Joe Walsh

Joe Walsh plays guitar like a guy who's having more fun than you, and he usually is. Born in Wichita in 1947, he did time at Kent State and in a string of local Ohio bands before the James Gang made him famous, his guitar all over their hit "Funk 49". He walked out in 1972 and formed Barnstorm with drummer Joe Vitale and bassist Kenny Passarelli, though the three albums they made got sold as Walsh solo records.

The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get in 1973 is where the swagger peaks: "Rocky Mountain Way" is a slow, heavy stomp with a guitar sound that seems to be chewing gravel. So What, in 1974, the last Barnstorm album, had Eagles members all over it, and in 1975, on producer Bill Szymczyk's advice, Walsh joined the Eagles themselves, replacing Bernie Leadon on guitar and keyboards. His first record with them was Hotel California, and the dueling solos he and Don Felder cut on its title track have been named the best guitar solos ever by guitar-magazine readers.

Then there's "Life's Been Good", from "But Seriously, Folks…" in 1978, a loose, loping, grinning shuffle that sounds like a man enjoying the ride. The Eagles took him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with them in 1998, and in 2016 he received the Kennedy Center Honors.

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