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Randy Meisner

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Randy Meisner
Meisner performing on The Eagles' Hotel California tour.
Meisner performing on The Eagles' Hotel California tour.
Background information
Birth nameRandy Herman Meisner
GenresRock, country rock
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)Bass, vocals, guitar, guitarrón
Years active1961–present
LabelsAsylum, Epic, Rev-Ola, York

Randy Herman Meisner (born March 8, 1946 in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, U.S.) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as a founding member of Poco and the Eagles. Throughout his professional musical career Meisner's main role has been as bassist and backing high-harmony vocalist as both a group member and session musician.

Early life and career

Meisner was born in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, the son of sharecroppers.[1][2] When he was 17, in May 1963, Randy married his high school sweetheart Jennifer Barton, and the young couple had a son, Dana Scott Meisner in November 1963. Randy and Jennifer were married for 18 years, with the marriage producing two more children (Heather Leigh and Eric Shane Meisner) born in May 1970.[3] His first public playing experience was with a local band named The Dynamics (later The Drivin' Dynamics[4]) in 1961. By 1965,[4][5] he had moved to California with a band named The Soul Survivors,[5] later to be renamed The Poor[4] (because, as Don Felder later said, "...that is what they became.")[3]

In 1968, after auditioning along side the likes of Duane Allman and Timothy B Schmit, Meisner joined Poco (originally named Pogo)[4] with former Buffalo Springfield members Richie Furay and Jim Messina.[4][6] Meisner appeared on Poco's first album, Pickin' Up the Pieces,[7] but was asked to leave the band[8] shortly before the record was released. Meisner's exit was a result of his anger from being excluded (at Furay's insistence) from participation in the final mix playback sessions for the record, as only Messina and Furay were to complete the production.[8] His image was removed from the painting on the album's cover,[9] and replaced with the dog seen at the far left.[10] His bass parts and backing vocals were left in the mix,[9] but his lead vocals were removed, and new versions were sung by George Grantham.[11]

In 1969, Meisner joined Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band,[12] and persuaded Nelson and producer John Boylan to hire his former band mates from The Poor, Allen Kemp (guitar) and Pat Shanahan (drums); pedal steel guitarist Tom Brumley completed the group.[11] Meisner appears on both In Concert at the Troubadour, 1969[12] and Rudy The Fifth. Although he did not perform on Nelson's Garden Party, he did co-author one of the album's tracks.[7] Meisner continued to support himself as a session performer, playing bass on James Taylor's Sweet Baby James album,[7] among others. By the summer of 1971, he would become active in Linda Ronstadt's backing band, which featured Don Henley and Glenn Frey. Bernie Leadon would be the last Eagle to join Ronstadt's backing group, brought in by John Boylan.[9]

Tenure with the Eagles

File:Eagles1972.jpg
Eagles in 1972 (l-r) Leadon, Meisner, Henley, Frey.

In September 1971, Meisner, along with Henley, Frey and Leadon, formed the Eagles, signing with David Geffen's new label, Asylum Records,[5] and they released their eponymous debut album in 1972. While he usually manned the bass and handled backing vocals for the Eagles, he also played guitar on Desperado, On the Border, and Hotel California. During his six years with the band, he wrote and/or co-wrote songs on each of the group's first five albums—most notably "Take It to the Limit" on One of These Nights—and was featured as lead vocalist on several other songs.

Meisner's time in the band was reportedly weighed down by his desire to be with his family. According to Don Felder, Meisner constantly threatened to resign[citation needed]. After the supporting tour of Hotel California, Meisner quit the band in September 1977,[5] citing "exhaustion".[13] He would be replaced by Timothy B. Schmit, coincidentally the same bassist who replaced him in Poco.[5]

On his abrupt resignation from the band, Meisner has said, "When I quit, it was like Timothy Schmit joined the group, and it was like Timothy was the guy now, and I can't blame them for that. All that stuff and all the arguing amongst the Eagles is over now. Well at least for me."[14]

Solo career

Meisner went on to release solo albums in 1978 (Randy Meisner), 1980 (One More Song); and 1982 with the CBS release (Randy Meisner) which was recorded with members of the rock band Heart. He also resumed his session-playing; supporting James Taylor, Joe Walsh, Dan Fogelberg, Bob Welch, Richie Furay, Richard Marx, Peter Lewis, Danny O'Keefe, Mac Gayden & Electric Range, as well as being part of the one-hit band Black Tie (a cover of Buddy Holly's "Learning the Game") - featuring Meisner alongside Jimmy Griffin (of Bread) and Billy Swan.

He also briefly formed a band and toured with former Firefall singer/songwriter Rick Roberts, called the Roberts-Meisner Band (Roberts had previously been a Burrito Brother with Bernie Leadon, notably on 1971's The Flying Burrito Brothers). The Meisner-Roberts Band's drummer was well-known musician Ron Grinel, who also played with Dan Fogelberg, Carole King, and other bands, primarily acts managed by Irving Azoff[citation needed]. Also in the band were Bray Ghiglia on Guitar, Flute, Sax and Keyboards and Cary Park on lead guitar.

