Joe Walsh
Encyclopedia
Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American
musician
, songwriter
, record producer
, and actor
. He has been a member of three commercially successful bands, the James Gang
, Barnstorm, and the Eagles, and has experienced notable success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, especially with B.B. King and Dan Fogelberg
.
, Walsh and his family lived in Columbus, Ohio
for a number of years. When Joe was twelve years old the family 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
. In response to moving to New York City, Walsh began a lifelong hobby of amateur ("ham") radio
with the callsign WB6ACU.
as lead guitar
ist 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. In particular he was known for hot-wiring the pickups on his electric guitars to create his trademark "attack" sound. 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 titled under his own name (although officially a Barnstorm album) and 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.
In December 1974, Walsh released an official solo album, So What and in March 1976, a live set, You Can't Argue with a Sick Mind
. These would be his last solo albums until 1978. On December 20, 1975 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 was 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.
, 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 the 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 short-lived touring group Creatures From America, with Waddy Wachtel
(guitar), Rick Rosas (bass) and Australian drummer Richard Harvey
(Divinyls
, The Party Boys). Walsh returned to Australia in 1989 to tour with another incarnation of The Party Boys and also visited New Zealand
, where he briefly joined NZ band Herbs
.
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".
In late 1990, Walsh was part of a band called The Best
, along with keyboardist Keith Emerson
, bassist John Entwistle
, guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and drummer Simon Phillips
. The band performed several shows in Hawaii and Japan, with a live video resulting.
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 the 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 has been in recovery
since 1995.
In 2008, Walsh appeared on the Carvin 60th Anniversary Celebration DVD as a celebrity endorser. In the recorded interview, he highly praised 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."
Walsh has been a contributor to such causes as halfway houses for displaced adult women in Wichita, Kansas
.
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 ran 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.
Walsh is currently working on his first solo album since 1992 with Jeff Lynne
producing. The album will be the first studio album for Joe in 18 years. He told undercover.fm that it should be released around May, 2011.
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 played slide guitar on the songs "Whiskey Night", "Open Up" and "Start of a New Life" which appeared on REO Speedwagon
's 1973 album Ridin' The Storm Out
.
He also played guitar on Andy Gibb
's debut album, Flowing Rivers
. Most noticeably on "I Just Want To Be Your Everything
" and "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water
" (of which his brothers The Bee Gees covered and recorded shortly after Andy's death in 1988).
Walsh contributed fuzzbox guitar and scat vocals to the song "New Orleans" which appeared on Carl Palmer's portion of Emerson, Lake & Palmer's
1977 album Works Volume 1.
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
.
He also appeared on Second City Television
acting along side John Candy
in a recurring sketch entitled "Gil Fisher." In that sketch, he performed a song with his band.
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".
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.
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.
Joe joined female rocker Lita Ford
on a song called, "A Future to This Life" which was featured in the television series, RoboCop
.
Joe performed a James Gang selection as himself on a musical episode of The Drew Carey Show.
He was also a frequent guest and guest-host of Detroit & Chicago radio legend Steve Dahl
.
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, but initially appeared as himself in a 1996 episode.
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.
In 2009, Walsh made surprise guest appearances with Trans-Siberian Orchestra
at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on December 3; the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida on December 6; and the IZOD Center at the Meadowlands, New Jersey on December 12.
Walsh holds an Extra Class Amateur Radio
License. His station callsign is WB6ACU. In 2006 he donated an autographed guitar
to the ARRL in Newington, Connecticut
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, making him a brother-in-law of Ringo Starr
, former drummer of The Beatles
.
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, was born in 1971 and died as a result of injuries suffered in an automobile accident on her way to nursery school in 1974 only at the age of 3. 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's The Daily 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 addiction
s in 1989, an experience he has cited as the beginning of a long journey back to health.
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."
Jimmy Page
's sunburst 1959 Gibson Les Paul
, better known as his "Number 1" was originally owned by Joe Walsh and was sold/given to Page in 1970.
Kent State University
awarded Walsh an honorary degree
in music in December 2001.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He has been a member of three commercially successful bands, the James Gang
James Gang
The James Gang was a rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. Though the band was not a huge commercial success, except in the Northeast Ohio area, the fame garnered by guitarist Joe Walsh has since made the group more notable.- History :...
, Barnstorm, and the Eagles, and has experienced notable success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, especially with B.B. King and Dan Fogelberg
Dan Fogelberg
Daniel Grayling "Dan" Fogelberg was an American singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, whose music was inspired by sources as diverse as folk, pop, rock, classical, jazz, and bluegrass music...
.
Early life
A native of Wichita, KansasWichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, Walsh and his family lived in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
for a number of years. When Joe was twelve years old the family moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Later, Walsh moved to Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
and attended Montclair High School there. He spent time in various bands playing around the Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
area, including The Measles while attending Kent State University
Kent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
. In response to moving to New York City, Walsh began a lifelong hobby of amateur ("ham") radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
with the callsign WB6ACU.
