Don Henley on the Eagles member “who did not come up to band standards”

Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Bernie Leadon became the legendary trinity of songwriters who powered the Eagles’ early success. Throughout the early 1970s, the band perfected a winning formula of aggressive, country-inspired rock music. By the mid-1970s, they had become one of the world’s most popular and successful acts. This was thanks to chart-topping classics like ‘Take It Easy‘ and ‘One of These Nights.’

Despite the band’s undeniable success with 1975’s One of These Nights, Leadon chose to leave the group, avoiding the invasive spotlight. It has long been assumed that Leadon resigned because he was disgruntled with the band’s steady transition from country to pop rock. However, he refuted this in a 2013 interview.

“That’s an oversimplification,” he told Rolling Stone when asked about it. “It implies that I was not interested in rock, blues, or anything else than country rock. That’s simply not the case. I didn’t only play the Fender Telecaster. I played a Gibson Les Paul and adored rock ‘n’ roll. That is clear in the early albums.”

Fortunately, the band was prepared to deal with Leadon’s departure, having added guitarist Don Felder in 1974. In addition, the band hired Joe Walsh, the former frontman of James Gang, as Leadon’s direct replacement in 1975.

With this new lineup, the band reached new heights of fame with their fifth album, Hotel California. The 1976 release soared up the album charts around the world, thanks in large part to its namesake single, which peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 the following year.

The late 1970s were shaping up to be a wild ride for the Eagles, but outward smiles and prosperity concealed interior tensions that boiled out in the 1980s. While the band sang about peace and harmony, their internal issues were somewhat disingenuous. Most notably, amid the exuberant rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, the all-too-familiar problems of intra-band politics began to emerge. A major power struggle caused a schism between Felder and Frey.

In the 2013 documentary The History of The Eagles, Frey described Felder’s lack of vocal aptitude as an ongoing concern. “Don Felder, for all of his talents as a guitar player, was not a singer,” he told me. Drummer Don Henley agreed, saying it “simply did not live up to band standards.”

The high of Hotel California remained unequaled by the end of the 1970s, eventually leading to the Eagles‘ acrimonious disbandment in July 1980. That month, Frey and Felder’s feud reached a boiling point during an infamous gig in Long Beach, California. They dubbed the event ‘Long Night at Wrong Beach.’

Backstage, before the show began, Felder allegedly responded, “You’re welcome – I guess,” to California Senator Alan Cranston’s wife as he thanked the band for performing a charity concert for his re-election. Frey, irritated at Felder’s answer, launched a series of clandestine taunting throughout the show.

“We’re on stage, and Felder looks at me and says, ‘Only three more songs till I kick your ass, pal.'” And I’m saying, “Great.” “I can’t wait,” Frey remembers that tragic night. “We’re out there singing ‘Best of My Love‘, but inside, both of us are thinking, ‘As soon as this is over, I’m going to kill him'”.  That’s when I realized I needed to get out.”

The Eagles split up in 1980 and have subsequently reunited multiple times for reunion tours. In 1994, the Eagles welcomed back Felder, but they sacked him in 2001, sparking a court struggle in which Felder claimed wrongful termination. In 2007, the parties resolved the matter out of court for an unknown amount.