Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh
(born November 20, 1947) [1] is an American guitarist, songwriter, and rock musician. He has been a member of three successful bands, the James Gang, Barnstorm, and Eagles. He has also experienced success as a solo artist.
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JOE WALSH TICKETS
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Biography
Early life
A native of
Wichita, Kansas, Walsh and his family lived in
Columbus, Ohio for a number of years, and subsequently moved to
New York City. Later, Walsh moved to
Montclair, New Jersey and attended
Montclair High School there. He spent time in various bands playing around the
Cleveland area, including The Measles, while attending
Kent State University.
Career
1960s and 1970s
In 1969, he replaced
Glen Schwartz as
lead guitarist for the
James Gang, an American
power trio. Walsh proved to be the band's star attraction, noted for his innovative rhythm playing and creative
guitar riffs. The James Gang had several minor hits and became an early
album-oriented rock staple for the next two years,including James Gang Live at Carnegie Hall. In November, 1971, Walsh left the group and formed the group
Barnstorm, although their albums credited Walsh as a solo artist. Walsh and Barnstorm released their debut, the
eponymous Barnstorm
in 1972. The album was a critical success, but had only moderate sales. The follow-up
The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get
(1973) was Walsh's commercial breakthrough. The first single "
Rocky Mountain Way", received heavy airplay and reached #23 on the US Top 40 chart. In 1974, Barnstorm disbanded and Walsh continued as a solo artist.
Over the next two years, Walsh released a second studio album
So What
and a live set,
You Can't Argue with a Sick Mind
. These would be his last solo albums until 1978. In 1976, he joined
The Eagles as
Bernie Leadon's replacement. His addition steered the band toward a harder-edged sound and away from their early country-style work, and he featured prominently on their multi-million-selling album
Hotel California
, co-writing the Top 20 hit "
Life In The Fast Lane" (with Don Henley and Glenn Frey) and "Pretty Maids All in a Row" (co-written with former Barnstorm drummer
Joe Vitale).
As the Eagles struggled to record the follow-up to
Hotel California
, Walsh re-ignited his solo career with the well-received album
But Seriously Folks
(1978) -- which featured his hit comic depiction of rock stardom, "
Life's Been Good". Joe also contributed "In the City" to
The Warriors soundtrack (1979), a song penned and sung by Walsh that was later rerecorded for The Eagles' "The Long Run" album.
1980s-present
Following the Eagles' breakup in 1980, Walsh continued to release albums throughout the 1980s, but sales were poor. Musical trends had passed him by and he maintained a low profile until the mid-1990s. In late 1984 Walsh was contacted by Australian musician
Paul Christie, former bassist in
Mondo Rock, who invited him to come to
Australia to perform with
The Party Boys, an all-star group with a floating membership of well-known Australian rock musicians, which included acclaimed guitarist
Kevin Borich, with whom Walsh became good friends. Walsh accepted and performed with Party Boys on their late 1984-early 1985 Australian tour and appeared on their live album
You Need Professional Help
. He remained in Australia for some time after the tour, putting together the shortlived touring group Creatures From America with
Waddy Wachtel (guitar),
Rick Rosas (bass) and Australian drummer
Richard Harvey (
Divinyls,
Party Boys). Walsh returned to Australia in 1989 to tour with another incarnation of The Party Boys and also visted
New Zealand, where he briefly joined NZ band
Herbs.
[2]
Walsh toured with Ringo Starr in 1989, alternating a handful of his best-known songs with Ringo's tunes, as did all the members of the "All Starr" band. Walsh sang the
US National Anthem at the beginning of game four of the 1995
World Series. In 1989, Walsh recorded a
MTV Unplugged with the
R&B musician
Dr. John.
While producing their
Homegrown
album in 1989, Walsh briefly joined New Zealand reggae band
Herbs. Although he had left by the time of its 1990 release, he still appears as lead vocalist on two tracks, "Up All Night" and "It's Alright", and the album includes the first recording of his "Ordinary Average Guys" (sung by late Herbs bassist
Charlie Tumahai), which subsequently became a solo hit for Walsh as "Ordinary Average Guy".
[3]
In 1994, Walsh reunited with the Eagles for a highly successful reunion tour and live album,
Hell Freezes Over
. Walsh has toured regularly with the Eagles since then and the group released their first new studio album in 28 years,
Long Road Out of Eden
, in 2007.
In June 2004, Walsh performed live before a huge crowd at
Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival in
Dallas, Texas. He was also featured in September 2004 at
The Strat Pack, a concert held in
London, England to mark the 50th anniversary of the
Fender Stratocaster guitar.
In 2006, Walsh reunited with
Jim Fox and
Dale Peters of James Gang for a 15-date summer reunion tour. The tour lasted into the fall. Some of his most recent compositions, such as "One Day At A Time", deal with his struggles with substance abuse, particularly
alcoholism. He is now a
teetotaller and has been sober since 1995.
