Original The Eagles Rock Band Members Then And Now

The Eagles Rock Band Original Members Then And Now include Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner. They were the founding members.
Winning 6 Grammy Awards, the Eagles are arguably one of the Greatest rock bands ever. Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) sold more than 38 million units making it the number-one greatest-selling album of all time.
Similarly, their album Hotel California sold more than 26 million copies. The record sales have made them one of the richest bands in history. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
Their simple yet catchy melodies and easy to follow, but haunting, lyrics have earned them a place in the hallowed halls of Rock immortality.
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Original Eagles Band Members
The original Eagles band members include Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner. The band was formed in 1971 in Los Angeles.
Original Members: | Years In the Band: |
Don Henley | 1971–1980, 1994–2016, 2017–present |
Glenn Frey | 1971–1980, 1994–2016 |
Bernie Leadon | 1971–1975, 2013–2016 |
Randy Meisner | 1971–1977 |
Don Henley is the drummer and percussionist of the Eagles band and also one of the lead vocalists. He is also the only original member still in the band.
Next, Glenn Frey was also the lead vocalist, and served as the frontman of the band. He played the lead and rhythm guitars until he passed away in 2016.
Multi-instrumentalist Bernie played guitars and sang backing vocals. The fourth member of the original lineup was Randall Meisner or Randy who wrote songs and played the bass guitar.
He also backed as a high-harmony vocalist for the band or when working as a session musician. Sadly, Meisner recently passed away in 2023.
The members came up with the idea of forming a new band when they were touring with Linda Ronstadt. Before they were called Eagles, they were known as Teen King and the Emergencies.
Current Members of the Eagles
The Current Members of the Eagles include Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmitt, Vince Gill and Deacon Frey. Here is a list of them:
Current Members of the Eagles | Years In The Band: |
Don Henley | 1971–1980, 1994–2016, 2017–present |
Joe Walsh | 1975–1980, 1994–2016, 2017–present |
Timothy B. Schmitt | 1977–1980, 1994–2016, 2017–present |
Vince Gill | 2017–present |
Deacon Frey | 2017–2022, 2023–present |
Joe Walsh is one of the most accomplished guitarists of all time. He was also listed on the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine.
He joined the Eagles in 1975, and has been playing lead guitar and keyboard ever since. Spanning a career of more than five decades, Joe has played with other bands like Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band and James Gang.
Timothy B Schmit joined the Eagles in 1977 replacing Randy Meisner on bass. Before joining the Eagles he was the bassist for the band Poco.
Schmit was the one who sang the lead vocals forthe group's popular song, "Love Will Keep Us Alive" at the band's reunion in 1994.
Vince Gill began playing with the band in 2017 and is the most recent member of the group. He is a renowned country musician who had been a member of the bands like Pure Prairie League, Cherry Bombs and The Time Jumpers.
He has won massive 22 Grammys in his career out of 47 nominations – his first Grammy was for When I Call Your Name for which he won the best Country Vocal Performance, Male award.
Lastly, Deacon Frey joined the group again in 2023 after having played with them from 2017 to 2022. He is responsible for rhythm and lead guitars alongside lead and backing vocals.
Trivia: Deacon Frey is the son of original Eagles member Glenn Frey.
Eagles Band Members Then And Now
Eagles Band Members Then and Now have had a tumultuous journey. Much of their legacy was already written before the band broke up in 1980.
They first reuinted back in 1994 with Don Felder, Joe Walsh, Tomothy B. Schmitt, and Don Henley.
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Felder, who had joined the group in 1974 and though not an original member but nonetheless considered part of the classic lineup, was removed from the group due to some legal and financial issues in 2001.
Except for that case, all other members who were with the band until 1980 continued their association. Their first live album Hell Freezes Over debuted at #1 on the Billboard album chart.