1960s and 1970s
In January 1968 he replaced Glen SchwartzGlen Schwartz
Glenn Schwartz first came to the attention of rock music audiences as the original guitarist for The James Gang, based in Cleveland.He left the James Gang in early 1968 when he moved to California...
as lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist for the James Gang
James Gang
The James Gang was a rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. Though the band was not a huge commercial success, except in the Northeast Ohio area, the fame garnered by guitarist Joe Walsh has since made the group more notable.- History :...
, an American power trio
Power trio
A power trio is a rock and roll band format where the traditional power trio has a lineup of guitar, bass and drums, leaving out the rhythm guitar or keyboard that are used in other rock music to fill out the sound with chords...
. Walsh proved to be the band's star attraction, noted for his innovative rhythm playing and creative guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
riffs. In particular he was known for hot-wiring the pickups on his electric guitars to create his trademark "attack" sound. The James Gang had several minor hits and became an early album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...
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
Barnstorm (group)
Barnstorm was the group created by Joe Walsh after he left the James Gang. The original members of the group were Walsh , Joe Vitale and Kenny Passarelli ; all of the members contributed vocals and songs, although Walsh was the principal singer and songwriter...
, 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
The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get
The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get is the second album by Joe Walsh and his band Barnstorm, released in 1973 , although the album's front cover credits only Walsh...
(1973) was titled under his own name (although officially a Barnstorm album) and was Walsh's commercial breakthrough. The first single "Rocky Mountain Way
Rocky Mountain Way (song)
"Rocky Mountain Way" is a 1973 song by rock guitarist Joe Walsh and his band Barnstorm, with writing credits given to Walsh, Rocke Grace, Kenny Passarelli, and Joe Vitale...
" received heavy airplay and reached #23 on the US Top 40 chart. In 1974 Barnstorm disbanded and Walsh continued as a solo artist.
In December 1974, Walsh released an official solo album, So What and in March 1976, a live set, You Can't Argue with a Sick Mind
You Can't Argue with a Sick Mind
You Can't Argue with a Sick Mind is a live album by Joe Walsh, released in 1976 . Recorded live just before Joe joined up with Eagles, who also play on "Help Me Through the Night". This was Walsh's last album release on ABC Records...
. These would be his last solo albums until 1978. On December 20, 1975 he joined the Eagles as Bernie Leadon
Bernie Leadon
Bernard Mathew "Bernie" Leadon, III is an American musician and songwriter, best known as a founding member of the Eagles. Prior to the Eagles, he was a member of two pioneering and highly influential country rock bands, Dillard & Clark and the Flying Burrito Brothers...
's replacement. His addition steered the band toward a harder-edged sound and away from their early country-style work, and he was featured prominently on their multi-million-selling album Hotel California
Hotel California
Hotel California is the fifth studio album released by the American rock band the Eagles, in late 1976. It is the first Eagles album without founding member Bernie Leadon and the first album with Joe Walsh. It is also the last album featuring original bass player and singer Randy Meisner...
, co-writing the Top 20 hit "Life in the Fast Lane
Life in the Fast Lane
"Life in the Fast Lane" is a song written by Joe Walsh, Glenn Frey and Don Henley and recorded by the American rock band Eagles on their 1976 studio album Hotel California...
" (with Don Henley
Don Henley
Donald Hugh "Don" Henley is an American singer, songwriter and drummer, best known as a founding member of the Eagles before launching a successful solo career. Henley was the drummer and lead vocalist for the Eagles from 1971–1980, when the band broke up...
and Glenn Frey
Glenn Frey
Glenn Lewis Frey is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as a founding member of the Eagles. Frey formed the Eagles after he met drummer Don Henley in 1970 and the two eventually joined Linda Ronstadt's backup band for her summer tour. The Eagles formed in 1971 and...
) and "Pretty Maids All in a Row" (co-written with former Barnstorm drummer Joe Vitale
Joe Vitale (musician)
Joe Vitale is an American musician primarily known as a drummer but also a flautist, keyboardist and singer. He has played with many of the top names in music during a career dating back to the 1970s.-Biography:...
).
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
Life's Been Good
"Life's Been Good" is a 1978 song by Joe Walsh, which first appeared on the soundtrack to the film FM. It was released as a single and appeared on Walsh's album But Seriously, Folks.... It peaked at #12 on the US Billboard Hot 100, remaining his biggest solo hit...
". 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
The Long Run (album)
The Long Run is the sixth studio album by the Eagles, released in 1979 . This was the first Eagles album not to feature founding member Randy Meisner, who was replaced by Timothy B. Schmit....
album.
