Don Henley has met many well-known figures in the industry as a founding member of one of the biggest rock bands in history. Despite his wide range of abilities, which include vocalizations, guitar playing, and intuitive musical creativity, he still looks up to one other celebrity. He believes this person to be even more talented than he is.
For their career, the Eagles established themselves as the ultimate California country-rock group. They challenged many other acts in their sphere. This included international acts such as The Beatles. Their influence continued long after their breakup. They were about much more than just rock ‘n’ roll culture, even though they embodied some of its most essential elements.
Because of Henley’s innate talent, they were able to produce genuinely timeless music. This gave their frequently polished sound a raw quality that, although seemingly contradictory at first, ended up being their main selling point. All things considered, Eagles created timeless songs that appealed to listeners of all ages in America and abroad.
Many of Henley’s influences come from the country genre because of their origins, such as Willie Nelson. He’s also inspired by singer-songwriters and aspirational vocalists like Patsy Cline, Glen Campbell, and Merle Haggard. Henley says that Haggard is his all-time favorite singer. He also mentions that Haggard’s album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music “changed my life.”
But when it comes to elite performers whose all-around skill exceeds his own, Henley names none other than his lifelong friend Billy Joel. Joel and Henley have a relationship based on mutual admiration, with both parties frequently willingly praising the other. Joel, for example, once called the Eagles “the American Beatles.” He attributed a lot of the band’s success to Henley’s songwriting abilities.
When speaking about Joel’s artistic ability, Don Henley is all praise. He considers the singer to be “one hundred times the musician I am.” He is constantly in awe of her ability to compose timeless songs and play the piano. Henley said, “I’m not that good, but I play the guitar a little.” He continued, “I like to write with people who are better musicians than me, and he’s a lot more proficient than I am.”
Joel had been thinking about getting together with the Eagles musician to form a supergroup. Henley would also join, along with Sting, and maybe John Mayer on guitar.” Even though everyone was too busy to make this happen, it’s probably safe to say that Joel and Henley would both be thrilled to collaborate. They could work together as a two-piece or participate in a group setting.
