When bands form, it usually happens one of two ways. Either they start as a group of childhood friends trying to escape their small-town boredom with loud guitars, or they’re a collection of talented solo artists who come together in search of something greater than themselves. The Eagles were very much the latter—seasoned musicians chasing a sound that could define a generation. So when they extended an invitation to one of their closest collaborators and he turned them down, it left a lot of people wondering why.
By the early 1970s, Glenn Frey and Don Henley had already begun carving out a name for themselves in the buzzing Los Angeles music scene. They weren’t just looking for success—they wanted to create the perfect California rock band. Songs that were sharp, tuneful, and deeply relatable. To do that, they needed not just great players, but the right chemistry.
Frey, originally from Detroit, had landed in LA after chasing his musical dreams westward. Almost immediately, fate intervened—he met David Crosby on his very first day in town. Through Crosby’s circle, Frey eventually crossed paths with a fellow songwriter, JD Souther. The two bonded quickly and deeply, connected by a shared love of timeless songwriting. Soon, they formed a duo called Longbranch/Pennywhistle and started playing gigs around town.
Meanwhile, Henley was coming up in Texas with his band Shiloh before relocating to California. When Frey and Henley met while playing with Linda Ronstadt’s backing band, sparks flew. They clicked musically and personally, quickly deciding to strike out on their own. With Ronstadt’s full support, they began building what would soon become The Eagles. Bernie Leadon joined on guitar, and bassist Randy Meisner came aboard from the band Poco.
Naturally, JD Souther—Frey’s close friend and creative partner—was invited to join. But to everyone’s surprise, he declined.
For most musicians, turning down a spot in what would become one of the most successful rock bands of all time would seem unthinkable. But Souther had a different vision for his life. He wasn’t chasing fame or fortune. He was chasing songs—real songs. Songs that would last.
“I didn’t think much in terms of my career,” he once explained. “I had just as much respect for the Gershwins and Cole Porter as I did for Hank Williams and Graham Nash. I wanted to write songs that would outlive me.”
Though he never joined the band, Souther remained closely tied to the Eagles, often collaborating behind the scenes. He co-wrote several of their biggest songs, including “Victim of Love” and “How Long”, which became the band’s final hit decades later. His writing helped shape the Eagles’ legacy from the outside—proof that his influence was still very much inside the music.
Even now, looking back at the millions he might have earned by stepping into the spotlight, Souther holds no regrets. “I saw that there was something to this introspective songwriting that appealed to me,” he said. “It would just improve my whole world if I tried to write songs that way instead of aiming them at necessarily getting them recorded or performing them.”
JD Souther may have walked away from the stage, but he never walked away from the art. And sometimes, that quiet kind of legacy lasts the longest of all.