1980s-present
Following the breakup of the Eagles in 1980, Walsh continued to release albums throughout the 1980s, but sales were poor. He maintained a low profile until the mid-1990s. In late 1984 Walsh was contacted by Australian musician Paul ChristiePaul Christie (Australian musician)
Paul Christie is an Australian bassist and vocalist. He came to prominence as a member of the second and most successful lineup of the group Mondo Rock, which was founded by former Daddy Cool leader Ross Wilson...
, former bassist in Mondo Rock
Mondo Rock
Mondo Rock is a rock band from Melbourne, Australia, most prominent in the early 1980s. The band was formed in late 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Ross Wilson.-Early years: 1976–1979:...
, who invited him to come to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
to perform with The Party Boys
The Party Boys
The Party Boys was an Australian rock band with floating membership that existed from 1982 until 1992. Initially established by Mondo Rock bass player Paul Christie as a part-time venture for professional musicians with downtime from other projects, the group has boasted members from acts such as...
, an all-star group with a floating membership of well-known Australian rock musicians, which included acclaimed guitarist Kevin Borich
Kevin Borich
Kevin Nicholas Borich is a New Zealand-born Australian guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, with whom Walsh became good friends. Walsh accepted and performed with the 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 short-lived touring group Creatures From America, with Waddy Wachtel
Waddy Wachtel
Robert "Waddy" Wachtel is an American musician, composer and record producer, most notable for his guitar work...
(guitar), Rick Rosas (bass) and Australian drummer Richard Harvey
Richard Harvey
Richard Harvey is a BAFTA Award–winning British musician and composer. He is best known for his film and television soundtracks...
(Divinyls
Divinyls
Divinyls were an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980 and featuring vocalist Christina Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. As the focal point, Amphlett performed on stage wearing a school uniform and fishnet stockings, often using an illuminated neon tube as a prop and displaying...
, The Party Boys). Walsh returned to Australia in 1989 to tour with another incarnation of The Party Boys and also visited New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, where he briefly joined NZ band Herbs
Herbs (band)
Herbs are a New Zealand reggae vocal group formed in 1979 once described as "New Zealand's most soulful, heartfelt and consistent contemporary musical voice". It has been said their debut EP Whats' Be Happen? "set a standard for Pacific reggae which has arguably never been surpassed".-History:Herbs...
.
Walsh toured with Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
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
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
at the beginning of game four of the 1995 World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
. In 1989, Walsh recorded a MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged (Joe Walsh)
Joe Walsh's MTV Unplugged was a performance by guitarist Joe Walsh, from the first session MTV Unplugged shows.The concert was recorded at the National Video Center in New York City on December 14, 1989.It featured R&B musician Dr...
with the R&B musician Dr. John
Dr. John
Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...
.
While producing their Homegrown album in 1989, Walsh briefly joined New Zealand reggae band Herbs
Herbs (band)
Herbs are a New Zealand reggae vocal group formed in 1979 once described as "New Zealand's most soulful, heartfelt and consistent contemporary musical voice". It has been said their debut EP Whats' Be Happen? "set a standard for Pacific reggae which has arguably never been surpassed".-History: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
Charlie Tumahai
Charles Turu Tumahai was a New Zealand singer, bass player and songwriter who was a member of several noted rock groups in New Zealand, Australia and the UK...
), which subsequently became a solo hit for Walsh as "Ordinary Average Guy".
In late 1990, Walsh was part of a band called The Best
The Best (band)
The Best was a short-lived supergroup featuring Keith Emerson on keyboards, John Entwistle on bass and vocals, Joe Walsh on guitar and vocals, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter on guitar, and Simon Phillips on drums...
, along with keyboardist Keith Emerson
Keith Emerson
Keith Noel Emerson is an English keyboard player and composer. Formerly a member of the Keith Emerson Trio, John Brown's Bodies, The T-Bones, V.I.P.s, P.P. Arnold's backing band, and The Nice , he was a founder of Emerson, Lake & Palmer , one of the early supergroups, in 1970...
, bassist John Entwistle
John Entwistle
John Alec Entwistle was an English bass guitarist, songwriter, singer, horn player, and film and record producer who was best known as the bass player for the rock band The Who. His aggressive lead sound influenced many rock bass players...
, guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and drummer Simon Phillips
Simon Phillips
Simon Phillips is an English jazz, pop and rock drummer.-Career:Phillips began to play professionally at the age of twelve in his father's Dixieland band for four years. He was then offered the chance to play in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar...
. The band performed several shows in Hawaii and Japan, with a live video resulting.
In 1994, Walsh reunited with the Eagles for a highly successful reunion tour and live album, Hell Freezes Over
Hell Freezes Over
Hell Freezes Over is a live album by the Eagles, released in 1994. The album contains four new studio tracks and eleven tracks recorded live for an MTV special. It went to #1 on the Billboard album chart upon its release where it stayed for two weeks. It is the band's second live album behind their...
