Eagles bandleader Don Henley says he “didn't think it was feasible” for the group to continue after Glenn Frey's passing, revealing that it was Bono that helped get the band back on track.
Frey, the Eagles' founding guitarist, passed away aged 67 in January 2016. By Henley’s own admission, the loss felt like it spelled the end if the band. A year went by in which he felt the Eagles were lost, only for two factors to change that.
“Our manager, [Irving] Azoff, came to me, and said, ‘You know, I've been talking to a lot of people in the industry, and there are still a lot of fans out there who would like to see you come back and play music,’” he recalls in a new interview with CBS Sunday Morning. “I said, ‘Well, I'll think about that.’
Henley’s condition was clear: “I'll only do it if we can get Glenn's son to be in the band,” he says, referring to Deacon Frey. “I wanted the blood.
“There's a tradition, both here and in Europe, called The Guild, where the son apprentices with the father, whether it's carpentry, glass blowing or any kind of craft,” he explains. “The son works with the father until the son develops an ability high enough to go out on his own and carry on the tradition.”
And, as Henley admits, it was the U2 frontman who put him onto the idea and ultimately steered him towards hiring Deacon.
“I have to give Bono credit,” he continues. “Because he reminded me of that when I was at a convention in Europe. We were sitting by each other at dinner, and I was telling him that I was in a quandary about what to do about the band. And he said, ‘Well, you know, there's this thing called The Guild...’
“Ringo's son is a drummer; there are a lot of offspring in the business. Then we decided that Vince Gill would be the other person who would be capable; it took two people to replace Glenn.”
Henley praised Gill's appointment, too, saying his talents stretch far beyond the realms in which he made his name.
“He's so much more than a country artist, and he was delighted to get the chance to play rock n' roll,” Henley says. “He showed up the first day with these big amplifiers, and I was like, ‘What is that stuff?’ ‘They're amps.’ ‘Okay, half that.’”
With the pair in their ranks, and with Deacon Frey playing many songs each night on his late father's electric guitars, the band has enjoyed a remarkable turnaround. They've also broken records with their ongoing residency at the Las Vegas Sphere, surpassing a record set by Dead & Company's stay at the new venue.
“The Sphere run has been a late career blessing for us,” Henley smiles. “We're grateful for it. It's a nice way to go out.”
I wanted the blood, but it took two people to replace Glenn.
Don Henley
Recently, Chris Holt became the latest guitarist to join the group. He has hailed Gill as the band’s best guitarist, and explained why he takes on less of the heavy lifting during their live shows.
