Joe Walsh

Driving on your way to wherever your day takes you and the simple task of sitting in your car thinking about what you are going to do when you get there. This is something we have all experienced many times a day and it’s just another ride in the car right? I’ll bet that you have been cruising along and forgetting, the radio was on and you hear this “Welcome back! this is Free ride on 101 The Fox and our next song is “Life’s Been Good” by Joe Walsh” and as soon as the song starts a simple mundane task becomes a enjoyable experience and before you know it the song ends leaving you dieing for more. It’s not only that Joe Walsh is a great musician he is also a great person with great soul.

Set your self back in time, it’s 1980 and you are walking back from your house and a new car comes roaring down the road but that’s not the loudest thing around. The driver also has the Brand new cassette from The Eagles playing as loud as that new car stereo can play. That’s right The Eagles are the biggest band around. Everyone knows who they are, Glenn Frey, Don Henly, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit. But no one really knows them personally. There is one that I want to focus on today and it is Joe Walsh.

Joe Walsh grew up with music around him in every direction. He attended Kent State University where he was known as “The Phantom of Kent State” because he would stay up very late at night and play guitar in the stairwells of his dorm. After many tries to create a successful band he it hit it big with the power trio (Bass guitar, Drums, and guitar) James Gang. The Gang released such classics as Funk #49 and Funk #48. After a while Joe quit James Gang and started a solo career. Just because Joe felt like it he packed up and moved to Colorado where he met a few people and started a band called Barnstorm. They were a moderate success. So Walsh decided to release a solo album, which proved to be a good decision but in 1978 he made a life changing decision. He joined The Eagles who’s timeless classic hits include:

Life in the Fast Lane;
Take It to the Limit;
Hotel California;
Already gone;
Get Over It;
Any MANY MANY more.

While the Eagles took a 14 year vacation Joe Walsh was not sitting around drinking ice tea. He was at the recording solo tacks and albums such as:

There goes the neighborhood;
You Bought it, You name it;
The Confessor;
Got any Gum?;
Ordinary Guy;
Look What I Did!;
Little Did he know….

But, in 1994 The Eagles came back again to rock the world once more! And in 1998 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

That’s the good story behind Joe Walsh throughout his life Joe struggled with a drug problem. A lot of people from the 70’s struggled so it was no surprise when Joe asked for help. Walsh says he came to his senses and beat his alcohol and cocaine addictions after hanging out with reggae band Herbs in the early 1990s. He now does anti-drug tours around places like New Zealand. He credits the country for helping him beat his addicting habits. "If I have come all this way and anything I say saves one life, then my trip has been worth it," he says

I’ll bet Joe Walsh never thought that he would do an anti-drug tour around New Zealand when he was playing in the stairwell at Kent state. I don’t think Joe would have ever thought that he would be inducted into the Hall of Fame when he was talking with the members of James Gang. Being a hero is not about making great music its about affecting the way people who listen to your music in a way that makes a positive impact on their life.