. 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
Long Road Out of Eden
Long Road Out of Eden is the seventh studio album by American rock band Eagles, released in 2007 on Lost Highway Records. Nearly six years in production, Long Road Out of Eden is the first studio album from the Eagles since 1979's The Long Run, and along with the four original tracks on 1994 Hell...
, in 2007.
In June 2004, Walsh performed live before a huge crowd at Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
's Crossroads Guitar Festival
Crossroads Guitar Festival
The Crossroads Guitar Festival is a music festival and benefit concert first held in 2004 and again in 2007 and 2010. The festivals benefit the Crossroads Centre founded by Eric Clapton, a drug treatment center located in Antigua. The concerts are also intended to be a showcase for a variety of...
in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. He was also featured in September 2004 at The Strat Pack
The Strat Pack
The Strat Pack: Live in Concert is a film of a September 24, 2004, concert featuring Joe Walsh, Gary Moore, Brian May, David Gilmour, and many more, marking the 50th Anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar...
, a concert held in London, England to mark the 50th anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster
Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
guitar.
In 2006, Walsh reunited with Jim Fox
Jim Fox (drummer)
Jim Fox is a musician best known as the drummer and organist of the James Gang, as well as the band's founder and its namesake. He is the only member of the group to appear in every incarnation of the band...
and Dale Peters of the 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
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. He has been in recovery
Twelve-step program
A Twelve-Step Program is a set of guiding principles outlining a course of action for recovery from addiction, compulsion, or other behavioral problems...
since 1995.
In 2008, Walsh appeared on the Carvin 60th Anniversary Celebration DVD as a celebrity endorser. In the recorded interview, he highly praised 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."
Walsh has been a contributor to such causes as halfway houses for displaced adult women in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
.
Walsh ran for President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
in 1980
United States presidential election, 1980
The United States presidential election of 1980 featured a contest between incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter and his Republican opponent, Ronald Reagan, as well as Republican Congressman John B. Anderson, who ran as an independent...
on top of his music career as a mock campaign. He promised to make "Life's Been Good
Life's Been Good
"Life's Been Good" is a 1978 song by Joe Walsh, which first appeared on the soundtrack to the film FM. It was released as a single and appeared on Walsh's album But Seriously, Folks.... It peaked at #12 on the US Billboard Hot 100, remaining his biggest solo hit...
" the new national anthem if he won, and ran on a platform of "Free Gas
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
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.
Walsh is currently working on his first solo album since 1992 with Jeff Lynne
Jeff Lynne
Jeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
producing. The album will be the first studio album for Joe in 18 years. He told undercover.fm that it should be released around May, 2011.
Notable appearances
Walsh has produced albums for artists such as Dan FogelbergDan Fogelberg
Daniel Grayling "Dan" Fogelberg was an American singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, whose music was inspired by sources as diverse as folk, pop, rock, classical, jazz, and bluegrass music...
and Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
. He was a background musician (1st guitar solo) on Eagles bandmate Don Henley
Don Henley
Donald Hugh "Don" Henley is an American singer, songwriter and drummer, best known as a founding member of the Eagles before launching a successful solo career. Henley was the drummer and lead vocalist for the Eagles from 1971–1980, when the band broke up...
's 1982 hit "Dirty Laundry" (listed as such in the liner notes of I Can't Stand Still
I Can't Stand Still
I Can't Stand Still is the first solo album by Don Henley, released in 1982 originally on Asylum Records then re-released in 1999 by Warner Bros. Records. The album went gold, reached #24 on the charts, and released three singles, including the huge hit "Dirty Laundry," which reached #3 on the...
and Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest Hits
Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest Hits
Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by American singer/songwriter Don Henley, released in 1995. The album was the first compilation album released by Henley and it covered hits from all three of his solo albums throughout the 1980s. The album features three new songs, "The...
).
Walsh played lead guitar on the song "Green Monkey" which appeared on America's
America (band)
America is an English-American folk rock band that originally included members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. The three members were barely out of their teens when they became a musical sensation during 1972, scoring #1 hits and winning a Grammy for best new musical artist...
1973 album Hat Trick
Hat Trick (album)
__notoc__Hat Trick is the third original studio album by American folk rock trio America, released by Warner Bros. Records in 1973 ....
Walsh played slide guitar on the songs "Whiskey Night", "Open Up" and "Start of a New Life" which appeared on REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon is an American rock band. Formed in 1967, the band grew in popularity during the 1970s and peaked in the early 1980s. Hi Infidelity is the group's most commercially successful album, selling over ten million copies and charting four Top 40 hits in the US...
's 1973 album Ridin' The Storm Out
Ridin' the Storm Out
Ridin' the Storm Out is the third album by REO Speedwagon, released in 1973. It was the first album to feature Mike Murphy on vocals. The sessions started out with Kevin Cronin, but he left the band before the album was finished, due to creative differences. The title track would later become a hit...
