The Eagles’ meteoric rise was no accident. Throughout the recording of their first album, none of the band members would stop until they had songs that became the ideal of California sunshine, such as ‘Take It Easy‘ and ‘Witchy Woman‘. Although the band may have operated well as a quartet, Glenn Frey realized they needed more as time went on.
When the band originally got together, they thought they’d hit the jackpot with Bernie Leadon as their lead guitarist. After spending time working with Gram Parsons, Leadon had established himself as a veteran of the Los Angeles music scene. His fusion of rock with country and bluegrass sounds earned him recognition. Although it was enough to land them a record deal, Leadon’s country mentality encountered difficulties working on Desperado.
Despite the band’s pride, the record failed to connect with audiences. Many assumed that this LA rock band had suddenly adopted cowboy personalities and would be delving into country music. Looking to fix that with a vengeance on their following album, “On the Border,” the band couldn’t get anything to gel. It wasn’t until Don Felder joined that things started to come together.
When asked about working on the project, Frey emphasized how difficult it was to find a guitar style that worked for them, telling History of the Eagles, “Bernie Leadon was a country player, but whenever I came in with a rock and roll tune, he was the lead guitarist. When Bernie came in with a country tune, I would play lead guitar, although I was not a country musician.”
Felder was hired to work on the song ‘Already Gone‘ after searching for session musicians throughout town. With a basic backbeat reminiscent of old-school rock and roll, Frey was taken aback by how effectively Felder fit in. He remarked, “We brought in Don Felder, and this guy was all over the neck.”
After switching producers following a disagreement with Glyn Johns, Frey realized the band could utilize another guitarist. Felder remembered, “I did the session, and then I went home, thinking nothing of it except that it was just another session.” The next day, Glenn contacted me and asked if I wanted to join the band, to which I answered ‘absolutely‘.”
Felder would also contribute to the song “Cold Day in Hell” on the same album. However, it wasn’t until “One Of These Nights” that he had his chance to shine. Felder’s scorching leads on the title tune introduced a level of intensity that Leadon was not capable of, resulting in his ejection.
Not wanting to perform rock and roll for the rest of his life, Leadon felt he was drifting apart from the rest of the band, prompting Frey to choose Joe Walsh as their new guitarist after watching him open for them on a few shows. Without realizing it, Leadon had paved the way for some of the best guitar playing of the decade.
With Felder working off Walsh, songs like “Hotel California” and “Life in the Fast Lane” became anthems. They dominated the radio for the remainder of the band’s tenure. They swiftly became classic rock mainstays. Although Leadon did his job well initially, it wasn’t until Felder arrived that everything began to fall into place.
