Walsh, Joe (After Dinner Speakers)
Legendary Musician Best known for his powerful guitar licks, Joe Walsh has entertained millions and captivated his peers for more almost four decades with such classics as “Funk #49”, “Walk Away”, “Life’s Been Good”, and “Ordinary Average Guy”. The catalogue of songs is the veritable soundtrack of our lives. And, he hasn’t stopped yet.
Along with perfecting his craft, Joe has committed time and resources to support the Santa Cruz Island Foundation and the California Innocent Project. Joe has also made several appearances on the Drew Carey Show, MadTV, as well as on Bill Maher’s Politically Incorrect. He’s even been “animated for television” on Duck Man and The Simpsons, and all of this whilst making DJ appearances. Walsh had played with many bands but it wasn’t until 1969, when he joined the Cleveland based power trio The James Gang, that he got a taste of sweet success. Two of the four albums that the Gang released from 1970 to 1971 went gold. Despite this success Joe felt it was time to go it alone. With no particular plans, Walsh packed his bags and headed to Colorado. There he put together a trio – Barnstorm – and later that year they released a self-titled album. Still feeling there was something more for himself, Joe decided to release his first solo album in 1973. This album proved Joe a legitimate solo act with a limitless career on the horizon. For the next four years, Joe’s commitment to his music was unstoppable. In 1976 he was asked by the Eagles to replace guitarist Bernie Leadon, bringing a harder rock sound to the group. Over the next four years, this configuration of the Eagles released “Hotel California” (which went gold and reached #1 on the Billboard Charts), as well as “The Long Run” and “Eagles Live” (reaching Billboard’s #1 and #6 respectively). During this same period, Joe’s boundless energy and musical enthusiasm led to the release of two solo albums: “You Can’t Argue With A Sick Mind” (a live album) and “But Seriously Folks” which featured the notorious hit “Life’s Been Good”. During a fourteen-year sabbatical period for the Eagles, Joe focused on his solo career. Starting in 1981 with the release of “There Goes The Neighborhood”, followed by “You Bought It, You Name it” (1983), “The Confessor” (1985), “Got Any Gum” (1987), “Ordinary Average Guy” (1991), and “Songs For A Dying Planet” (1992). Joe also released two ‘greatest hits’ albums, “Look What I Did” (1995) a 2 CD set, and “Little Did He Know . . . . “ (1997). In 1994, the Eagles reunited for the release of a new album entitled “Hell Freezes Over” which reached #1 on the Billboard Charts and sparked one of the most successful tours in music history. Nothing better than proving the critics and the ‘naysayers’ wrong – the Eagles were still at the top of their game. In 1998 the Eagles were inducted into the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame. As the new millennium dawned, the Eagles began working on a long-awaited studio album. During the spring of 2001, they took a break to do a mini-tour in Europe, which proved so successful that they replicated the tour in the U.S. in 2002. The U.S. tour grossed over thirty-five million dollars. The Eagles Farewell Tour I began in May and continued through October. Feeling as though their journey was not yet finished they decided to head out across the US and Europe and by the end of 2005 the tour was the top grossing tour of the year. After the tour with the Eagles, Joe headed back to his routes for a fifteen-show U.S. tour with the legendary James Gang. 2008 has seen the Eagles back on the road again touring the U.K., Sweden, Netherlands and the U.S. Joe has led an extraordinary life as a legendary musician and now is available to speak of that life as an equally compelling and entertaining public, after dinner and keynote conference speaker. Having survived four decades of the toughest and most competitive business in the world – the music industry – Joe speaks fluently of ‘life lessons’: the need to recognize time for change; adapting to suit market and related demands and conditions; pitfalls of complacency; brand and market leader to the bottom and back. A powerful and highly professional performer. For the latest info on Joe click here to visit his website (http://www.joewalsh.com). |