.
He also played guitar on Andy Gibb
Andy Gibb
Andy Gibb was an English singer and teen idol, and the youngest brother of the family whose other male siblings formed the Bee Gees: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb.-The early years:...
's debut album, Flowing Rivers
Flowing Rivers
Flowing Rivers is the first album by pop singer Andy Gibb. It was released in 1977. Although the album is not currently in print, it was released to iTunes along with the other two Andy Gibb albums in 2011.-Track listing:...
. Most noticeably on "I Just Want To Be Your Everything
I Just Want to Be Your Everything
"I Just Want to Be Your Everything" was a hit song by pop singer Andy Gibb. The first single released from his debut album, Flowing Rivers, it became the first of three consecutive number one Billboard Hot 100 singles for Gibb...
" and "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water
(Love Is) Thicker Than Water
" Thicker Than Water" is a 1977 song by Andy Gibb.A demonstration of the Gibb brothers' U.S. chart domination in 1978, this song replaced the song by Andy's brothers, the Bee Gees, with their #1 single "Stayin' Alive", when it reached #1 on the Hot 100 on March 4. This song was replaced at number...
" (of which his brothers The Bee Gees covered and recorded shortly after Andy's death in 1988).
Walsh contributed fuzzbox guitar and scat vocals to the song "New Orleans" which appeared on Carl Palmer's portion of Emerson, Lake & Palmer's
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, are an English progressive rock supergroup. They found success in the 1970s and sold over forty million albums and headlined large stadium concerts. The band consists of Keith Emerson , Greg Lake and Carl Palmer...
1977 album Works Volume 1.
Walsh co-wrote and played lead guitar on the song "Split Decision" which appeared on Steve Winwood's
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
1986 album Back in the High Life
Back in the High Life
Back in the High Life is the fourth solo album by English rock musician Steve Winwood. It was a top ten hit on the album charts in the United States, hitting #3, and has sold over five million copies...
.
He also appeared on Second City Television
Second City Television
Second City Television is a Canadian television sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between 1976 and 1984.- Premise :...
acting along side John Candy
John Candy
John Franklin Candy was a Canadian actor and comedian. He rose to fame as a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City and its related Second City Television series, and through his appearances in comedy films such as Stripes, Splash, Cool Runnings, The Great Outdoors, Spaceballs, and Uncle...
in a recurring sketch entitled "Gil Fisher." In that sketch, he performed a song with his band.
Walsh would reunite with former Eagles bandmates Randy Meisner
Randy Meisner
Randy Herman Meisner is an American musician and songwriter, best known as a founding member of Poco and the Eagles...
and Timothy B. Schmit
Timothy B. Schmit
Timothy Bruce Schmit is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his work as bass guitar player and singer for Poco and the Eagles. Schmit has also worked for decades as a session musician and solo artist.-Early career:Raised in Sacramento, Schmit began playing in the folk music group...
as background musicians on the 1987 Richard Marx
Richard Marx
Richard Noel Marx is an American adult contemporary and pop/rock singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He had a string of hit singles in the late 1980s and 1990s, including "Endless Summer Nights", "Right Here Waiting", "Now and Forever", and "Hazard"...
hit "Don't Mean Nothing".
Walsh played a prisoner in The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers (film)
The Blues Brothers is a 1980 musical comedy film directed by John Landis and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as "Joliet" Jake and Elwood Blues, characters developed from a musical sketch on the NBC variety series Saturday Night Live. It features musical numbers by R&B and soul singers James...
. He is noticeable as he is the first prisoner to get on the cafeteria tables during the "Jailhouse Rock
Jailhouse Rock (song)
"Jailhouse Rock" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller that first became a hit for Elvis Presley. The song was released as a 45rpm single on September 24, 1957, to coincide with the release of Presley's motion picture, Jailhouse Rock...
" song at the end. Joe was a close friend of John Belushi
John Belushi
John Adam Belushi was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, The Star of the Films National Lampoon's Animal House and the The Blues Brothers and for fronting the American blues and soul...
, who starred in the movie.
Walsh appeared as a mystery guest on The Howard Stern Show on August 8, 1989, along with Pat Cooper
Pat Cooper
Pat Cooper is an American actor and comedian. Cooper is primarily known for his stand-up routines, where he often makes reference to his Italian heritage from Mola di Bari, Italy...
. He has appeared numerous times on Stern's show since, more recently with the James Gang
James Gang
The James Gang was a rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. Though the band was not a huge commercial success, except in the Northeast Ohio area, the fame garnered by guitarist Joe Walsh has since made the group more notable.- History :...
to promote their summer 2006 tour.