Meisner's band reunion activities have included the Legacy album with Poco in 1989 and the Eagles' 1998 appearance at the New York induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where all seven past and present members of the Eagles performed "Take It Easy" and "Hotel California". Recent years have seen him perform as a part of the World Classic Rockers touring group.

Impostor

A man named Lewis Peter "Buddy" Morgan started impersonating Meisner, beginning in 1988.[15] Morgan's identity was not conclusively revealed until 1997.[15] In 1998, he was arrested and spent 16 months in jail, but upon his release continued his charade and was still doing so as of 2006. In Reno, Nevada, he tried to use Meisner's identity to rent hotel rooms. He was not as successful as before in his ruse, since area hotels had notified each other of the impostor. Some people are not too familiar with Meisner's appearance, and Morgan used that truth to con musical instrument manufacturers and retailers, casino owners, and women.[15][16]

Songs featuring Meisner

Eagles songs written or co-written by Randy Meisner

Eagles songs featuring Randy Meisner on lead or co-lead vocal

  • "Most of Us Are Sad" from Eagles
  • "Take the Devil" from Eagles
  • "Tryin'" from Eagles
  • "Take It Easy" - co-lead vocal w/Glenn Frey on second verse ("Well, I'm-a standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona...") from Eagles
  • "Certain Kind of Fool" from Desperado
  • "Saturday Night" - lead vocal in the bridge ("She said tell me, oh tell me...") from Desperado
  • "Midnight Flyer" from On the Border
  • "On the Border" - lead vocal in the bridge ("Never mind your name...") from On the Border
  • "Is It True" from On the Border
  • "Too Many Hands" from One of These Nights
  • "Take It to the Limit" from One of These Nights
  • "Try and Love Again" from Hotel California

Poco songs featuring Randy Meisner on lead or co-lead vocal

  • "Make Me a Smile" - high-harmony with Richie Furay from Pickin' Up the Pieces (written by Richie Furay/Jim Messina)
  • "Short Changed" - high-harmony with Richie Furay from Pickin' Up the Pieces (written by Richie Furay)
  • "Anyway Bye Bye" - original lead before leaving group from Poco (album) (written by Richie Furay)
  • "Nothin' To Hide" from Legacy (written by Richard Marx, Bruce Gaitsch)
  • "Rough Edges" from Legacy (written by Young, Radney Foster, Bill Lloyd)
  • "Nature of Love" from Legacy (written by Jeff Silbar, Van Stephenson)

Discography

Albums

Year Album US
1978 Randy Meisner #204
1980 One More Song #50
1982 Randy Meisner #94
2002 Dallas —
2005 Love Me Leave Me Alone —

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1975 "Take It To The Limit"
(with the Eagles) 		Adult Contemporary 4
Pop Singles 4
1980 "Deep Inside My Heart"
(duet with Kim Carnes) 		Pop Singles 22
1981 "Hearts on Fire" Mainstream Rock 14
Pop Singles 19
1982 "Never Been in Love" Pop Singles 28
1990 "Nothin' To Hide"
(with Poco) 		Adult Contemporary 10
Pop Singles 39
1990 "Nature of Love"
(with Poco) 		Adult Contemporary 10

References

  • Eliot, Marc. To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles. Da Capo Press, 2004. ISBN 978-0-306-81398-6
  • Felder, Don with Holden, Wendy. Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles (1974–2001). Wiley, 2008. ISBN 978-0-470-28906-8

Notes

  1. ^ Felder, Holden. Pg. 80. ISBN 978-0-470-28906-8
  2. ^ Eliot. Pg. 28. ISBN 978-0-306-81398-6
  3. ^ a b Felder, Holden. Pg. 80.
  4. ^ a b c d e Eder, Bruce. "Randy Meisner > Biography". allmusic. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
  5. ^ a b c d e Ruhlmann, William. "Eagles > Biography". billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
  6. ^ Felder, Holden. Pg 81
  7. ^ a b c "Randy Meisner > Credits". allmusic. March 8, 1946. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
  8. ^ a b Eliot. Pg. 37.
  9. ^ a b c Sharp, Ken (September 2006). "Randy Meisner takes it to the limit one more time. Pg. 3-4" (PDF). discoveries. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
  10. ^ Eliot. Pg. 37-38.
  11. ^ a b Eliot. Pg. 38.
  12. ^ a b Eder, Bruce (December 13, 1969). "Rick Nelson in Concert (The Troubadour, 1969) > Overview". allmusic. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
  13. ^ "The Eagles". Rockhall.com. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
  14. ^ "Randy Meisner of the Eagles Interview : Smooth Jazz Now Radio Streaming Live". Smoothjazznow.com. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
  15. ^ a b c Comment by Jack Hopkins. "San Francisco News - Fake It to the Limit - page 1". Sfweekly.com. Retrieved November 28, 2009.
  16. ^ "crew partied with Eagles Randy Meisner, or did we?". Gambling911.com. July 30, 2006. Retrieved November 28, 2009.

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