Like many of the other Eagles, Joe Walsh has had a successful solo career. This noted guitarist, songwriter, and singer was a member of The James Gang and his own band (Barnstorm) prior to his long term position in The Eagles, which began in 1975. Walsh's first chart appearance as a solo artist goes all the way back to 1973 when "Rocky Mountain Way" reached #23. He scored his biggest hit, "Life's Been Good," which reached #12, in 1978. Another notable Top 20 entry is his contribution to the Urban Cowboy soundtrack: "All Night Long," which peaked at #19 in 1980. Walsh's chart career ended when "Space Age Whiz Kids" stalled at #52 in 1983, although his 1991 tune, "Ordinary Average Guy," received a lot of airplay and remains a fan favorite. After a long hiatus, Walsh released an album a new songs in 2012 entitled, "Analog Man." Walsh proves he hasn't lost his touch for clever songwriting and self-effacing humor.
Bob Seger has been cranking out the hits since the late 60s, although his final chart appearance was in 1991 when "The Real Love" reached #24. He was inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame in 2004 and ranks as the 92nd most successful artist on the charts. His best decade was the 80s, in which he ranked #31. Throughout his stellar career, Seger managed a lone #1 hit, which arrived in 1987: "Shakedown," which was featured in the hit movie Beverly Hills Cop II. The closest he came to claiming the top spot again was in 1982 when "Shame On The Moon" spent 4 weeks at #2. Seger's last album was in 2017 and it is one of his most memorable efforts. Dedicated to his buddy Glenn Frey of The Eagles, who passed away in 2016, the album boasts some of his finest rockers and ballads. Among the latter is "I'll Remember You." Frey actually contributed backing vocals to Seger's first chart hit, "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man," which reached #17 in 1969.
In addition to his tenure in the successful bands Poco and The Eagles, vocalist, songwriter, and bassist Timothy B. Schmit has tried his hand at a solo career. He's scored two minor hits that broke onto the charts: a cover of "So Much In Love," featured in Fast Times At Ridgemont High, reached #59 in 1982 and "Boys Night Out" reached #25 in 1987. "A Better Day Is Coming" is a catchy mid-tempo number that seemed ripe for chart success in 1987, but it was ignored for some reason.
Boz (William) Scaggs scored a string of notable hits through the 70s. He got his start on the charts in 1971 when "We Were Always Sweethearts" landed at #61. Never one to follow trends or get locked into one particular genre, Scaggs enjoyed the freedom of being a musical shape-shifter. Nonetheless, his most successful tunes were radio-friendly cuts like "Lowdown" (#3), "Lido Shuffle" (#11), "Breakdown Dead Ahead" (#15), "JoJo" (#17), and "Miss Sun" (#14). "Look What You've Done To Me" was another big hit that arrived in 1980 - it featured some of The Eagles on backing vocals and was featured in the hit movie Urban Cowboy. Scaggs took a break from the charts in the 80s, but had a minor comeback when "Heart Of Mine" reached #35 in 1988. It would remain his final chart appearance. Scaggs also achieved success writing songs for others, most notably his tune "We're All Alone." His version appears on his landmark 1976 album, "Silk Degrees," but Rita Coolidge took it to #7 in 1977. "Dinah Flo" takes us back to 1972. Only his third chart appearance, the song stalled at #86 and deserved much better recognition.
Rediscovering magnificent songs like this make the work I put into this blog worth every minute. Originally of The Stone Poneys, Linda Ronstadt quickly made a name for herself as a solo artist with a lovable voice. She racked up so many hits in the 70s that she is ranked the 24th most successful artist of the decade. Some highlights of her 70s chart career include the #1 smash "You're No Good" the #2 smash "When Will I Be Loved," the #3 smash "Blue Bayou," and the #5 smash "It's So Easy." Her hot streak continued in the 80s with big ones such as "How Do I Make You" (#10) and "Hurt So Bad" (#8), and then a couple monster duets with James Ingram that both reached #2: "Somewhere Out There" and "Don't Know Much." Oh, and her backing band from the early 70s made out pretty well, too...they became The Eagles. "I Can't Let It Go" comes from her 1980 record, "Mad Love," one that is good from start to finish and always a treat to hear again.
