts. It is still a fixture on classic rock radio.[citation needed]
Over the next three years, Walsh would release a studio album So What
and a live set, You Can't Argue with a Sick Mind. These would be
his last solo albums until 1978. In 1976, he joined the highly successful country rock band Eagles as Bernie Leadon's replacement. His addition pushed the band toward a harder-edged sound and away from their
early country-style work.
As the Eagles struggled to record the follow-up to their highly successful album Hotel
California, Walsh re-ignited his solo career with the well-received discs But
Seriously Folks (1978) (which featured his hit comic depiction of rock stardom,
"Life's Been Good") and There Goes the
Neighborhood. Joe also contributed "In the City" to The Warriors
soundtrack (1979), an Eagles song penned and sung by Walsh, originally appearing on "The Long Run" album.
Following the Eagles breakup in 1980, Walsh continued to release albums throughout the
1980s. Unfortunately, sales were poor. Musical trends had passed him by and he maintained a low
profile until the mid-1990s. He toured with Ringo Starr in 1989, alternating a handful of his
best-known songs with Ringo's tunes, as did all the members of the "All Starr" band. Walsh sang the US National Anthem at the beginning of game four of the 1995
World Series. In 1989, Walsh recorded a MTV Unplugged with the R&B musician
Dr. John.
In 1994, Walsh reunited with the Eagles for a highly successful reunion tour and live album (Hell Freezes Over). Walsh has toured regularly with the Eagles since then and the group is
currently working on a new album titled Long Road Out of Eden, which is set
for release on October 30, 2007.
In June 2004, Walsh performed live before a huge crowd at Eric Clapton's Crossroads
Guitar Festival in Dallas, Texas. He was also featured in September 2004 at
The Strat Pack, a concert held in London,
England to mark the 50th anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar. Walsh
(WB6ACU) is an active amateur radio operator. In 2006 he
donated an autographed guitar to the ARRL
for its charity auction.
In 2006, Walsh reunited with Jim Fox and Dale
Peters of James Gang for a 15-date summer reunion tour. The tour lasted into the fall. Some of his most recent
compositions, such as "One Day At A Time", deal with his struggles with substance abuse, particularly alcoholism. He is now a teetotaller and has been sober since 1995.
He was also a frequent guest on The Howard Stern Show. His August 8 1989 appearance on the show was re-broadcast on January 5 2007 during an episode of Stern's Master Tape Theatre on
Sirius Satellite Radio.
Walsh commences 2007 with an appearance at Dear Mr Fantasy - A Celebration For Jim
Capaldi: a charity gig being held at London's famous Roundhouse where he will appear alongside Steve Winwood, Pete Townshend, Bill
Wyman, Paul Weller and many others.
During 2007, Walsh has appeared at selected shows with country-rock star musician Kenny
Chesney on his Flip Flop Summer Tour 2007. “I don’t think there’s anybody in the world who doesn’t know ‘Life’s Been Good
To Me’ or ‘Rocky Mountain Way’ if they’ve listened to any rock radio at all,” said Kenny. Walsh is also playing a number of solo
dates during late summer.
Walsh's song "All Night Long" is played at Shea Stadium whenever David Wright hits a home run.
Notable appearances
Walsh has produced albums for artists such as Dan Fogelberg and Ringo Starr. He was a background musician (1st guitar solo) on Eagles
bandmate Don Henley's 1982 hit "Dirty Laundry" (listed
as such in the liner notes of Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest
Hits).
Walsh co-wrote and played lead guitar on the song "Split Decision" which appeared on Steve
Winwood's 1986 album Back in the High Life.
Walsh would reunite with former Eagles bandmates Randy Meisner and
Timothy B. Schmit as background musicians on the 1987
Richard Marx hit "Don't Mean Nothing."[1]
Walsh played a prisoner in The Blues Brothers. He is noticeable as
he is the first prisoner to get on the cafeteria tables during the Jailhouse Rock song at the end. Joe was a close friend of
John Belushi, who starred in the movie. He appeared on the comedy game show
Street Smarts.
