Dear Don,
Aside from Glenn’s family, I feel the most for you. You and Glenn Frey had to be spiritually connected in some sort of way to be able to produce so much beautiful music and keep the band going for as long as you did. I know it sounds cliche but the L.A. sound of the 70’s really was the soundtrack to my life. I mean to the point I probably took it for granted until January 18th, 2016.
You see my mom was raised in California. It wasn’t until just before I was born in 1975 that she moved to East Coast. Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Brown, The Eagles as well as many others were always played in my house growing up. My mom didn’t approve of TV and in later years it was only allowed to be turned on after 6pm so records and the radio were constantly on in my house. I always remember bands of that time because I heard them daily, even as a small child. My mom had this huge baby powder blue station wagon she used to drive us around in and I remember hearing the Eagles all the time, My mom and stepdad would take us out every sunday and give me rolls of quarters to play the pinball machines and Jukebox and always had the Eagles going etc. Your band’s song “one of these nights” hit #1 the day i was born, Your guys last show was 3 days before my 5th birthday and for at least a few years after that, stations were playing you.
The years rolled on, My mom kept up with Glenn’s and your solo albums but by then, I had never known your individual names, I didn’t realize you were from the Eagles, in fact to be honest I was so young that I knew the songs but I didn’t remember the group name LOL. It was late 80’s, early 90’s maybe and I vividly remember my brother coming home from one of his friends houses saying “Hey Mom WZZO (local rock station in my area) played this awesome song called Hotel California, have you heard of it?” —- Mom ran over to the record cabinet and whipped out the vinyl LP….Go figure. From then on my mom became the “cool mom” of the neighborhood. She had it all, Eagles, Jackson Brown, Fleetwood Mac, oh heck she even had Janice, Jimmy and Led Zeppelin. I was about 15 at the time. So we rediscovered the Eagles as teenagers. I think it was at that point I realized you and Glenn were Eagles as she had your solo albums too. Incidentally my personal favorite of your solo years is New York Minute.
Just shortly before I graduated High School in 1994 you guys were back with your first Hell Freezes Over performance….. Once again the Eagles were in my life. At my parents, In my car etc… It was cool, old songs and new alike. You guys were there at every pivotal moment in my first 20 yrs. BTW thumbs up on “Get Over it” , that’s definitely a song I play when I’m feeling frustrated with people and it makes me smile. It’s also been my go to catch phrase for twenty years now.
Fast Forward to this past month, We have lost several ground breaking musicians lately but when I heard about Glenn my heart sank and I broke down and cried. I’ve been listening and watching Eagles videos for the past several weeks and It just brings me to tears. I can look back and remember vividly moments of my life from a VERY young age that had the Eagles in the background. You guys reminded me of my mom as well. All that beautiful music that Glenn gave us along with you as well, I really did take it for granted.
You and Glenn have brought beautiful music to 3 generations now in my family. My 14 year old son much like brother way be back when has now “rediscovered” the Eagles. And I couldn’t be happier.
Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for meeting Glenn and making wonderful music with him.
Dear Randy Meisner,
Get Over It is my go to song when people upset me but Take It To the Limit has always been my go to song when I’m stressed out and frustrated with whatever life throws at me. I get to that crushing point and I listen to that song and it always helps me through it.
Dear Joe Walsh,
Ohhhhhhh the ultimate bad boy. You can sing and play Funk 49, shred a hotel room and then turn around and sing pretty maids all in a row. It’s a good thing I was just a baby in the 70’s. I would have been a total Joe groupie LOL.
Dear Timothy,
Your sweet sound. I am so glad the Eagles reunited in 1994 so you could keep living your dream.
And last but not least…………….
Dear Glenn,
Oh Glenn, your passing made me cry so much. I wrote to Don that to say you guys wrote the soundtrack to my life sounds cliche but it really is true. It’s been several weeks since your passing and it still brings me to my knees and leaves a pit in my stomach. I never got to see you play live or ever even meet you but meant so much to. There really aren’t too many words I could write to you that would even compare to how I am feeling. I am honored to know I had walked the earth for 40 years with your presence in the world.