Randy Meisner Dies

Randy Meisner was an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the iconic rock band, the Eagles. He was born on March 8, 1946, in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, USA. He developed an interest in music at a young age and learned to play the guitar and bass.

All four of his grandparents were Volga^[1] German immigrants. Randy had an older sister, Carol, who died in 2005. He recalled that his mother was always singing around the house. His maternal grandfather, George Haun, was a violin teacher. The Meisner family grew corn, beans, alfalfa, and sugar beets on their farm. Young Randy developed an interest in the guitar at ten years old, after seeing Elvis Presley perform on the Ed Sullivan Show.

In the mid-1960s, he joined a band called The Dynamics, which later evolved into The Drivin’ Dynamics, a successful rock and roll group that gained popularity in the local music scene. In 1968, Meisner moved to Los Angeles to pursue a music career and became a part of the band Poco, which was one of the pioneering groups in the country rock genre.

Meisner backed Ricky Nelson, played on Taylor’s “Sweet Baby James” album, and befriended Henley and Frey when all were performing in Linda Ronstadt’s band. With Ronstadt’s blessing, they formed the Eagles, were signed up by David Geffen for his Asylum Records label, and released their self-titled debut album in 1972.

Frey and Henley sang lead most of the time, but Meisner was the key behind “Take It the Limit.” It appeared on the “One of These Nights” album from 1975 and became a top 5 single, a weary, plaintive song later covered by Etta James and as a duet by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. In 1971, Randy Meisner was recruited by Glenn Frey and Don Henley to be a founding member of a new band, the Eagles. Meisner was primarily a bassist but also contributed vocals to the group.

His distinctive high harmonies and smooth voice were essential to the band’s sound and played a significant role in their early success. Meisner’s most notable contributions to the Eagles include his vocal performance on the hit songs “Take It Easy,” “Take It to the Limit,” and “Try and Love Again.” He also sang lead on “Certain Kind of Fool”, “Saturday Night”, “Is It True?”, “Take the Devil”,

“Midnight Flyer” (one of my favorite Eagles songs), “Most of Us Are Sad”, “Too Many Hands”, “Tryin'”, and “On the Border”. Despite the band’s immense success, internal tensions and creative differences began to arise during the 1970s. Meisner struggled with the band’s rigorous touring schedule and felt uncomfortable with the increasing rockstar lifestyle.

In 1977, after the release of the Eagles’ album “Hotel California,” Randy Meisner decided to leave the band. He cited personal reasons and the desire to spend more time with his family as the primary reasons for his departure. Following his departure from the Eagles, Meisner pursued a solo career. He released a self-titled album in 1978, which achieved moderate success.

In subsequent years, Meisner worked on various projects and collaborations with other musicians. However, he did not achieve the same level of commercial success as he did with the Eagles. Randy Meisner largely retreated from the public eye after his solo career and lived a relatively private life. It is important to note that Randy Meisner has faced some personal challenges and tragedies in his life.

He dealt with alcoholism and struggled with the loss of his wife, Lana Rae Meisner, who died in a tragic accident in 2016. Following minor heart attacks in 2004, he was forced to cut back on touring.

As his health continued to deteriorate, he eventually stopped performing. Meisner died due to complications associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)^[2] in Los Angeles, on July 26, 2023, at the age of 77.