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Biography
Use mdy dates|date=October 2011Infobox musical artist| name = Randy Meisner| image =| caption = Meisner performing on Eagles (band)|The Eagles ' Hotel California tour.| image_size = 250| landscape = Yes| background = solo_singer| birth_name = Randy Herman Meisner| alias =| Born = birth date and age|1946|3|8 Scottsbluff, Nebraska , United States|U.S. | death_date =| instrument = Bass guitar|Bass , Singer|vocals , guitar , guitarrón mexicano|guitarrón | genre = Rock music|Rock , country rock | occupation = Musician , songwriter | years_active = 1961–present| label = Asylum Records|Asylum , Epic Records|Epic , Rev-Ola, York| associated_acts = Eagles (band)|Eagles , Poco , Rick Nelson , Linda Ronstadt | website = Randy Herman Meisner (born March 8, 1946 in Scottsbluff, Nebraska , United States|U.S. ) is an United States|American musician and songwriter, best known as a founding member of Poco and the Eagles (band)|Eagles . Throughout his professional musical career Meisner's main role has been as bassist and backing high-harmony vocalist as both a group member and session musician.
Early life and career
Meisner was born in Scottsbluff, Nebraska , the son of sharecroppers.Felder, Holden. Pg. 80. ISBN 978-0-470-28906-8Eliot. Pg. 28. ISBN 978-0-306-81398-6 When he was 17, in May 1963, Randy married his high school sweetheart Jennifer Barton, and the young couple had a son, Dana Scott Meisner in November 1963. Randy and Jennifer were married for 18 years, with the marriage producing two more children (Heather Leigh and Eric Shane Meisner) born in May 1970.Felder, Holden. Pg. 80. His first public playing experience was with a local band named The Dynamics (later The Drivin' Dynamicscite web|last=Eder |first=Bruce |url=Allmusic|class=artist|id=p4886/biography|pure_url=yes |title=Randy Meisner > Biography |publisher=allmusic |accessdate=2009-11-28) in 1961. By 1965,cite web|last=Ruhlmann |first=William |url= http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/eagles/bio/4516 |title=Eagles > Biography |publisher=billboard |accessdate=2009-11-28 he had moved to California with a band named The Soul Survivors, later to be renamed The Poor (because, as Don Felder later said, "...that is what they became.")
In 1968, after auditioning along side the likes of Duane Allman and Timothy B Schmit , Meisner joined Poco (originally named Pogo) with former Buffalo Springfield members Richie Furay and Jim Messina (musician)|Jim Messina .Felder, Holden. Pg 81 Meisner appeared on Poco's first album, '' Pickin' Up the Pieces '',cite web|url=Allmusic|class=artist|id=p4886/credits|pure_url=yes |title=Randy Meisner > Credits |publisher=allmusic |date=1946-03-08 |accessdate=2009-11-28 but was asked to leave the bandEliot. Pg. 37. shortly before the record was released. Meisner's exit was a result of his anger from being excluded (at Furay's insistence) from participation in the final mix playback sessions for the record, as only Messina and Furay were to complete the production. His image was removed from the painting on the album's cover,cite web |date=September 2006 |accessdate=December 20, 2009 |first=Ken |last=Sharp |url= http://www.eaglesfans.com/info/articles/pdffiles/discoveries/discoveries3_4.pdf |title=Randy Meisner takes it to the limit one more time. Pg. 3-4 |work=discoveries and replaced with the dog seen at the far left.Eliot. Pg. 37-38. His bass parts and backing vocals were left in the mix, but his lead vocals were removed, and new versions were sung by George Grantham .Eliot. Pg. 38.
In 1969, Meisner joined Rick Nelson 's Stone Canyon Band ,cite web|last=Eder |first=Bruce |url=Allmusic|class=album|id=r13808|pure_url=yes |title=Rick Nelson in Concert (The Troubadour, 1969) > Overview |publisher=allmusic |date=1969-12-13 |accessdate=2009-11-28 and persuaded Nelson and producer John Boylan (record producer)|John Boylan to hire his former band mates from The Poor, Allen Kemp (guitar) and Pat Shanahan (drums); pedal steel guitarist Tom Brumley completed the group. Meisner appears on both In Concert at the Troubadour, 1969 and Rudy The Fifth . Although he did not perform on Nelson's Garden Party , he did co-author one of the album's tracks. Meisner continued to support himself as a session performer, playing bass on James Taylor 's Sweet Baby James album, among others. By early 1971, he would become active in Linda Ronstadt 's backing band, which featured Don Henley and Glenn Frey . Bernie Leadon had already been playing with Ronstadt for some time. He appeared with her on her 1969 appearance of Playboy After Dark with Hugh Hefner . He completed the quartet.