Joe joined female rocker Lita Ford
Lita Ford
Lita Ford is a British-born, American rock musician and singer who was the lead guitarist for The Runaways and achieved popularity for her solo career between the 1980s and late 2000s.-Early life:...
on a song called, "A Future to This Life" which was featured in the television series, RoboCop
RoboCop: The Series
RoboCop: The Series is a 1994 television series based on the film of the same name. It stars Richard Eden as the title character. Made to appeal primarily to children and young teenagers, it lacks the graphic violence that was the hallmark of RoboCop and RoboCop 2...
.
Joe performed a James Gang selection as himself on a musical episode of The Drew Carey Show.
He was also a frequent guest and guest-host of Detroit & Chicago radio legend Steve Dahl
Steve Dahl
Steven Robert Dahl has been an American radio personality and humorist for more than thirty years. He is currently podcasting, and releases the podcasts for download daily from his own website as well as the iTunes store...
.
Walsh played guitar alongside Laura Hall in a surprise appearance in Drew Carey
Drew Carey
Drew Allison Carey is an American actor, singer, comedian, photographer, sports executive, and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, Carey eventually gained popularity starring on his own sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, and serving as...
'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
The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....
as Ed, a laid-back guitarist in a bar band, but initially appeared as himself in a 1996 episode.
Walsh appeared as a featured performer at the 1992 Seville Expo Guitar Legends with on-stage featured guitarists Nuno Bettencourt
Nuno Bettencourt
Nuno Duarte Gil Mendes Bettencourt is a Portuguese guitarist and singer-songwriter best known for his role as the lead guitarist of the Boston rock band Extreme whose hits include the acoustic ballads "More Than Words" and "Hole Hearted"...
, Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
, Joe Satriani
Joe Satriani
Joseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...
and Steve Vai
Steve Vai
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
.
Walsh sang the National Anthem of Chile at a Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
baseball game in 2003.
Walsh appeared in the television series Duckman
Duckman
Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man is an American animated sitcom that aired from 1994–1997, created by Everett Peck and developed by Peck. The sitcom is based on characters created by Peck in his Dark Horse comic...
, as medical video actor in episode 315 - "They Craved Duckman's Brain". Walsh also plays a version of "Life's Been Good
Life's Been Good
"Life's Been Good" is a 1978 song by Joe Walsh, which first appeared on the soundtrack to the film FM. It was released as a single and appeared on Walsh's album But Seriously, Folks.... It peaked at #12 on the US Billboard Hot 100, remaining his biggest solo hit...
" in a Duckman episode. He also appeared on Mad TV
Mad TV
Mad TV may refer to:*MADtv, an American sketch comedy television series based on Mad magazine*Mad TV , a 1991 German television station management simulation game*MAD TV , a Greek music channel-See also:...
in 1995 as a customer at an air guitar
Air guitar
Playing air guitar is a form of dance and movement in which the performer pretends to play rock or heavy metal-style electric guitar, including riffs, solos, etc. Playing an air guitar usually consists of exaggerated strumming and picking motions and is often coupled with loud singing or lip-synching...
shop, and on the comedy game show Street Smarts. Walsh appeared in the audience on the April 10, 2008 episode of the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
show Rock the Cradle
Rock the Cradle
Rock the Cradle was an MTV reality show in which the offspring of R&B, pop, and rock stars from the 1980s and 1990s vie in a six-week singing competition...
as a surprise for his daughter Lucy.
Walsh appeared with the James Gang
James Gang
The James Gang was a rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. Though the band was not a huge commercial success, except in the Northeast Ohio area, the fame garnered by guitarist Joe Walsh has since made the group more notable.- History :...
in the motion picture Zachariah
Zachariah (1971 film)
Zachariah is a film starring John Rubinstein as Zachariah and Don Johnson as his best friend Matthew. The film is loosely based on Herman Hesse's novel Siddhartha, surrealistically adapted as a musical Western by Joe Massot and two members of the Firesign Theatre comedy troupe...
(1971).
Walsh commenced 2007 with an appearance at Dear Mr Fantasy - A Celebration For Jim Capaldi
Jim Capaldi
Nicola James "Jim" Capaldi was an English musician and songwriter. His musical career lasted more than four decades. He co-founded Traffic in Birmingham with Steve Winwood, and the band's psychedelic rock was influential in Britain and the United States...
: a charity gig being held at London's famous Roundhouse where he appeared alongside Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
, Jon Lord
Jon Lord
Jonathan Douglas "Jon" Lord is an English composer, pianist and Hammond organ player.Jon Lord, also known as 'Hammond Lord', is a classically trained piano player. He is recognised for his Hammond organ blues-rock sound and for his pioneering work in fusing rock and classical or baroque forms...
, Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
, Bill Wyman
Bill Wyman
Bill Wyman is an English musician best known as the bass guitarist for the English rock and roll band the Rolling Stones from 1962 until 1992. Since 1997, he has recorded and toured with his own band, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings...