In 2008, Walsh appeared on the "Carvin 60th Anniversary Celebration DVD" as a Celebrity Endorser. In the recorded interview, he highly praises Carvin guitars and claims that the bridge design is "just like the first Les Paul models. I can't even get Gibson to reissue it."
Joe has been a contributor to such causes as halfway houses for displaced adult women in Wichita, Kansas.
1980 Presidential Candidacy
Walsh ran for President of the United States in 1980 on top of his music career as a mock campaign. He promised to make "
Life's Been Good" the new national anthem if he won, and running on a platform of "Free Gas For Everyone." Though Walsh was not old enough to actually assume the office, he wanted to raise public awareness of the election. He then ran again for vice president in 1992.
Notable appearances
thumb in 2009 Photo: Steve Alexander
Walsh has produced albums for artists such as
Dan Fogelberg and
Ringo Starr. He was a background musician (1st guitar solo) on
Eagles bandmate
Don Henley's 1982 hit "
Dirty Laundry" (listed as such in the liner notes of
I Can't Stand Still
and
Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest Hits
).
Walsh played lead guitar on the song "Green Monkey" which appeared on
America's 1973 album ''
Hat Trick
Walsh co-wrote and played lead guitar on the song "Split Decision" which appeared on
Steve Winwood's 1986 album
Back in the High Life
.
Walsh would reunite with former Eagles bandmates
Randy Meisner and
Timothy B. Schmit as background musicians on the 1987
Richard Marx hit "Don't Mean Nothing".
[4]
Walsh played a prisoner in
The Blues Brothers
. He is noticeable as he is the first prisoner to get on the cafeteria tables during the Jailhouse Rock song at the end. Joe was a close friend of
John Belushi, who starred in the movie.
In the mid 1980s, Dallas/Ft. Worth DJ Redbeard (Doug Hill), KTXQ/Q102, went on vacation. Walsh sat in for him during that week. During this period, he would do guest DJ spots for a week or two annually where he dished inside information on the music industry, and entertained listeners with his antics and music at other stations including KLBJ in Austin, TX.
Walsh appeared as a mystery guest on the
Howard Stern show on August 8, 1989, along with
Pat Cooper. He has appeared numerous times on Stern's show since, more recently with the
James Gang to promote their summer 2006 tour.
Walsh played guitar alongside
Laura Hall in a surprise appearance in
Drew Carey's pay-per-view presentation of "Drew Carey's Improv All-Stars" in Las Vegas. He participated in one game in each show, the ending game "biography." He sometimes made guest appearances on
The Drew Carey Show
as Ed, a laid-back guitarist in a bar band.
Walsh appeared as a featured performer at the 1992 Seville Expo Guitar Legends with on-stage featured guitarists
Nuno Bettencourt,
Brian May,
Joe Satriani and
Steve Vai.
Walsh sang the
National Anthem of Chile at a
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim baseball game in 2003.
Walsh appeared in the television series
Duckman
, as medical video actor in episode 315 - "They Craved Duckman's Brain". Walsh also plays a version of "
Life's Been Good" in a
Duckman
episode. He also appeared on
Mad TV
in 1995 as a customer at an
air guitar shop, and on the comedy game show
Street Smarts
. Walsh appeared in the audience on the April 10, 2008 episode of the
MTV show
Rock the Cradle
as a surprise for his daughter Lucy.
Walsh appeared with the
James Gang in the motion picture
Zachariah
(1971).
Walsh commenced 2007 with an appearance at Dear Mr Fantasy - A Celebration For
Jim Capaldi: a charity gig being held at London's famous Roundhouse where he appeared alongside
Steve Winwood,
Jon Lord,
Pete Townshend,
Bill Wyman,
Paul Weller and many others.
During 2007, Walsh has appeared at selected shows with country-rock star musician
Kenny Chesney on his Flip Flop Summer Tour 2007. "I don't think there's anybody in the world who doesn't know
Life's Been Good
or
Rocky Mountain Way
if they've listened to any rock radio at all," said Kenny. Walsh also played a number of solo dates during late summer. Walsh has collaborated with Chesney on several occasions, most notably producing the song "Wild Ride".
Walsh performed the National Anthem on guitar at the Los Angeles Clippers vs. Los Angeles Lakers game on November 5, 2008 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Walsh appears in
Madden NFL 10 on the Free Agents list at the Wide Receiver position.
Personal life
Walsh holds an Extra Class Amateur Radio License. His station callsign is WB6ACU.
[5] In 2006 he donated an autographed
guitar to the
ARRL for its
charity auction. He has also been involved with the group's "Big Project," which brings amateur radio into schools. Walsh has included Morse Code messages in his albums on two occasions: once on the album
Barnstorm
("Register and Vote"), and later on
Songs for a Dying Planet
("Register and Vote for Me").
