Joe Walsh

After rocker Joe Walsh got his first guitar at age 10, he learned The Ventures’ “Walk, Don’t Run” and decided he wanted to be a musician. ∙ He made his mark as the leader of funky power trio the James Gang, before joining the Eagles in 1975. ∙ His first hit single on his own, 1978’s “Life’s Been Good”—a wry look at rock stardom—was also his biggest solo success. ∙ Ringo Starr included Walsh in his first All-Starr Band in 1989, and he has sung backup and played drums on some of Walsh’s albums. ∙ Rolling Stone ranked him among the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, and his fluid style has been praised by rock-guitar icons Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Pete Townshend. ∙ In 1998, a Guitarist magazine readers’ poll named his and Don Felder’s solos from the coda of the Eagles’ “Hotel California” the greatest of all time. ∙ As part of the Eagles, Walsh was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001.