, Paul Weller and many others.
During 2007, Walsh has appeared at selected shows with country-rock star musician Kenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney
Kenneth "Kenny" Arnold Chesney is an American country music singer and songwriter. Chesney has recorded 15 albums, 14 of which have been certified gold or higher by the RIAA. He has also produced more than 30 Top Ten singles on the U.S...
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.
In 2009, Walsh made surprise guest appearances with Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra is an American progressive metal band founded in 1993 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli and keyboardist and co-producer Robert Kinkel to form the core of the creative team. Since then, TSO sold nearly 8...
at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on December 3; the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida on December 6; and the IZOD Center at the Meadowlands, New Jersey on December 12.
Personal life
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
License. His station callsign is WB6ACU. In 2006 he donated an autographed guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
to the ARRL in Newington, Connecticut
Newington, Connecticut
Newington is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2000 census, it had a total population of 29,306. The Connecticut Department of Transportation has its headquarters in Newington....
for its charity auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
. 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
Songs for a Dying Planet
Songs for a Dying Planet is the tenth studio album by Joe Walsh, released in 1992 .-Reception:Writing for Allmusic, critic Vincent Jeffries wrote the album "fulfills [those] expectations to a degree, but the songwriter's weakened comedic instincts and extreme sincerity make 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
Barbara Bach
Barbara Bach is an American actress and model known as the Bond girl from the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me . She is married to former Beatle Ringo Starr.-Early life:...
) in Los Angeles on December 13, 2008, making him a brother-in-law of Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
, former drummer of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
.
Walsh's daughter, Lucy Walsh
Lucy Walsh
Lucy Walsh is a singer, songwriter, and keyboardist who served as Ashlee Simpson's backing vocalist and keyboardist for her Autobiography tour. The daughter of Eagles' guitarist Joe Walsh, she appeared on the MTV reality show Rock the Cradle, which premiered April 3, 2008.-Personal life:Lucy was...
, is also a musician; she has worked with Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Nicole Simpson is an American singer and actress. In 2004, she rose to prominence with the success of her number-one debut album Autobiography and the reality series, The Ashlee Simpson Show. In October 2005, following a North American concert tour and a film appearance, Simpson released...
, among others, and released her debut album, Lost in the Lights
Lost in the Lights
Lost In The Lights is the first studio album by Lucy Walsh. It is rumored to have been shelved due to Lucy being dropped from Island Records, since Lucy has been quoted as saying she is "going to make a record", presumably not this one as it was completed in 2007.-Track listing:Confirmed by...
, in spring 2008.
Walsh's oldest daughter, Emma Kristen, was born in 1971 and died as a result of injuries suffered in an automobile accident on her way to nursery school in 1974 only at the age of 3. 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
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
. While touring with singer Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
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
Rock a Little
Rock a Little is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter and Fleetwood Mac vocalist Stevie Nicks.Released in late 1985 while Fleetwood Mac were still on a lengthy hiatus following their album Mirage in 1982, Rock a Little hit the top 20 in its second week and ultimately peaked at #12...
. Nicks stated in a 2007 interview with the UK's The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
that Walsh had been "the great love of her life."
In October 2004, Walsh undertook speaking engagements in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
to warn against the dangers of substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
. Events were staged at the New Zealand Parliament in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, Otatara Pa in Hawke's Bay
Hawke's Bay
Hawke's Bay is a region of New Zealand. Hawke's Bay is recognised on the world stage for its award-winning wines. The regional council sits in both the cities of Napier and Hastings.-Geography:...
and Hoani Waititi Marae in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
. 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
Herbs (band)
Herbs are a New Zealand reggae vocal group formed in 1979 once described as "New Zealand's most soulful, heartfelt and consistent contemporary musical voice". It has been said their debut EP Whats' Be Happen? "set a standard for Pacific reggae which has arguably never been surpassed".-History:Herbs...
while under heavy alcohol
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and cocaine addiction
Substance use disorder
Substance use disorders include substance abuse and substance dependence. In DSM-IV, the conditions are formally diagnosed as one or the other, but it has been proposed that DSM-5 combine the two into a single condition called "Substance-use disorder"....
s in 1989, an experience he has cited as the beginning of a long journey back to health.
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."
Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
's sunburst 1959 Gibson Les Paul
Gibson Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
, better known as his "Number 1" was originally owned by Joe Walsh and was sold/given to Page in 1970.
Kent State University
Kent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
awarded Walsh an honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
in music in December 2001.
Guitars
- Fender TelecasterFender TelecasterThe Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
Butterscottesch, Sunburst, Blonde, Natural White, other finishes - Fender StratocasterFender StratocasterThe Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
Black, White, Sunburst, Turquoise Green, Candy apple Red - RickenbackerRickenbackerRickenbacker International Corporation, also known as Rickenbacker, is an electric and bass guitar manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California...
