Randy Meisner, founding member of the Eagles, dies at 77 – National | 24CA News

Randy Meisner, a founding member of the Eagles who added excessive harmonies to such favorites as “Take It Easy” and “The Best of My Love” and stepped out entrance for the waltz-time ballad “Take It to the Limit,” has died, the band mentioned Thursday.

Meisner died Wednesday evening in Los Angeles of problems from power obstructive pulmonary illness, the Eagles mentioned in a press release. He was 77.

The bassist had endured quite a few afflictions in recent times and private tragedy in 2016 when his spouse, Lana Rae Meisner, unintentionally shot herself and died. Meanwhile, Randy Meisner had been recognized with bipolar dysfunction and had extreme points with alcohol, in line with court docket data and feedback made throughout a 2015 listening to wherein a decide ordered Meisner to obtain fixed medical care.

Called “the sweetest man in the music business” by former bandmate Don Felder, the baby-faced Meisner joined Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Bernie Leadon within the early Seventies to type a quintessential Los Angeles band and one of the crucial common acts in historical past.

“Randy was an integral part of the Eagles and instrumental in the early success of the band,” the Eagles’ assertion mentioned. “His vocal range was astonishing, as is evident on his signature ballad, `Take It to the Limit.”’

Evolving from nation rock to arduous rock, the Eagles turned out a run of hit singles and albums over the following decade, beginning with “Take It Easy” and persevering with with “Desperado,” “Hotel California” and “Life In the Fast Lane” amongst others. Although chastised by many critics as slick and superficial, the Eagles launched two of the most well-liked albums of all time, “Hotel California” and “Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975),” which with gross sales at 38 million the Recording Industry Association of America ranked with Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” because the No. 1 vendor.

Led by singer-songwriters Henley and Frey, the Eagles had been initially branded as “mellow” and “easy listening.” But by their third album, the 1974 launch “On the Border,” they’d added a rock guitarist, Felder, and had been turning away from nation and bluegrass.

Leadon, an old style bluegrass picker, was sad with the brand new sound and left after the 1975 album “One of These Nights.” (He was changed by one other rock guitarist, Joe Walsh). Meisner stayed on by means of the 1976 launch of “Hotel California,” the band’s most acclaimed file, however was gone quickly after. His departure, sarcastically, was touched off by the track he co-wrote and was greatest identified for, “Take It to the Limit.”

A shy Nebraskan torn between fame and household life, Meisner had been unwell and homesick through the “Hotel California” tour (his first marriage was breaking apart) and was reluctant to have the highlight for “Take It to the Limit,” a showcase for his nasally tenor. His objections throughout a Knoxville, Tennessee live performance in the summertime of 1977 so angered Frey that the 2 argued backstage and Meisner left quickly after. His substitute, Timothy B. Schmit, remained with the group over the next a long time, together with Henley, Walsh and Frey, who died in 2016.

As a solo artist, Meisner by no means approached the success of the Eagles, however did have hits with “Hearts On Fire” and “Deep Inside My Heart” and performed on data by Walsh, James Taylor and Dan Fogelberg amongst others. Meanwhile, the Eagles ended a 14-year hiatus in 1994 and toured with Schmit regardless that Meisner had performed on all however one in every of their earlier studio albums. He did be part of group members previous and current in 1998 after they had been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and carried out “Take It Easy” and “Hotel California.” For a decade, he was a part of World Classic Rockers, a touring act that at numerous instances included Donovan, Spencer Davis and Denny Laine.

Meisner was married twice, the primary time when he was nonetheless in his teenagers, and had three youngsters.

The son of sharecroppers and grandson of a classical violinist, Meisner was enjoying in native bands as an adolescent and by the top of the Nineteen Sixties had moved to California and joined a rustic rock group, Poco, together with Richie Furay and Jimmy Messina. But he would keep in mind being angered that Furay wouldn’t let him take heed to the studio mixture of their first album and left the group earlier than it got here out: His successor was Timothy B. Schmit.

Meisner backed Ricky Nelson, performed on Taylor’s “Sweet Baby James” album and befriended Henley and Frey when all had been performing in Linda Ronstadt’s band. With Ronstadt’s blessing, they shaped the Eagles, had been signed up by David Geffen for his Asylum Records label and launched their self-titled debut album in 1972.

Frey and Henley sang lead more often than not, however Meisner was the important thing behind “Take It the Limit.” It appeared on the “One of These Nights” album from 1975 and have become a prime 5 single, a weary, plaintive track later lined by Etta James and as a duet by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings.

“The purpose of the whole Eagles thing to me was that combination and the chemistry that made all the harmonies just sound perfect,” Meisner instructed the music site www.lobstergottalent.com in 2015. “The funny thing is after we made those albums I never listened to them and it is only when someone comes over or I am at somebody’s house and it gets played in the background that is when I’ll tell myself, `Damn, these records are good.”’

AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

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