Walsh appeared as a mystery guest on the Howard Stern show on August 8, 1989, along with Pat
Cooper. He has appeared numerous times on Stern's show since, more recently with the James
Gang to promote their summer 2006 tour.
Walsh played his guitar alongside Laura Hall in a surprise appearance in Drew Carey's pay-per-view presentation of "Drew Carey's Improv All-Stars" in Las Vegas. He participated in
one game in each show, the ending game "biography." Both times he was applauded for his hilariously off- subject additions to the
story being created piece by piece by the entire cast of the show. He sometimes made guest appearances on the Drew Carey Show as a musician.
Walsh appeared in the television series Duckman, as medical video actor in episode 315 -
"They Craved Duckman's Brain". When prompted why he is quoted "Actually i do a lot of medical videos, it's fun, interesting and
they pump my stomach for free". Walsh also plays a version of "Life's Been Good" in a
Duckman episode. He also appeared on Mad TV in 1995 as a customer
at an air guitar shop.
Although maybe not a "notable appearance" except to those who were there, Joe came out as a surprise guest guitarist at
Stephen Stills' recent performance at The House of Blues on The Sunset Strip in Hollywood, CA, on July 13th, 2007.
Personal life
Walsh holds an Extra Class Amateur Radio License. His station callsign is WB6ACU.[3] Walsh has included Morse Code messages in his albums on two occasions: once on
the Barnstorm album ("Register And Vote"), and later on Songs For A Dying Planet ("Register And Vote For Me").
Walsh is known for his guitar and keyboard skills, but also plays/has played bass guitar, harmonica, bagpipes, oboe, and
clarinet. His mother was a classically trained pianist.
Walsh's daughter, Lucy, is also a musician; she has worked with Ashlee Simpson, among
others, and is currently working on her debut album.
Walsh's oldest daughter, Emma Kristen, died as a result of injuries suffered in an automobile accident on her way to nursery
school in 1974. Her story inspired the track "Song For Emma" on his album So
What released later that year. In her memory, he had a fountain placed in a park in which she played, North Boulder
Park in Boulder, Colorado. As of June 20, 2007, the plaque accompanying the fountain is placed on the ground a few feet away.
While touring/opening for friend & famed singer Stevie Nicks in 1984, he took Nicks to
the park's fountain and she immortalized this story in her song "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You" on her 1985 Rock A
Little album. Nicks stated in a 2007 interview with the UK Telegraph that Walsh had been "the great love of her life."
Walsh ran a mock campaign for President in 1980, promising to make "Life's Been
Good" the new national anthem if he won, and running on a platform of "Free Gas For Everyone." Though Walsh was not old
enough to actually assume the office, he wanted to raise public awareness of the election.
Walsh sold Jimmy Page (guitarist for Led Zeppelin)
his main guitar, a 1959 sunburst Gibson Les Paul. Walsh gave Pete Townshend
(guitarist/songwriter for The Who) the guitar he used on Who's Next. In return, Townshend gave
Walsh his first Synthesiser.
Kent State University awarded Walsh an honorary degree in music in December 2001.[1]
Albums
James Gang
Eagles
Barnstorm
Solo
Compilations
Other appearances
Albums with REO Speedwagon
Albums with Ringo Starr
Other
- Andy Gibb -- (Love Is) Thicker Than Water (1977)
- Manassas -- Down the Road (1973) (slide guitar)
- Frankie Miller-- Long Way Home (2006)
Eagles Songs
Eagles songs co-written by Joe Walsh
Eagles songs featuring Joe Walsh on lead vocal
Note: Other songs in the Eagles catalog that were sung and written by Walsh include "Life's Been Good" and "All Night Long", from Walsh's solo career, which were included on
Eagles Live and "Funk 49", from Walsh's days in the James Gang, was included on the fourth "Millennium Concert" disc of the Eagles box set . These are not Eagles songs however, since the studio cuts did not originate under
the Eagles name
Singles
- Does not include songs with the Eagles.
AAlbum cut; reached #56 on Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
References
External links
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