Walsh is known for his guitar and keyboard skills, but also plays/has played bass guitar, harmonica, bagpipes, oboe, and clarinet. His mother was a classically trained pianist.
Walsh married Marjorie Bach (sister of Barbara Bach) in Los Angeles on December 13 2008.
Walsh's daughter,
Lucy Walsh, is also a musician; she has worked with
Ashlee Simpson, among others, and released her debut album,
Lost in the Lights
, in spring 2008.
Walsh's oldest daughter, Emma Kristen, died as a result of injuries suffered in an automobile accident on her way to nursery school in 1974. Her story inspired the track "Song For Emma" on his album
So What
released later that year. In her memory, he had a fountain and memorial plaque placed in a park in which she played, North Boulder Park in
Boulder, Colorado. While touring with singer
Stevie Nicks in 1984, Walsh took Nicks to the park's fountain; Nicks subsequently immortalized this story in her song "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You" on her 1985 album
Rock A Little
. Nicks stated in a 2007 interview with the UK
Telegraph
that Walsh had been "the great love of her life."
In October 2004, Walsh undertook speaking engagements in
New Zealand to warn against the dangers of
substance abuse. Events were staged at the
New Zealand Parliament in Wellington, Otatara Pa in Hawke's Bay and Hoani Waititi Marae in Auckland. He said the visit was a "thank you" to people who talked to him and took him to Otatara Pa when he toured New Zealand with reggae band
Herbs while under heavy
alcohol and
cocaine addictions in 1989, an experience he has cited as the beginning of a long journey back to health.
[6]
At Otatara Pa in 2004 Walsh said, "This is a special place, and it is very special to me. It was here on a visit many years ago, up on the hills, that I had a moment of clarity. I don't understand it, but I reconnected with my soul, and I remembered who I used to be. I admitted I had problems and I had to do something about it. It was the beginning of my recovery from my addiction to alcohol and drugs, and when I got back to America it gave me the courage to seek help."
[7]
Walsh gave his main guitar, a 1959
Gibson Les Paul Sunburst, to
Led Zeppelin guitarist
Jimmy Page.
[8]
Kent State University awarded Walsh an
honorary degree in music in December 2001.
[9]
Discography
James Gang albums
Date
| Album
|
November 1969
| Yer' Album
|
October 1970
| James Gang Rides Again
|
July 1971
| Thirds
|
December 1971
| James Gang Live in Concert
|
Barnstorm albums
Date
| Album
|
September 1972
| Barnstorm
|
June 1973
| The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get
|
Eagles albums
Date
| Album
|
December 1976
| Hotel California
|
September 1979
| The Long Run
|
November 1980
| Eagles Live
|
November 1994
| Hell Freezes Over
|
October 2007
| Long Road Out of Eden
|
Solo albums
Date
| Album
|
December 1974
| So What
|
March 1976
| You Can't Argue with a Sick Mind
|
May 1978
| But Seriously Folks
|
March 1981
| There Goes the Neighborhood
|
May 1983
| You Bought It, You Name It
|
1985
| The Confessor
|
July 1987
| Got Any Gum?
|
January 1991
| Ordinary Average Guy
|
May 1992
| Songs for a Dying Planet
|
Compilation albums
Date
| Album
|
November 1978
| The Best of Joe Walsh
|
September 1985
| Rocky Mountain Way
|
May 1995
| Look What I Did!
|
1997
| Joe Walsh's Greatest Hits - Little Did He Know...
