Joe Walsh

Joseph Fidler Walsh (born Joseph Woodward Fidler; November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.

Best known as a member of the rock band Eagles, his five-decade career has also included solo work and stints in two other successful rock bands: James Gang and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band.

He was also part of the New Zealand band Herbs.

Walsh was born on November 20, 1947, in Wichita, Kansas.

His father, Lt. Robert Newton Fidler, was a pilot for the Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star in the United States Air Force and died in a plane crash in Okinawa on July 22, 1949.

Walsh's mother, Helen, was a classically trained pianist of Scottish and German ancestry.

Walsh was adopted by his stepfather at the age of five and given his stepfather's surname, but retained Fidler as his middle name.

In the 1950s, it was common practice for children to take the name of their stepfather for Social Security, school registration, and health records.

Walsh and his family lived in Columbus, Ohio, for a number of years during his youth.

When he was twelve, his family moved to New York City.

Later, Walsh moved to Montclair, New Jersey and attended Montclair High School, where he played oboe in the school band.

Walsh acquired his first guitar at the age of 10, and upon learning the Ventures' "Walk Don't Run", decided that he wanted to pursue a career as a guitarist.

Inspired by the success of the Beatles, he replaced Bruce Hoffman as the bass player in the locally popular group the Nomads in Madison, New Jersey, beginning his career as a rock musician.

After high school, Walsh briefly attended Kent State University, where he spent time in various bands playing around the Cleveland, Ohio, area, including the Measles.

The Measles recorded for Super K Productions' Ohio Express the songs "I Find I Think of You", "And It's True", and "Maybe" (an instrumental version of "And It's True").

He planned to major in English and minor in music.

In the mid-1960s, after attending Kent State University, Walsh played with several local Ohio-based bands before reaching a national audience as a member of the James Gang, whose hit song "Funk #49" highlighted his skill as both a guitarist and singer.

Roger Abramson, a concert producer and artist manager, signed the James Gang to a management agreement with BPI in Cleveland.

The Measles, an Ohio garage bar band, were formed in 1965 by four Kent State University students, one of whom was Joe Walsh.

Two tracks on the Ohio Express's Beg Borrow and Steal album, "I Find I Think Of You" and "And It's True" (both featuring Joe Walsh vocals), were actually recorded by the Measles, led by Walsh.

The Eagles are considered to be one of the most influential bands of the 1970s, and they remain one of the best-selling American bands in the history of popular music.

His creative contribution to music has received praise from many of the most prominent rock guitarists, including Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, who said, "He has a tremendous feel for the instrument. I've loved his style since the Early James Gang."

Eric Clapton said that "He's one of the best guitarists to surface in some time. I don't listen to many records, but I listen to his."

The Who's guitarist, Pete Townshend, said "Joe Walsh is a fluid and intelligent player. There're not many like that around."

Walsh has also stated he was present during the Kent State massacre in 1970.

After leaving the James Gang in 1972, he formed Barnstorm with Joe Vitale, a college friend from Ohio, and Kenny Passarelli, a bassist from Colorado, where Walsh had moved after leaving Ohio.

While the band stayed together for three albums over three years, its works were marketed as Walsh solo projects.

The last Barnstorm album, 1974's So What, contained significant guest contributions from several members of the Eagles, a group that had recently hired Walsh's producer, Bill Szymczyk.

At Szymczyk's suggestion, Walsh joined the Eagles in 1975 as the band's guitarist and keyboardist following the departure of their founding member Bernie Leadon.

Hotel California was his first album with the band.

In the 1990s, he was a member of the short-lived supergroup the Best.

Walsh has also experienced success both as a solo artist and as a prolific session musician, being featured on a wide array of other artists' recordings.

In 1998, a reader's poll conducted by Guitarist magazine selected the guitar solos on the track "Hotel California" by Walsh and Don Felder as the best guitar solos of all time.

Guitar World magazine listed it at eighth of the Top 100 Guitar Solos.

Besides his work with his several bands, he has released 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".

As a member of the Eagles, Walsh was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001.

In 2011, Rolling Stone placed him at the No. 54 spot on its list of "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".

Walsh commented in 2012: "Being at the shootings really affected me profoundly. I decided that maybe I don't need a degree that bad."

After one term, he dropped out of college to pursue his musical career.