TYRE — He was a longtime member of the Eagles, the best-selling American rock band of all time, a group that sold more records than everyone except the Beatles.
Don Felder helped transform the Eagles from a country-rock act into a legitimate rock-and-roll band, with his fretboard mastery earning him the nickname “Fingers Felder,” courtesy of the late Glenn Frey, one of the Eagles’ founding members.
Felder and Joe Walsh, who joined the Eagles after Felder’s friend, Bernie Leadon, left the band, formed a 1-2 guitar punch that may be unmatched in rock history.
Felder also is associated with a tumultuous time for the band. There were the famous spats with Frey, a host of back-and-forth lawsuits, and a bestselling, tell-all book by Felder that Frey and co-founder Don Henley tried to stop from being released.
Time may not heal all wounds, but there’s no bitterness on the other end of the telephone from Felder, 76, who brings his guitar prowess to del Lago Resort and Casino Saturday night.
The affable Felder, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer as a member of the Eagles — he is also in the Musician’s Hall of Fame — doesn’t dwell on those sometimes turbulent years. Instead, he expresses gratitude for being part of one of the great bands in rock history.
“I have made peace with that,” he said. “The book (‘Heaven and Hell: My Life in The Eagles’) was a very cathartic process for me. … I was blessed with the talent I was given and blessed with the opportunity to be in that band. It was a wonderful experience, the music we produced together.”
He looks at his life as a bit of a rags-to-riches tale. He grew up in abject poverty in rural Florida and ended up in one of the biggest rock acts of all time.
“What started me (on the path) was the love of music,” he said. “I did that work not for the money and rewards but for the love of music. It just makes me very, very happy.”
Felder said he still plays 75-90 shows a year.
“I would do 150 if I could. I’m trying to balance my career and love for my music with my relationships,” he said, alluding to a girlfriend, along with children and grandchildren.
With the Eagles, some of Felder’s most memorable guitar work includes “One of These Nights,” where he came up with the throbbing bass line while also adding the searing guitar solos that helped propel the song to the top of the U.S. charts. The 1975 album turned the Eagles into superstars.
Felder, Henley and Frey teamed up on one of the most iconic tunes in rock history, “Hotel California,” which Felder worked out on tape before presenting it to his bandmates.
For the Eagles’ 1994 reunion show on MTV, “Hell Freezes Over,” Felder said Frey asked him to write a special intro to their signature song. In two takes, he developed a flamenco-style intro on acoustic guitar before breaking into the indelible 12-string intro to “Hotel California.”
“I just made that up on the spot,” he said.
Felder said he is in good health. He works out everyday, whether at home in California or on the road, and his fingers can still work a fretboard like few others.
“I’ve been blessed,” he said, “but I do try to play every day. And, I’m still limber. (I) try to keep the gift I’ve got in the best shape I can. I want to be at the absolute peak level of performance.”
As for his show Saturday night at del Lago, Felder said fans can expect a good helping of Eagles favorites, along with some of his better-known solo songs, such as “Heavy Metal (Takin’ a Ride)” and selections from his most recent solo record, “American Rock and Roll.” Felder gets help on that record from some of rock’s guitar heroes: Slash of Guns ’N Roses, Rush’s Alex Lifeson, Orianthi (Penny Panagaris), Richie Sambora (formerly of Bon Jovi), Joe Satriani, and Peter Frampton. He also throws in some covers from artists he admires, including Stevie Ray Vaughn, which allows him to improvise.
He said he tries to play the Eagles songs as they were recorded because that’s what people expect, but he likes to stretch out and improvise, much like the jazz artists he admires, such as Miles Davis.
He’s proud of the musicians who accompany him on the road.
“I have an amazing band with me,” he said, adding that members have performed with some of the biggest names in pop music — from Sheryl Crow to Brad Paisley to Katy Perry.
While the set list might vary from show to show, the last song never changes. That’s “Hotel California,” when Felder pulls out his trademark double-necked guitar.
The former Eagle said he has no plans to give up touring. Besides his girlfriend and family, he calls it his greatest love.
“I plan to rock ’til I drop,” he said.