330 Jetglo used on the song The Long RunThe Long Run (song)"The Long Run" is a song written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey and recorded by the Eagles. The sound of the song is viewed as a tribute to the Stax / Memphis R&B sound...
& Rocky Mountain Way - 1959 Gibson Les PaulGibson Les PaulThe Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
that was given/sold to Led ZeppelinLed ZeppelinLed Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
guitarist Jimmy PageJimmy PageJames Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
in April 1969 - Gibson Les PaulGibson Les PaulThe Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
Custom Ebony & Sunburst - Gibson Les PaulGibson Les PaulThe Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
Supreme Sunburst used on the song Get over itGet Over ItGet Over It may refer to:* Get Over It , a 2001 film starring Kirsten Dunst* Get Over It , an album by Mr. Big* "Get Over It" * "Get Over It" * "Get Over It"...
to his playing slide guitar - Gibson ES-335Gibson ES-335The Gibson ES-335 is the world's first commercial thinline arched-top semi-acoustic electric guitar. Released by the Gibson Guitar Corporation as part of its ES series in 1958, it is neither hollow nor solid; instead, a solid wood block runs through the center of its body...
Sunburst - ZemaitisZemaitis GuitarsZemaitis Guitars is a British guitar-manufacturing company based in Tokyo, Japan. The company's guitars are based on designs by the Lithuanian luthier Tony Zemaitis. The company is led by his son, Tony Zemaitis, Jr., and produces both electric and acoustic guitars.- History :Tony Zemaitis began...
Custom De Luxe Guitar used in concert on Farewell Concert Tour - Music Man GuitarsMusic Man (company)Music Man is an American guitar, and bass guitar manufacturer. It is a division of the Ernie Ball corporation.-Early years:The Music Man story began in 1971 when Forrest White and Tom Walker talked with Leo Fender about starting a company they would call Tri-Sonic, Inc...
various finishes used in The Long Run of Eden Tour - Gretsch Country ClubGretschThe Gretsch Company was founded in 1883 by Friedrich Gretsch, a twenty-seven year old German immigrant recently arrived in the US. Friedrich Gretsch manufactured banjos, tambourines, and drums, until his death in 1895. His son, Fred, moved operations to Brooklyn, New York in 1916...
Models Candy Apple Red & White - Various Model Carvin & Fernandes GuitarsFernandes GuitarsFernandes Guitars is a guitar and accessory manufacturer that originated in Japan in 1969, building flamenco guitars. As the company grew it expanded production to include more acoustic guitars, electric guitars, bass guitars, amplifiers, and accessories to become one of the biggest guitar...
- Takamine & Guild Acoustic Guitars
- Ibanez : Joe Satriani model with humbucking pickups,silver, red etc.
Other instruments
- Fender Rhodes Piano
- Hammond OrganHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
- Roland JD-990Roland JD-990The Roland JD-990 is a module version of Roland JD-800 synthesizer with expanded capabilities. JD-990 is a multitimbral synthesizer utilizing wave-table synthesis technology. It is equipped with 6 Mb of ROM containing wave-table, four sets of stereo outputs that are assignable to individual,...
- Korg KarmaKorg KARMAThe Korg KARMA music workstation was released in 2001 as a specialised member of the Korg Triton family.Unlike most other Korg workstation names, the KARMA name is rendered in capitals as an acronym for the Kay Algorithmic Realtime Music Architecture...
- Korg TrinityKorg TrinityKorg Trinity is a commercially successful synthesizer music workstation released by Korg in 1996. It was also the first workstation to offer modular expansion for not only sounds, but also studio-grade feature such as SCSI, ADAT, various sound engine processors, audio recording capability, and more...
- Moog Synthesizers
- Clavia Nord ModularClavia Nord ModularThe Clavia Nord Modular series is a line of synthesizers produced by Clavia, a Swedish digital synthesizer manufacturer. The Nord Modular series, in common with their sister range the Nord Lead series, are analogue modelling synthesizers, producing sounds which approximate those produced by...
- Clavia Nord Electro
- HarmoniumHarmoniumA harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
- MellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
- Yamaha Piano
- Baldwin Grand Piano
- Fender Precision BassFender Precision BassThe Fender Precision Bass is an electric bass.Designed by Leo Fender as a prototype in 1950 and brought to market in 1951, the Precision was the first electric bass to earn widespread attention and use. A revolutionary instrument for the time, the Precision Bass has made an immeasurable impact on...
- Gibson F-4 MandolinGibson Guitar CorporationThe Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
- Gibson F-5 MandolinGibson Guitar CorporationThe Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
- ClarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
- OboeOboeThe oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
- BagpipesBagpipesBagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
- Talkbox
- TimpaniTimpaniTimpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...