|
Albums with REO Speedwagon
Date
| Album
|
1973
| Ridin' The Storm Out
|
Albums with Ringo Starr
Date
| Album
|
June 1983
| Old Wave
- (Walsh both played on and produced this album)
|
October 1990
| Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band
|
September 1993
| Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band Volume 2: Live from Montreux
|
June 1998
| Vertical Man
|
October 1998
| VH1 Storytellers
|
Other album appearances
Year
| Artist
| Album
|
1977
| Andy Gibb
| (Love Is) Thicker Than Water
|
1973
| Manassas
| Down the Road
|
2006
| Frankie Miller
| Long Way Home
|
1974
| Dan Fogelberg
| Souvenirs
- (Walsh performed on and produced this album)
|
1979
| Phoenix
| Face the Fire
- (Walsh performed on and produced this album)
|
1977
| Jay Ferguson
| Thunder Island
|
1979
| Jay Ferguson
| Real Life Ain't This Way
|
1981
| John Entwistle
| Too Late The Hero
- (Walsh performed on and produced this album)
|
1987
| Richard Marx
| Richard Marx
- (Slide guitar on "Don't Mean Nothing")
|
1977
| Carl Palmer
| 'L.A. Nights''
|
1973
| Michael Stanley
| Rosewood Bitters
|
1973
| Michael Stanley
| Friends and Legends
- (performed on most songs on album)
|
1991
| Bob Seger
| The Mountain
|
1974
| Joe Vitale
| Roller Coaster Weekend
|
1981
| Joe Vitale
| Plantation Harbour
|
1980
| Warren Zevon
| Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School
|
1990
| Herbs
| Homegrown
- (Walsh played and sang on, wrote for and produced this album; it includes the original versions of "Up All Night", "Ordinary Average Guys" (sung by Herbs bassist Charlie Tumahai) and "It's Alright")
|
1982
| Lionel Richie
| "Lionel Richie"
- ((Mellow slide guitar solo on "Wandering Stranger")
|
Eagles songs (written by Joe Walsh)
Year
| Song
| Writers
| Album
|
1976
| "Life in the Fast Lane"
| Joe Walsh, Don Henley, Glenn Frey
| Hotel California
|
1976
| "Pretty Maids All in a Row"
| Joe Wash, Joe Vitale
| Hotel California
|
1979
| "The Sad Café"
| Joe Walsh, J.D. Souther, Don Henley, Glenn Frey
| The Long Run
|
1979
| "In The City"
| Joe Walsh, Barry De Vorzon
| The Long Run
|
2007
| "Last Good Time In Town" on
| Joe Walsh
| Long Road Out of Eden
|
Eagles songs (featuring Joe Walsh on lead vocal)
Year
| Song
| Album
|
1976
| "Pretty Maids All in a Row"
| Hotel California
|
1979
| "In The City"
| The Long Run
|
2005
| "One Day at a Time"
| Farewell 1 Tour-Live from Melbourne
|
2007
| "Guilty Of The Crime"
| Long Road Out Of Eden
|
2007
| "Last Good Time In Town"
| Long Road Out Of Eden
|
Note:
Other songs in the Eagles catalog that were sung and written by Walsh include "
Life's Been Good" and "All Night Long", from Walsh's solo career, which were included on
Eagles Live
and
Funk 49
and
Walk Away
, from Walsh's days in the
James Gang, was included on the fourth "Millennium Concert" disc of the Eagles box set
Selected Works: 1972-1999. The band has also been known to play "Rocky Mountain Way," as seen on the Farewell Tour I DVD. These are not Eagles songs however, since the studio cuts did not originate under the Eagles name.
Singles
Year
| Title
| Chart positions
| Album
|
U.S. Hot 100
| U.S. Rock
| UK Singles
|
1970
| "Funk #49" (with James Gang)
| 59
| —
| —
| James Gang Rides Again
|
1971
| "Walk Away" (with James Gang)
| 51
| —
| —
| Thirds
|
"Midnight Man" (with James Gang)
| 80
| —
| —
|
1973
| "Rocky Mountain Way"
| 23
| —
| —
| The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get
|
1974
| "Meadows"
| 89
| —
| —
|
1975
| "Turn to Stone"
| 93
| —
| —
| So What
|
1977
| "Rocky Mountain Way"
| —
| —
| 39
| Rocky Mountain Way EP
|
1978
| "Life's Been Good"
| 12
| —
| 14
| But Seriously Folks...
|
1980
| "All Night Long"
| 19
| —
| —
| Urban Cowboy
Soundtrack
|
1981
| "A Life of Illusion"
| 34
| 1
| —
| There Goes The Neighborhood
|
1983
| "Space Age Whiz Kids"
| 52
| 21
| —
| You Bought It, You Name It
|
"I Can Play That Rock & Roll"
| —
| 13
| —
|
1985
| "The Confessor"
| —
| 8
| —
| The Confessor
|
1987
| "The Radio Song"
| —
| 8
| —
| Got Any Gum?
|
"In My Car"
| —
| 14
| —
|
1991
| "Ordinary Average Guy"
| —
| 3
| —
| Ordinary Average Guy
|
"All of a Sudden"
| —
| 13
| —
|
1992
| "Vote for Me"
| —
| 10
| —
| Songs for a Dying Planet
|
2007
| "Wild Ride" (with Kenny Chesney)A
| —
| —
| —
| Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates
(Kenny Chesney album)
|
- Does not include songs with the Eagles.
AAlbum cut; reached #56 on Billboard
Hot Country Songs chart.
References
- Walsh, Joe Biography: Contemporary Musicians
- Joe Walsh in Australia
- Herbs web site http://www.glenmoffatt.com/herbs_history.htm
- http://www.richardmarx.com/frameset.html
- Title Unavailable
- New Zealand Press Association, "Message with a melody", ''New Zealand Herald'', 7 October 2004
- Denis O'Reilly, Nga Kupu Aroha, http://www.nzedge.com/features/ar-denis02.html, 14 October 2004
- Electric Guitars:The Illustrated Encyclopedia
- Honorary Degrees