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One of the most commercially successful bands of the past three decades, the Eagles had a modest beginning as a California studio band.
Gathered by producer John Boylan in 1970, Glenn Frey (guitar), Bernie Leadon (banjo, mandolin), Randy Meisner (bass) and Don Henley (drums) served as Linda Rondstadt's back-up band. After attracting the attention of Rondstadt's label Asylum, they recorded their self-titled debut album, which went gold and produced several Top 40 hits.
Their 1973 follow-up Desperado, wasn't as commercially viable, but is notable for its melancholy title track that has been covered by numerous artists, including Rondstadt herself.
1974's On The Border, however, was a bona fide hit, producing the No. 1 single "Best of My Love." The Eagles capitalized on this newfound success with the quick release of One of These Nights, an album that topped the charts immediately and won the band the first of its four Grammy Awards for the Top 10 single "Lyin' Eyes."
Now certified rock stars, the Eagles saw fit to release a greatest hits album in 1976, which remains rock 'n' roll's best-selling hits album to date. Leadon was replaced by Joe Walsh of the James Gang and the band recorded the Grammy Award-winning Hotel California in 1977. The album produced several hits, including the title track with the infamously long guitar solo.
After a brief hiatus and further lineup changes (the replacement of Meisner with Timothy B. Schmidt), the Eagles released The Long Run in 1979, a solid success featuring the chart-topping single "Heartache Tonight."
The Eagles celebrated the new decade with the release of a live album, but the band split up in 1981. Throughout the '80s, each band member embarked on his own solo career, of which Henley's was the most successful. The former drummer earned critical acclaim as a serious singer/songwriter, winning a Grammy Award for the wistful composition The End of the Innocence.
The Eagles reunited in 1994 for a hugely successful stadium tour and released the No. 1 album Hell Freezes Over. Four years later, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.
In 2001, The Eagles were again in the news when their total album sales hit a whopping 83.5 million - making them the third biggest selling band of all time, behind the Beatles and Led Zeppelin.
Source: RollingStone