Joe Walsh Biography

Joe Walsh has remained an iconic figure in rock & roll, from his early hits with the James Gang to his later hits with the Eagles, and from his successful solo career which followed. Born in 1947 in Wichita, Kansas, Joe Walsh attended Kent State University and studied the oboe, clarinet, and bass. He eventually joined a college-based band called the Measles, playing guitar, between 1965 and 1969, and then the James Gang sometime later.

Walsh’s debut album, The James Gang Rides Again, featured the single "Funk #49,” bringing the band its first gold status single. The album Thirds, which followed, garnered another hit with “Walk Away.” Shortly after, Joe Walsh left the James Gang, moving to Colorado and forming the band Barnstorm. The new group’s self-titled debut, released in 1972, led to his solo debut with The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get. On the strength of the single “Rocky Mountain Way,” it hit the Top Ten and Joe Walsh followed up with So What in 1974. But Seriously, Folks, came in 1978, but it was the soundtrack to Urban Cowboy which launched “All Night Long” and led the album to success in 1980. There Goes the Neighborhood (1981) followed, and then You Bought It--You Name It (1983) and then The Confessor followed two years after in 1985.

Joe Walsh continues to perform and tour well into the new millennium. He performed at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2004, and in 2006, he reunited with Dale Peters and Jim Fox for a James Gang reunion tour. In 2012, he released Analog Man, an album co-produced by Jeff Lynne and co-written with Tommy Lee James for some of the tracks. The song “One Day at a Time” details the artists struggles with addiction and substance abuse earlier in the career, and is among Walsh’s most personal compositions.

Most recently, the Eagles released the documentary History of the Eagles in 2013, creating a resurgence in public interest. A supporting tour followed, lasting well into 2015; in the year following, Joe Walsh appeared in performance on the television reality competition The Voice.