When I was a kid my Dad was a big record collector and once a week we'd go to the record department at a store called Towers in Niagara Falls and he would let me pick out two or three 45's. My Dad had been listening to a band called the Eagles and really liked a song called One Of These Nights. I think I was about 8 at the time and one week I went looking for the One Of These Nights 45 and ended up getting another great 45 on Asylum Records, Lyin' Eyes. That was the beginning of a lifelong love and hate relationship with the Eagles for me. I fell in love with that sound. I soon found Jackson Browne, and would later become a huge Warren Zevon and Poco fan, but it all started with the Eagles.

My favorite Eagles were always Randy Meisner and the late Glenn Frey (man, I hate typing that), but they were all great artists both individually and as a whole. As a teenager I collected anything remotely related to the Eagles. From their solo records to soundtracks like Heavy Metal and Fast Times at Ridgemont High to bands like Poco, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Souther Hillman Fury, Jack Tempchin, Linda Rondstadt (one of my Dad's favorites) and more. Hell, I remember making my wife (girlfriend at the time) three 90 minute cassettes of all Eagles and Eagle related music that took me weeks to construct based on each song's connection to the Eagles. For me in high school it was the Eagles (California sound) and Springsteen (Jersey Shore sound) and though as I got older I broadened my horizons musicall, I have always maintained a deep appreciation for that California and Jersey sound!

I did finally get to see the Eagles on the Hell Freezes Over tour and saw Henely, Frey, Walsh and Felder several times solo over the years. I regret not buying tickets last year to Toronto so Evan could see them...but the damn tickets were sooooooo expensive! But I'm proud to say my little man is a big fan of the Eagles now too and last year we sat and watched all 3 hours of the Eagles documentary which gave him a great appreciation of the California artists that I've been listening to for over 4 decades!

Our collective hearts go out to all of the Eagles, their families, especially the Frey family on the loss of one of the greatest singer/songwriters of our era, Glenn Frey. Thanks for your contribution to the soundtrack to my life, Mr. Frey! Much respect!