Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Joe Walsh is celebrating his birthday today.
(Photo: Andrew Macpherson)
He may be best known for his membership in the "Eagles" but he is definitely not only that, he has a glorious solo career, he was part of the bands "James Gang" and "Barnstorm" and he also has quite a few collaborations with other artists, including "Foo Fighters", Where he participated in the song "Outside" from the album "Sonic Highways".
He was born on November 20, 1947, in the city of Wichita in the state of Kansas USA, named Joseph Fidler Walsh.
His mother was a classical pianist so from an early age he absorbed music.
His father was killed in a plane crash when he was 3 and at the age of 5 his mother remarried and he was adopted by his stepfather.
At the age of 10, he started playing the guitar and he said that even then he knew that he wants to be a professional guitarist.
One of the first bands he was a member of was "the Nomads", he played bass guitar there.
In 1965 he formed the band "The Measles" where he was also the lead singer. The band even released two singles. "And It's True" and "I Find I Think Of You".
In 1968 he joined "James Gang" which started with five musicians and shrank into a power trio where Joe Walsh sang, and played guitar, keyboards, and percussion. With the band, he released three albums, and among the band's great songs are "Funk # 49" and "Walk Away". Walsh reunited this line-up for performances in 2022 including the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert.
Walsh left "James Gang" in December 1971. He was invited to join the band "Humble Pie" alongside Steve Marriott after Peter Frampton left it, but he chose to form a band called "Barnstorm" with whom he released an album of the same name in 1972.
Walsh later embarked on a solo career during which he released albums that included the songs "Rocky Mountain Way" and "Turn to Stone", when in 1975 he joined as a full member of the "Eagles", right to its peak era with the album "Hotel California" released in 1976.
While being a member of "The Eagles", Joe Walsh continued to strengthen his solo career, in between he served as a guest player and studio session player for many good artists like "REO Speedwagon", "Foo Fighters", Ringo Starr, Steve Winwood, John Entwistle, and more.
Walsh is the brother-in-law of Ringo Starr. Marjorie Bach who is married to Walsh is the sister of Ringo's wife - Barbara Bach.
This time we decided to compile a playlist that moves between major stations in his career. So click play, listen and discover some beautiful things in his repertoire: Spotify