While similar to The Eagles in many respects, including personnel at times, Poco did not share the same success on the charts. They never cracked the top 10, but are known for popular tunes like "Crazy Love" (#17), "Heart Of The Night" (#20), "Under The Gun" (#48), and a come-back hit of sorts from 1989, "Call It Love" (#18). Poco began with Rusty Young and members of Buffalo Springfield, including Jim Messina, who would later team up with Kenny Loggins to achieve a string of hits as Loggins and Messina. Two musicians in Poco who later joined The Eagles were Randy Meisner and Timothy B. Schmit. The height of the band's popularity has in the late 70s, largely thanks to their album called "Legend." "Little Darlin'" is one of the gems tucked away on that strong record, buried beneath the big singles. The band's last chart appearance was in 1990, when "Nothin' To Hide," penned by Richard Marx, peaked at #39.
Arizona born Stevie (Stephanie) Nicks got her start in the San Francisco group Fritz before meeting Lindsay Buckingham, which led to the duo making history with Fleetwood Mac. Nicks has released a number of solo records beginning with the classic "Bella Donna" in 1981, but she actually made her first appearance on the chart as a solo artist in 1978 when the duet with Kenny Loggins, "Whenever I Call You Friend" went to #5. Nicks wrote a considerable number of her own songs, but never shied away from a good duet. After success with Loggins, she scored big with Tom Petty. Their first duet, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" stayed at #3 for six weeks in 1981. She would chart again with Petty in 1986 when "Needles and Pins" hit #37. She also scored a hit with Don Henley of The Eagles in 1981 again with "Leather And Lace," which hit #6. One of her last chart appearances was in 1991, covering "Sometimes It's A Bitch," written by Bon Jovi and Billy Falcon. "Imperial Hotel" was co-written by Nicks and Mike Campbell (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) and appeared on her third solo effort, 1985's "Rock A Little." The record spawned chart hits "Talk To Me" (#4), "I Can't Wait" (#16), and "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You" (#60), but the catchy "Imperial Hotel" did not chart. In 2018, Stevie Nicks made history as the first woman to be inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame twice, once as a member of a band and again as a solo artist.
Singer and songwriter Richard Marx is well-known for his string of monster hits in the late 80s and early 90s (the first solo artist ever to have his first 7 singles land in the top 5). But he'd been long working in the music business before his debut hit "Don't Mean Nothing" reached #3 in 1987 and after his final chart appearance in 1997 (when "At The Beginning," a duet with Donna Lewis featured in the movie Anastasia, topped out at #45). Marx had been singing commercial jingles since the age of 5 and then found himself singing backup vocals for the likes of Lionel Richie. Richie got a demo tape of some of Marx's original songs to Kenny Rogers, who ended up recording some ("Crazy" and "What About Me?"). After a few more years of hustling, Marx finally got a record deal of his own and recruited musicians from The Tubes (Fee Waybill) and Eagles (Joe Walsh, Randy Meisner) to play on his self-titled debut, which would sell nearly 4 million copies. If you're looking for a lost gem from this record, check out "Lonely Heart." His sophomore record, "Repeat Offender," did not prove to be a jinx, yielding five more top 15 singles for Marx. Underrated tunes from this effort include "Nothin' You Can Do About It" and "Waiting For The Sunrise." While it performed well, his third effort ("Rush Street") met with mixed reviews. Shuffling music styles like a deck of cards, this record contains the trademark rock and pop fans grew to love, but mixed in some blue-eyed soul and sultry tunes that foreshadowed his transformation into an adult contemporary balladeer. I'm not a big fan of this record, but "Take This Heart" (which landed at #20) and "Big Boy Now" are worth a spin. Marx's fourth record, "Paid Vacation," is one of my favorites and possibly his most underrated. It felt like a strong return to form, although its lead single was yet another ballad. But what a beautiful ballad it was: "Now And Forever" had gorgeous acoustic guitar, a heartfelt vocal, and sweeping orchestration that remind me of Bread. The song reached #7 in 1994 (remarkable since grunge was in full swing) and marked Marx's final showing in the top 10. "Heaven's Waiting" is a more upbeat acoustic-based rocker from this terrific record. Marx continues to release records every now and then and has obtained huge success as a songwriter for other artists - everyone from NSYNC to Kenny Loggins to Luther Vandross ("Dance With My Father" won Marx a songwriting Grammy).
