By 1971, Linda Ronstadt was already a local music legend verging on a major breakthrough. To accompany her country-folk rock sound for her brief Silk Purse Tour, Ronstadt’s manager, John Boylan, wanted to assemble a band of fellow country rock musicians.
So Boylan reached out to some unknowns: a drummer named Don Henley, two guitarists Glenn Frey and Bernie Leadon, and a bassist named Randy Meisner.
For these strangers, the tour was just a temporary gig. They had no idea it would lead to them becoming one of the biggest rock bands ever.
As the group played their set under Sleeping Beauty’s Castle for a crowd of high school grads, a connection was instantly made. In his 2014 induction of Ronstadt into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Frey would later recall approaching her with Henley to tell her that they wanted to leave her tour to start their own band.
To her credit, Ronshtad was completely supportive.
“I think where other people would’ve maybe been miffed by that, Linda completely understood, and said ‘Oh I think that’s great,’” said Frey.
As the story goes, a few months after that Disneyland gig, the four took a trip to the Mojave Desert, one that involved peyote and tequila, and voula, the Eagles were born. About a year later, in 1972, they released their self-titled debut album, which included “Take It Easy”, “Witchy Woman”, and “Peaceful Easy Feeling.”
While that album didn’t top charts or win awards (though it achieved lasting success and was certified Platinum in 2001), over the next few coming years the Eagle would achieve something extraordinary:
5 number-one singles (Hotel California, Desperado, Life in the Fast Lane, Lyin’ Eyes)
6 number-one albums
6 Grammys
200+ million records sold worldwide
To this day, their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) album remains the best-selling album in US history, certified at 40 million copies.
And it’s all because of Ronstadt. According to Frey, she, “more than anyone else,” helped form the band. She even helped get Henley and Frey to get Leadon and Meisner on board. Though they famously did not stick around for long, and were replaced by Joe Walsh in 1975 and Timothy B. Schmit in 1977.
Since Frey’s passing in 2016, his son Deacon Frey joined the band in his father’s place along with Vince Gill.
In February 2026, Don Henley, the final remaining founding member, announced on CBS Sunday Morning that this will likely be the Eagles’ final year.
While this has all the quintessential elements of a great rock star story—humble beginnings, one fateful discovery, a meteoric rise to fame—it also appeals to something even more universal. One of the most successful bands in history exists because an already established artist saw four young musicians’ potential and encouraged them to take the leap.
Point being, behind any success story is someone willing to open a door, step aside, and cheer others on.