Tenure with the Eagles
In September 1971, Meisner, along with Henley, Frey and Leadon, formed the Eagles (band)|Eagles , signing with David Geffen 's new label, Asylum Records , and they released their eponymous debut album in 1972. While he usually manned the bass and handled backing vocals for the Eagles, he also played guitar on Desperado (Eagles album)| Desperado , On the Border , and Hotel California . During his six years with the band, he wrote and/or co-wrote songs on each of the group's first five albums—most notably " Take It to the Limit (Eagles song)|Take It to the Limit " on One of These Nights —and was featured as lead vocalist on several other songs.
Meisner's time in the band was reportedly weighed down by his desire to be with his family. According to Don Felder , Meisner constantly threatened to resignCitation needed|date=November 2009. After the supporting tour of Hotel California , Meisner quit the band in September 1977, citing "exhaustion".cite web|url= http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/the-eagles |title=The Eagles |publisher=Rockhall.com |date= |accessdate=2009-11-28 He would be replaced by Timothy B. Schmit , coincidentally the same bassist who replaced him in Poco .
On his abrupt resignation from the band, Meisner has said, "When I quit, it was like Timothy Schmit joined the group, and it was like Timothy was the guy now, and I can't blame them for that. All that stuff and all the arguing amongst the Eagles is over now. Well at least for me."cite web|url= http://www.smoothjazznow.com/interviews/randy_meisner.htm |title=Randy Meisner of the Eagles Interview : Smooth Jazz Now Radio Streaming Live |publisher=Smoothjazznow.com |date= |accessdate=2009-11-28
Solo career
Meisner went on to release solo albums in 1978 ( Randy Meisner (1978 album)|Randy Meisner ), 1980 ( One More Song ); and 1982 with the CBS release ( Randy Meisner (1982 album)|Randy Meisner ) which was recorded with members of the rock band Heart (band)|Heart . He also resumed his session-playing; supporting James Taylor , Joe Walsh , Dan Fogelberg , Bob Welch (musician)|Bob Welch , Richie Furay , Richard Marx , Peter Lewis (musician)|Peter Lewis , Danny O'Keefe , Mac Gayden & Electric Range, as well as being part of the one-hit band Black Tie (band)|Black Tie (a cover of Buddy Holly 's "Learning the Game") - featuring Meisner alongside Jimmy Griffin (of Bread (band)|Bread ) and Billy Swan .
He also briefly formed a band and toured with former Firefall singer/songwriter Rick Roberts (musician)|Rick Roberts , called the Roberts-Meisner Band (Roberts had previously been a The Flying Burrito Brothers|Burrito Brother with Bernie Leadon, notably on 1971's The Flying Burrito Brothers (album)|The Flying Burrito Brothers ). The Meisner-Roberts Band's drummer was well-known musician Ron Grinel, who also played with Dan Fogelberg , Carole King , and other bands, primarily acts managed by Irving Azoff Citation needed|date=December 2009. Also in the band were Bray Ghiglia on Guitar, Flute, Sax and Keyboards and Cary Park on lead guitar.
Meisner's band reunion activities have included the Legacy (Poco album)|Legacy album with Poco in 1989 and the Eagles' 1998 appearance at the New York induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame , where all seven past and present members of the Eagles performed " Take It Easy " and " Hotel California (song)|Hotel California ". In recent years he has performed as a part of the World Classic Rockers touring group.
