Claim: The Eagles are a group.

Joseph Fidler Walsh -LRB- born November 20 , 1947 -RRB- is an American singer-songwriter , composer , multi-instrumentalist and record producer . In a career spanning more than 40 years , he has been a member of five successful rock bands : James Gang , Barnstorm , Eagles , The Party Boys , and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band . In the 1990s , he was also a member of the short-lived supergroup The Best .   He has also experienced success both as a solo artist and prolific session musician , being featured on a wide array of other artists ' recordings . In 2011 , Rolling Stone placed him at the number 54 spot on its list of `` 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time . ''   In the mid-1960s , after attending Kent State University , Walsh played with several local Ohio-based bands before reaching a national audience as a member of the James Gang , whose hit song `` Funk # 49 '' highlighted his skill as both a guitarist and vocalist . After the James Gang broke up in 1972 , he formed Barnstorm with Joe Vitale , a college friend from Ohio , and Kenny Passarelli , a bassist from Colorado , where Walsh had moved after leaving Ohio . While the band stayed together for three albums over three years , its works were marketed as Walsh solo projects . The last Barnstorm album , 1974 's So What contained significant guest contributions from several members of the Eagles , a group that had recently hired Walsh 's producer , Bill Szymczyk .   At Szymczyk 's suggestion , Walsh joined the Eagles in 1975 as the group 's keyboardist and guitarist following the departure of their founding member Bernie Leadon , with Hotel California being his first album with the band . In 1998 a reader 's poll conducted by Guitarist magazine selected the guitar solos on the track `` Hotel California '' by he and Don Felder as the best guitar solos of all time . Guitar World magazine listed it at eighth of the Top 100 Guitar Solos .   Besides his work with his several bands , he has released twelve solo studio albums , six compilation albums and two live albums . His solo hits include `` Rocky Mountain Way '' , `` Life 's Been Good '' , `` All Night Long '' , `` A Life of Illusion '' and `` Ordinary Average Guy '' .   As a member of the Eagles , Walsh was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 , and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001 . The Eagles are considered to be one of the most influential bands of the 1970s , and they remain the best-selling American band in the history of popular music . His creative contribution to music has received praise from many of the best rock guitarists , including Led Zeppelin 's Jimmy Page , who said , `` He has a tremendous feel for the instrument . I 've loved his style since the early James Gang . '' Eric Clapton said that `` He 's one of the best guitarists to surface in some time . I do n't listen to many records , but I listen to his . '' The Who 's guitarist , Pete Townshend , said `` Joe Walsh is a fluid and intelligent player . There 're not many like that around . ''