The group has over 20.1 million monthly listeners on Spotify right now. Their 10 most streamed songs are as follows:
Song Names: | Spotify Streams: |
Hotel California | 1,404,766,668 |
Take It Easy | 547,234,900 |
One of These Nights | 232,049,677 |
Life in the Fast Lane | 293,293,906 |
Peaceful Easy Feeling | 148,780,812 |
Tequila Sunrise | 110,608,515 |
Desperado | 171,448,773 |
Lyin' Eyes | 136,451,424 |
New Kid in Town | 129,969,399 |
Love Will Keep Us Alive | 65,894,218 |
The band would continue performing from 1994 to 2016, taking a brief hiatus after the passing of Glenn Frey. However, they have been touring consistently since 2017.
Where Are Original Members Of The Eagles Today?
Of the original four members, only Don Henley is still with the band. Glenn Frey passed away in 2016, while the other two have been in and out of the group.
After leaving the Eagles, Randy Meisner pursued a solo music career and even released two solo albums – Randy Meisner and One More Song. He also joined the Country Rock bands Black Tie and later World Class Rockers.
However, Meisner was experiencing serious mental health issues by 2015 and had a problem with the law too. After his wife's death, Meisner has been under the care of his friends, owing to his health issue.
In 2020, he had made a remote appearance singing background vocals and had also appeared in a radio show talking with Joe Walsh. Far and large, Meisner is a retired musician.
As for Bernie Leadon, after leaving the Eagles, he settled in Nashville and worked as a songwriter, producer and session musician. He also released an album, Natural Progression, teaming with Michael Georgiades and later joined bands like the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. In 2003 he released his second solo CD, Mirror.
He did rejoin the group for the History of the Eagles tour from 2013 to 2016. He also played alongside the band in honor of Glenn Frey at the Grammys.
How Old Are The Eagles Band Members Now?
The Eagles band was formed in 1971 when all of the band members were in their 20s. Except for Deacon Frey, all past and present members are in their 60s or 70s.
The Eagle band members ages are as follows:
Prominent Band Members (Still Alive) | Birthdate, Age, And Eagles Band Status |
Don Henley | 1947 (76), Present member |
Glenn Frey | 1948-2016 (67), Original member |
Bernie Leadon | 1947 (76), Original member |
Randy Meisner | 1946 (77), Original member |
Joe Walsh | 1947 (75), Present member |
Timothy B. Schmit | 1947 (75), Present member |
Vince Gill | 1957 (66), Present member |
Don Felder | 1947 (76), Classic member |
Deacon Frey | 1993 (30), Present member |
How Many Original Eagles Members Are Left?
Don Henley is the last original Eagles member left in the band. Glen Frey is deceased, Randy Meisner is retired, and Bernie Leadon has his solo career.
Besides playing the drums for the iconic American rock band Eagles, Don also co-wrote many songs for the legendary band. He has also voiced in the modern signature classics like Hotel California, Desperado, One of These Nights and Life in the Fast Lane.
Don has also enjoyed a successful solo career as a singer and has released more than half a dozen albums like The End of Innocence (1989), Inside Job (2000), Cass Country (2015) and others.
Glenn Frey was active in the band until he passed away in 2016 fighting rheumatoid arthritis. One of the signature songs of the band Take It Easy was co-written by Glenn.
His death was mourned by all major musicians and the band along with Jackson Browne had performed Take It Easy at the 58th Grammy Awards in his honor.
Bernie Leadon had left the band in 1975 as rumor has it that, Leadon wanted to stick to country rock, but the group moved more towards rock and roll. After his departure, the band introduced Joe Walsh as his replacement.
Randy Meisner left the band in 1977 due to personal reasons citing exhaustion from touring for many months with the band. He was replaced by Timothy B Schmit.
Eagles Concert Reviews 2023
The ongoing Eagles Concert Reviews their Hotel California Tour 2023 has come up. Launched in 2019 the tour resumed in 2021 when the pandemic settled down.
The tour features the songs from their classic 1976 album "Hotel California" performed in its entirety. Take It Easy, Take It to the Limit, Seven Bridges Road are other hits the band has been performing at their sold-out shows.
The band has also been joined by a symphony orchestra and choir with other touring members playing drums, percussions, mandolin, keyboards, synths, accordion and piano, and all supported by backing vocals.
Their performance at downtown Phoenix also witnessed a surprise guest appearance of Deacon Frey – son of Glenn Frey – who recently left the band to pursue his own career.
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