Joe Walsh
Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Walsh has been a member of five successful rock bands: the Eagles, the James Gang, Barnstorm, The Party Boys, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. In the 1990s, he was also a member of the short-lived supergroup The Best. He has also experienced success both as a solo artist and prolific session musician, being featured on a wide array of other artists' recordings. In 2011, Rolling Stone placed Walsh at the number 54 spot on its list of "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." Walsh joined the Eagles in 1975 as the group's keyboardist and guitarist following the departure of their founding member Bernie Leadon, with Hotel California being his first album with the band. In 1998 Guitarist magazine selected the guitar solos on the track "Hotel California" by Walsh and Don Felder as the best guitar solos of all time, and eighth of the Top 100 Guitar Solos. Walsh pursued a solo career and released his debut album The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get in 1973. Since then, he has released twelve 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", "Space Age Whiz Kids", "The Confessor", "The Radio Song" 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. The Eagles are considered to be one of the most influential bands of the 1970s, and they remain the best-selling American band in the history of popular music. Walsh's creative contribution to music has received praise from many of the best rock guitarists, including Led Zeppelin's former guitarist Jimmy Page, who praised Walsh by saying "He has a tremendous feel for the instrument. I've loved his style since the early James Gang." Cream's former guitarist, 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, a friend of Walsh's, commented that "Joe Walsh is a fluid and intelligent player. There're not many like that around."