Joe walsh singer biography samples

The late '80s were a challenging period for classic rockers: Could they remain relevant and maintain their levels of success, born of moments six or eight or 10 years before, when they were topping the charts and regularly packing arenas? Many were staring down their 40s, if not meekly entering them, crossing a threshold that at one time was impossible to fathom. Rock was a young person's game, a music of rebellion and reaction to those of a certain, older set.

Joe Walsh was among this aging rock-star demographic, turning 40 in 1987. He dealt with his age and the expectations of a rock audience by both indulging in a debilitating drinking habit, while embracing then-current keyboard-heavy sounds on the solo album he released that year, Got Any Gum?

The bulk of the project was recorded at Memphis' renowned Ardent Studios, where producer Terry Manning preferred to work. Walsh liked Studio A in the facility, according to studio manager Jody Stephens, who initially rose to fame as Big Star's drummer. The room "has huge baffles so that you can really damp things down to where it's almost a '70s studio," Stephens later told Goldmine. Others who have made albums there include the Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Robert Cray.

Drummer Chad Cromwell, a session musician and would go on to play with everyone from Neil Young and Mark Knopfler to Michael Bolton and Jessica Simpson, remembers how he got asked to play on Got Any Gum? It all started, in typical fashion, during a messy gig with Walsh.

"I met Joe at a recording studio in Memphis where I worked a lot and did a lot of sessions," Cromwell told Rolling Stone. "When Joe came into town, he just came over and there was some sort of party going on. I was introduced to Joe. That was one of the strangest things because we just stayed up all night, acting like idiots, as

“Come on, man. I had a rough night and I hate the fuckin’ Eagles, man!”

But even the Dude would have probably been alright with Joe Walsh, who turns 75 today.

Walsh was already well-known before the band with the avian name entered the picture. He grew up listening to rock ‘n’ roll in its first decade and picking up ideas on melody and orchestras from his mother, a classical music enthusiast who also played piano. He went to Kent State, just long enough to decide he didn’t want to graduate, but long enough to be part of a band.

The Measles gave Walsh his first entry on record, as a couple of songs they’d recorded with Walsh — “I Find I Think Of You” and “And It’s True” — wound up on bubblegum group The Ohio Express’ 1967 album Beg, Borrow & Steal.

AUDIO: The Measles feat. Joe Walsh “I Find I Think Of You”

Being part of the Northeast Ohio music scene. Guitarist Glenn Schwartz was something of a guitar hero in that scene. A friend of Walsh’s, he chose to move to California, becoming a founding member of Pacific Gas & Electric. That left a vacancy in the James Gang, which Walsh approached drummer Jim Fox to fill  in late 1967.

His talent won him the job. Within a matter of months, the James Gang’s ranks were down to their classic three — Walsh, Fox and bassist Dale Peters. Walsh had to learn by necessity, being the only one of the three who could sing. He also had to learn how to play lead and rhythm simultaneously.

Over the next three years, Walsh’s growing songwriting skills gave the band a chance to stand out from so many boogie power trios that came along in Cream’s wake.

The ingredients were in place on the debut Yer Album, but the superior Rides Again was where they came together. “Funk #49” kicks off with what might still be the most recognizable riff in Walsh’s care

[Note:  After this post had been written but before it was published, one of my readers, Mike Honcho, said the following about Joe Walsh that I thought would be good to share:  “How about Joe Walsh/James Gang. I know he’s in with the Eagles, but so is Don Henley, on the list of snubs. Unbelievably influential to generations of guitarists. First to do the talk box, sold/ gave Jimmy Page the Les Paul he made famous, helped Pete Townshend with some if his tone through gear (gave him a Gretsch used on Who’s Next and Quadrophenia). Rocky Mountain Way, Life’s Been Good, Funk #49, Walk Away, All Night Long, The Bomber etc. There are more, but he’s all over what’s left of FM radio and the satellite now. The amount of guys he’s influenced stretches from Billy Gibbons to Joe Bonamassa to Brad Paisley. He could write, sing, play killer rhythm, lead and slide. He did it all- fronted the James Gang and Barnstorm, was/is a successful solo artist and vaulted the Eagles to what they became. Imagine Hotel California without him.”]

If you think about the music career of Joe Walsh, there are a few different images you can have.  Perhaps you think of his time with the Eagles, singing the occasional song he penned about sad cafes and pretty maids standing in a row.  Perhaps you think of his dry and sardonic look at the way that life’s been good for a music star, even if he finds himself unable to drive because his license has been taken away or his contribution to the “Urban Cowboy” soundtrack.  One thing you may not think of, though, is that he is a fairly obvious snub for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist or, even more notably, under the “Award For Musical Excellence” that goes to those who help make other people’s music better.  Not long ago I found that my writing about Don Henley’s case for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist received some attention from some Eagles fans [1], and

Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, songwriter, and rock musician. He has served stints in two successful bands, the James Gang and the Eagles. He has also experienced success as a solo artist.

A native of Wichita, Kansas, 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, but came to widespread attention in 1969 after replacing Glen Schwartz as lead guitarist for the James Gang, an American power trio. Walsh was the standout of the band, noted for his innovative rhythm playing and creative guitar riffs. The James Gang had several minor hits and became an early AOR staple before Walsh left the group in 1971 for a career as a solo artist.

Walsh's solo debut was Barnstorm (1972). Its follow-up was The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get (1973). Several cuts from these albums, notably "Rocky Mountain Way", received heavy airplay and continue to be classic rock favorites.

After releasing another studio album and a live set, Walsh was invited to join the Eagles in 1976, replacing departing guitarist Bernie Leadon. He brought a harder-edged sound to the group, giving their light country rock sound a shot in the arm and kept the Eagles from becoming a country act altogether.

As the Eagles began to decline after the release of Hotel California, Walsh re-ignited his solo career with the well-received discs But Seriously Folks (1978) (which featured his hitcomic depiction of rock stardom, "Life's Been Good") and There Goes the Neighborhood (1981). He continued to record and release albums throughout the 1980s. In 1989, Walsh recorded a MTV Unplugged with the RnB musician Dr. John, but musical trends had passed him by and he maintained a very low profile until the late-1990s Eagles reunion and tour. Walsh sang the US National Anthem at the beginning of Game 4 of the