RIP To A Founding Eagle…
Such sad new for music fans…Randy Meisner, one of the original founding members of the Eagles, died on July 26 at age 77. His death was reportedly due to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease – this news was confirmed on various Eagles’ social media pages.
“Randy was an integral part of the Eagles and instrumental in the early success of the band,” the band wrote – “His vocal range was astonishing, as is evident on his signature ballad, ‘Take It to the Limit.’”
As reported in Vulture:
Meisner was born in Scottsbluff, Nebraska in 1946 and was an important member of the ‘60s musical revolution, playing in bands including Poco and Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band, and was a member of Linda Rondstadt’s backing band.
Jason P. Frank wrote this in “Vulture.com”:
Meisner’s career began as a member of two Midwestern rock bands: First, the Dynamics, then the Poor (originally known as Soul Survivor). His first real success, however, came as a member of Poco. Poco was a well-regarded Los Angeles live act signed to Atlantic Records by David Geffen, but Meisner left the band during the recording of their first album. From there, Meisner spent time in Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band. He later joined Rondstadt’s backing band, after Don Henley and Glenn Frey were already in the band and discussing beginning one together. “It was one of those kinds of situations where it was in everybody’s advantage,” Rondstadt relayed to Billboard in 2016. “I suggested they get Bernie Leadon to play guitar ’cause I liked Bernie and John suggested that they get Randy Meisner, and that’s how the Eagles were formed.”
Frank went on to write:
Eagles were one of the most successful bands of the ‘70s and of all time. The group began in earnest in ‘72 and Meisner continued with the band through ‘77. His most notable work as a leading man came on the song “Take It to the Limit,” which he also co-wrote. “We were getting close to recording ‘Take It to the Limit’ and it wasn’t finished,” Meisner said in the book Canyon of Dreams. “Don and Glenn helped me with the lyrics. I started the song but those guys helped me a lot.” He left the group partially due to touring stress and partially due to associated discord within the band. “I was always kind of shy,” he told Rolling Stone in 2013. “They wanted me to stand in the middle of the stage to sing ‘Take It to the Limit,’ but I liked to be out of the spotlight. One night in Knoxville, I stayed up late and got the flu. We did two or three encores and Glenn wanted another one. I told them I couldn’t do it, and we got into a spat. That was the end… I really felt like I was a member of the group, not a part of it. The whole thing started to end when we started taking separate limos.” He later reunited with Eagles in 1998 for their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Here is his gorgeous falsetto used in the hit song he wrote, “Take It To The Limit”:
The story about how Meisner left the band is part of their candid documentary – at the height of their success the band started to meltdown – here’s that story:
After leaving the band, Meisner had a great solo album with this hit song.
Here is his big solo hit “Hearts On Fire”:
Meisner’s time with the Eagles ended after the “Hotel California” album was recorded…his gorgeous ballad “Try And Love Again” is on that album.
Here is a video of him performing the song live, with a montage of eagles band members added…
It is for many one of the greatest albums of all time – and yes, I live just up the street from the Hotel!
Yes, this is the real “Hotel California”…read my story for more on how the album was written and the role that The Beverly Hills Hotel played:
Meisner was apparently not well enough to take part when I was lucky enough to see the terrific “History Of The Eagles” concert tour in 2013:
I loved seeing Bernie Leadon rejoin the group to perform many of the early songs. Here is a look at that show, with some videos I took at the show – along with a tribute to Glenn Frey, another founding member of the band who died a few years ago:
RIP Randy Meisner….a sad loss for music fans…if you like these stories, why not sign up to receive emails whenever I post? It’s easy to do, I do NOT collect any information about you at all, there are absolutely NO ads of any kind, just stories about movies, music, books, food, travel and pop culture…
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Categories: 70's Music, Art, Classic Rock, Music, Pop Culture, Talent/Celebrities
johnrieber 
So sad!
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Great tribute, John. As we get old, we lose those iconic artists of our youth more frequently.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Excellent post….another great talent gone. chuq
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What made the Eagles one of my top five bands of all time were their incredible harmonies. Meisner could hit the high notes the way few other singers could. I remember him from Poco and he sang lead on some of the Eagles’ classic tracks.
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Yes he had such a distinctive voice – a sad ending to his life
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Thank you for this, John. In the wake of Sinead O’Connor’s passing our news media don’t seem to have caught up with this. I’ve been a huge Eagles fan since the very beginning: their first album came out just before I went to uni and they were a major part of the soundtrack to my time there. Another sad loss – it hasn’t been a good week, has it.
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No a bad week indeed – sad to lose someone so gifted – speaking of Eagles I will be seeing Jackson Browne live at The Beacon in NYC in three weeks
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It is sad, isn’t it, especially when it is someone whose music has given you so much pleasure for more than fifty years. Enjoy the JB concert: I saw him at the Royal Albert Hall in 2010 and it was a wonderful evening. The only slight disappointment was that he didn’t play Before The Deluge!
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I love that album and soMe people do t realize that the song “Late For The Sky” is used in “Taxi Driver” in the scene where Travis Bickle watches the American Bandstand show while pointing a fun at the small TV screen!
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So do I – probably his best. I haven’t seen Taxi Driver so didn’t know that: a pity, as I played that one as a Tuesday Tune a few weeks back!
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Loved them!
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Another great loss. I have loved the Eagles right from the beginning. RIP Randy Meisner.
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Very sad news indeed….he had such a distinctive voice…
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