Drummer and vocalist for the Eagles, Don Henley has also enjoyed a successful solo career. His first charting single as a "lone eagle" wasn't completely solo, as it was a duet with the great Stevie Nicks. "Leather and Lace" went all the way to #6 in 1981. Henley would have another massive duet with Patty Smyth in 1992 when "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" spent 6 weeks at #2 - the biggest hit of his solo career. After scoring with "Leather and Lace," Henley put out his first proper single from his debut solo record, "I Can't Stand Still." The peppy "Johnny Can't Read" stalled at #42, but Henley's next single, "Dirty Laundry," made out much better, spending 3 weeks at #3 in 1982. When the title track stalled at #48, we heard nothing more from this album make its way onto the chart. Henley's second record was more successful, yielding four top 40 hits including one of his most well-known classics, "The Boys of Summer," which peaked at #5. Henley's third album continued a hot streak, producing the landmark song co-written with Bruce Hornsby, "The End of the Innocence" (#8). Four more charting singles would follow from the album of the same name. After taking time out for most of the 90s to enjoy a hugely successful reunion with the Eagles, Henley's last appearance as a solo artist came in 2000, when "Taking You Home" reached #58. "You Can't Make Love" is yet another terrific cut from his sophomore effort, "Building The Perfect Beast." Arguably his best record, this one also contains the underrated song "Not Enough Love In The World," which surprisingly only reached #34.
Soft rock artist Dan Fogelberg got his start on the charts in 1975 with the #31 hit, "Part Of The Plan," which featured Graham Nash and Joe Walsh as musical guests. His follow-up hit, "The Power Of Gold," (#24 in 1978) featured a different Eagle on harmony vocals - Don Henley. If that wasn't enough, Fogelberg's #7 hit from 1981, "Hard To Say," featured Glenn Frey on harmony vocals. Which begs the question...what was his beef with Timothy B. Schmit? Fogelberg graced the charts with other ballads like "Longer" (#2, his biggest hit), "Same Old Lang Syne" (#9), "Run For The Roses" (#18), and "Leader Of The Band" (#9). He could rock out a bit when he wanted to, like on "The Language Of Love" (#13) or "She Don't Look Back" (#85 in 1987, and his last chart appearance). Not that he needed to release more ballads, but "Windows And Walls" ranks among one of his most heartbreaking tunes about loneliness and growing old. Maybe it was too sad for radio, but it certainly deserves your attention. Sadly, Fogelberg left us too soon, dying of prostate cancer in 2007.
The legendary rock band known as The Eagles ruled the 70s, achieving 5 #1 hits and many other charting singles. However, you may be surprised to learn that many of their classic "hits" did not even chart. This includes "Desperado", "The Sad Cafe", "After The Thrill Is Gone", and "Victim Of Love". The Eagles rank at #20 among the best artists of the 70s and #126 of all-time. Their first greatest hits record is second only to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" in selling more copies than any other album (29 million and counting). The Eagles first landed on the chart in 1972 with "Take It Easy" going to #12. In late 1974, they would score their first #1 hit with "Best Of My Love". The band's wings grew weary by 1980 as inner turmoil in the band had members itching to go solo. "Seven Bridges Road" would prove to be the band's last top 40 hit (peaking at #21 in 1980) until their surprise reunion in 1994. Their comeback hits, "Get Over It" and "Love Will Keep Us Alive", reached #31 and #22, respectively. Going all the way back to their debut self-titled album from 1972 (which peaked at #22) is a little known gem I'd like to highlight here called "Nightingale".
2016 is shaping up to be the year the music died. Yet another legend in the rock world passed away today: Glenn Frey. Frey was a founding member of The Eagles, but also had a very successful solo career throughout the 80s following the band's break up. Frey's first solo hit was "I Found Somebody", which reached #31 in 1982. Bigger hits like "The Heat Is On" (#2), "Smuggler's Blues" (#12), and "You Belong To The City" (#2) would follow, the latter two being featured on the hit TV show, Miami Vice. Frey's solo career was running out of steam by the 90s, but I always thought one of his best songs was "Part Of Me, Part Of You", which surprisingly only reached #55 in 1991. This song, which sounds most like an Eagles tune, was featured in the movie, Thelma & Louise.
