The one musician who turned down joining the Eagles: “I wanted to write songs that would outlive me”
Forming a band can usually go one of two ways. One option is that you are a group of friends who grew up together, picked up some instruments and began to make a racket in the hope of escaping either boredom or your abode, or both. The other option is a group of solo musicians who see kindred spirits in one another or, at the very least, an opportunity to create something great with a like-minded creative. The latter are usually the more talented musicians. When the Eagles started to come together, there was no excuse for anything subpar.
Having gone through the road warrior circuit in Los Angeles, Glenn Frey and Don Henley were looking to put together the ultimate California rock act, making songs as relatable as they were catchy. Although every band member had a signature sound they brought to the table, one of the foundational pieces of their sound would reject an invitation to join.
Before Frey or Henley had gotten to California, though, they were already making ends meet on opposite sides of the US. Born and raised in Detroit, Frey was known for playing in various bands in his spare time before working up the courage to travel West, initially running into David Crosby the first day he was there. The chance meeting would provide some opportunity for the young musician who began fraternising with Crosby’s crowd.
Not having anywhere to stay, Frey quickly became friends with JD Souther, who was dating his girlfriend’s sister at the time. Sometimes, in the history of rock and roll, a chance meeting blossoms into a grand friendship, and this was one of those moments. Both had an affinity for writing songs, and it wasn’t long before they decided to put a group together. Working under the name Longbranch/Pennywhistle, the duo played various gigs around town before Frey got to work with singer Linda Ronstadt.
Sitting behind the drums from Ronstadt was Henley, who had been making a name for himself in the band Shiloh out of Texas. After both of them started to gel, they started to baulk at the idea of putting together a supergroup just to back up Ronstadt, electing to leave the band so they could make something on their own.
By the band’s admission, Ronstadt couldn’t have been more accommodating, even suggesting they hire Bernie Leadon on guitar thanks to his work with Gram Parsons. Rounding out the lineup with Randy Meisner from the band Poco, Souther would have the opportunity to join the band on guitar, only to turn down the opportunity.
The chance to join a mammoth rock band is one almost anybody would jump at. When you add to this the sheer level of fame and fortune Eagles would have offered it is a real head-scratcher as to why he wasn’t interested.
Instead of living the life of a rock star, Souther was more interested in making songs that would resonate long after he was gone, telling Life in the Fast Lane, “[I] didn’t think much in terms of my career. I had just as much respect for The Gershwins and Cole Porter as I did for Hank Williams and Graham Nash. I wanted to write songs that would outlive me”.
As Souther watched from the sidelines, though, he would eventually start making his solo work alongside the Eagles, coming up with songs that Frey would help him finish occasionally. Despite not being in the band, Souther would be credited as the co-writer of some of the group’s most significant material, helping finish off tracks like ‘Victim of Love’ as well as giving the band their final hit when they recorded a version of his song ‘How Long’ for Long Road Out of Eden.
While many aspiring rock stars would be shocked at how much money Souther was leaving on the table, he still maintains that he made the right decision, saying, “I saw that there was something to this introspective songwriting that appear to me…it would just improve my whole world if I tried to write songs that way instead of aiming them at necessarily getting them recorded or performing them or something”.
