From Soaring Eagles to Self-Discovery: Don Felder’s Journey Beyond the Band
Don Felder, known for his iconic guitar work with the Eagles, has a story of two departures from the legendary band. While the details are well-documented in his book, the essence of his journey involves a period of immense success in the 70s, a departure, a triumphant return, and then, to his surprise, a sudden dismissal. What happened during these pivotal moments, and how did he navigate the profound personal and professional shifts that followed?
The First Departure: A Call for Balance
The initial breakup of the Eagles, as Felder recounts, was partly due to a fundamental disagreement on the band’s relentless work ethic. His high school friend and fellow bandmate, Bernie Leadon, wisely suggested a break – a month off in Hawaii to decompress from the demanding lifestyle, the constant touring, and the accompanying excesses. Leadon’s vision was for longevity, a more sustainable pace. However, Don Henley and Glenn Frey, the band’s primary leaders, were driven by the momentum of their success. They believed in powering through, keeping the “ball going uphill.”
Felder acknowledges that Henley and Frey made many great decisions for the band, but on this specific point, he believes Leadon was right. “If we had adopted a little bit of his suggestion,” Felder reflects, “I think along the way we would have all been in better health and the band may still have been together today if we had had more time apart to rest and relax.” Leadon ultimately left the band due to these creative and lifestyle differences.
The Second Departure: Unfulfilled Agreements and Shifting Dynamics
The second time the Eagles reunited for the “Hell Freezes Over” tour, the dynamic within the band had fundamentally changed. Originally, when Felder joined, the band operated as a five-piece corporation, Eagles Limited, with all members sharing equally in gross earnings from tours, record sales, and other ventures. However, for the reunion, Henley and Frey felt they were entitled to a significantly larger share.
Felder initially agreed to this new arrangement for 60 shows, with the understanding that they would renegotiate afterwards. Yet, when the time for renegotiation came, it never happened. “It just stood as it was,” Felder states, which “constantly rubbed on me through the course of that Hell Freezes Over tour.” Despite repeated attempts to re-open discussions based on their initial agreement, the answer was always “no.” The situation culminated in a legal notice, and Felder found himself “fired.”
Reflecting on these events, Felder holds no regrets about his feelings at the time. He points to bands like U2, whose members, high school buddies, share equally and maintain a strong camaraderie. This sense of unity, he notes, had dissolved within the Eagles between their initial breakup and the reunion, largely due to the successful solo careers of Don Henley and Glenn Frey, which led them to believe they deserved a larger “lion’s share.”
Rebuilding Identity: Finding Strength in Stripped-Away Success
Being fired from the Eagles and going through a divorce around the same time marked one of the lowest points in Felder’s life. “I had really the hugest, the largest amount of success I’d had in my life career-wise with the Eagles,” he recounts. “And I had been married for 29 years during that whole Eagle’s rise and success and everything.” To have all of that stripped away in a matter of months – the loss of his wife, his family, his identity as a father, and his musical career – left him with just himself, no longer “part of the Eagles per se.”
This profound loss forced him into a period of deep introspection and meditation. He sought to understand how he had arrived at that difficult moment. He drew strength from the resilience of his father, who had endured the Great Depression, laying bricks for ten cents a day to buy food for his family. Felder realized he was fortunate to have a “war chest of money” from his time with the Eagles, and that these losses, though devastating, were a “blessing in disguise.”
“I found what was really an identity unto myself, unto my own, and the strength to battle through that,” he shares. “To me, that is what makes people grow and survive. When you’re given something really hard in life and you don’t just let it kill you, if it doesn’t kill you, you can get through it and you’ll be stronger for it.”
This period of questioning “who am I?” led him to a clearer understanding of himself. He describes himself as empathetic and someone who likes to give back. Whether it’s through his music, bringing happiness to others, or dedicating his time to charity work, he feels a deep gratitude for the blessings he’s received. “It’s only fair in my opinion that if you’ve been given so much in such abundance that you share it,” he concludes. “If I can share myself and my talents and my value in the marketplace with other people that could really use it and help it, that’s kind of what I do these days.”