Joe Walsh
Joseph Fidler Walsh is a legendary American musician known for his impressive guitar skills and vocals. With a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of several successful rock bands including the James Gang, Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. In addition to his work with these bands, Walsh has also released numerous solo albums and has collaborated with a variety of other artists as a session musician.
In 2011, Rolling Stone magazine named Walsh one of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, and his guitar solos on the Eagles hit “Hotel California” were voted the best of all time by readers of Guitarist magazine. Walsh has received praise from many of the greatest rock guitarists, including Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton.
Walsh began his musical career in the mid-1960s, playing with various Ohio-based bands before gaining national attention as a member of the James Gang. He left the band in 1972 to form Barnstorm, which released three albums over the next three years. The last Barnstorm album, 1974’s So What, featured contributions from several members of the Eagles, a group that had recently hired Walsh’s producer, Bill Szymczyk.
In 1975, Szymczyk suggested that Walsh join the Eagles as their guitarist and keyboardist following the departure of founding member Bernie Leadon. Walsh’s first album with the Eagles was the iconic Hotel California, which featured some of his most memorable guitar solos. The Eagles have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and are considered one of the most influential bands of the 1970s.
In addition to his work with the Eagles, Walsh has released a total of 12 solo studio albums, six compilation albums, and two live albums. His solo hits include “Rocky Mountain Way,” “Life’s Been Good,” “All Night Long,” “A Life of Illusion,” and “Ordinary Average Guy.” Joe Walsh is truly a talented and influential musician whose contributions to the world of rock and roll will be remembered for years to come.