The Eagles heaven & hell

The inside story of the Hotel California years, by Don Felder. Interview by Ken Sharp

Guitarist Don Felder joined The Eagles in 1974 and helped transform the group’s peaceful-easy-feeling country-rock sound into a bona fide hard-hitting rock band, thanks to his dazzling six-string finesse and virtuoso ability. A formidable songwriter, he penned a slew of Eagles classics including Victim Of Love, Those Shoes and Disco Strangler and, most significantly, crafted the music for the band’s quintessential 70s air guitar anthem, Hotel California.

Unceremoniously fired from the Eagles in 2000, Felder’s come full-circle, emerging from a dark depression and relationship woes to forge a new positive direction in his life. His new book, Heaven & Hell: My Life in The Eagles (1974-2000) is a candid, revealing and often painfully honest look behind the curtain at the inner workings and dysfunctional relationships of one of the world’s most popular rock outfits.

What prompted you to write the book?

I always found my life story, about growing up in a really impoverished upbringing on a dirt road in the Deep South, pursuing the American dream of becoming a rock star, and what I went through to get there, valuable. And the story would also touch on what life in the fast lane was like once I found success in The Eagles. Working on the book also turned out to be very …

by Ken Sharp
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