Impostor
A man named Lewis Peter "Buddy" Morgan started impersonating Meisner, beginning in 1988. Morgan's identity was not conclusively revealed until 1997. In 1998, he was arrested and spent 16 months in jail, but upon his release continued his charade and was still doing so as of 2006. In Reno, Nevada, he tried to use Meisner's identity to rent hotel rooms. He was not as successful as before in his ruse, since area hotels had notified each other of the impostor. Some people are not too familiar with Meisner's appearance, and Morgan used that truth to con musical instrument manufacturers and retailers, casino owners, and women.cite web|author=Comment by Jack Hopkins |url= http://www.sfweekly.com/1998-04-29/news/fake-it-to-the-limit/1 |title=San Francisco News - Fake It to the Limit - page 1 |publisher=Sfweekly.com |date= |accessdate=2009-11-28cite web|url= http://www.gambling911.com/Eagles-Randy-Meisner-Imposter-073006.html |title=crew partied with Eagles Randy Meisner, or did we? |publisher=Gambling911.com |date=2006-07-30 |accessdate=2009-11-28
Songs featuring Meisner
Eagles songs written or co-written by Randy Meisner
"Take the Devil" from Eagles (album)|Eagles
"Early Bird" (co-written with Bernie Leadon ) from Eagles
"Tryin'" from Eagles
"Certain Kind of Fool" from Desperado (Eagles album)|Desperado (co-written with Glenn Frey & Don Henley )
"Saturday Night" from Desperado (co-written with Frey/Henley/Leadon)
"Is It True" from On the Border
"Too Many Hands" from One of These Nights (co-written with Don Felder )
"Take It to the Limit" from One of These Nights (co-written with Frey/Henley)
"Try and Love Again" from Hotel California
Eagles songs featuring Randy Meisner on lead or co-lead vocal
"Most of Us Are Sad" from Eagles (album)|Eagles
"Take the Devil" from Eagles
"Tryin'" from Eagles
"Take It Easy" - co-lead vocal w/Glenn Frey on second verse ("Well, I'm-a standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona...") from Eagles
"Certain Kind of Fool" from Desperado (Eagles album)|Desperado
"Saturday Night" - lead vocal in the bridge ("She said tell me, oh tell me...") from Desperado
"Midnight Flyer" from On the Border
"On the Border" - lead vocal in the bridge ("Never mind your name...") from On the Border
"Is It True" from On the Border
"Too Many Hands" from One of These Nights
"Take It to the Limit" from One of These Nights
"Try and Love Again" from Hotel California
Poco songs featuring Randy Meisner on lead or co-lead vocal
"Make Me a Smile" - high-harmony with Richie Furay from '' Pickin' Up the Pieces (written by Richie Furay/ Jim Messina (musician)|Jim Messina )
"Short Changed" - high-harmony with Richie Furay from ''Pickin' Up the Pieces (written by Richie Furay)
"Anyway Bye Bye" - original lead before leaving group from Poco (album) (written by Richie Furay)
"Nothin' To Hide" from Legacy (Poco album)|Legacy (written by Richard Marx , Bruce Gaitsch)
"Rough Edges" from Legacy (written by Young, Radney Foster , Bill Lloyd)
"Nature of Love" from Legacy (written by Jeff Silbar, Van Stephenson )
Discography
Albums
Year
Album
US
1978
Randy Meisner
#204
1980
One More Song
#50
1982
Randy Meisner
#94
2002
Dallas
—
2005
Love Me Leave Me Alone
—
Singles
Year
Single
Chart
Position
1975
"Take It To The Limit" (with the Eagles (band)
Adult Contemporary
4
Pop Singles
4
1980
"Deep Inside My Heart" (duet with Kim Carnes )
Pop Singles
22
1981
"Hearts on Fire"
Mainstream Rock
14
Pop Singles
19
1982
"Never Been in Love"
Pop Singles
28
1990
"Nothin' To Hide" (with Poco )
Adult Contemporary
10
Pop Singles
39
1990
"Nature of Love" (with Poco )
Adult Contemporary
10
References
Eliot, Marc. To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles . Da Capo Press, 2004. ISBN 978-0-306-81398-6
Felder, Don with Holden, Wendy. Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles (1974–2001) . Wiley, 2008. ISBN 978-0-470-28906-8
Notes
reflist|2 PocoEaglesGrammy Award for Record of the Year 1970s Persondata | NAME =Meisner, Randy | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH =1946-03-08 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Meisner, Randy Category:1946 births Category:Living people Category:American country rock musicians Category:American male singers Category:American musicians of German descent Category:American rock bass guitarists Category:American rock singers Category:Eagles (band) members Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Musicians from California Category:Musicians from Nebraska Category:People from Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska Category:Poco members Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees
