The Eagles

After humble beginnings as Linda Ronstadt's backing band, Glenn Frey, Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon decided to stay together as a band and call themselves The Eagles. Spotted by Asylum Records boss David Geffen, they were booked to play for a month as resident band in a bar in Aspen, Colorado, to tighten their act. Suitably prepared, Geffen signed them to his label the following spring. 

Remarkably, the band destined to become the archetypal American country rock group recorded their first (self-titled) album at a studio in Barnes, an affluent suburb of London, England. The album and its singles provided the band with the first of nearly a decade of huge US hits.

In 1975, Bernie Leadon left The Eagles after a long standing dispute about musical direction. He was replaced immediately by ex-James Gang member Joe Walsh.

1977's Hotel California topped the US charts, selling seven figures immediately. The album went on to do so well that Glenn Frey claimed years later it precipitated the "unbearable pressures of stardom" that led to the band's eventual break up.

As easy to hate as they were to sing along to, The Eagles nevertheless delivered the soundtrack of 70s LA and remain the definitive male harmony group of their era. Chief Eagle Don Henley has since turned environmentalist, raising over $20 million for his Walden Woods Project.