Claim: The Eagles's lead guitarist was Don Felder for 27 years.

The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971 by Glenn Frey , Don Henley , Bernie Leadon , and Randy Meisner . With five number-one singles , six Grammy Awards , five American Music Awards , and six number one albums , the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s . At the end of the 20th century , two of their albums , Their Greatest Hits -LRB- 1971 -- 1975 -RRB- and Hotel California , were ranked among the 20 best-selling albums in the United States according to the Recording Industry Association of America . Hotel California is ranked 37th in Rolling Stones list of `` The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time '' and the band was ranked number 75 on the magazine 's 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time .   The Eagles are one of the world 's best-selling bands of all time , having sold more than 150 million records -- 100 million in the U.S. alone -- including 42 million copies of Their Greatest Hits -LRB- 1971 -- 1975 -RRB- and 32 million copies of Hotel California . Their Greatest Hits -LRB- 1971 -- 1975 -RRB- was the best selling album of the 20th century in the U.S. . They are the fifth-highest-selling music act and the highest-selling American band in U.S. history .   The band released their debut album , Eagles , in 1972 , which spawned three top 40 singles : `` Take It Easy , '' `` Witchy Woman , '' and `` Peaceful Easy Feeling . '' Their next album , Desperado -LRB- 1973 -RRB- , was less successful than the first , only reaching number 41 on the charts ; neither of its singles reached the top 40 . However , the album does contain what would go on to be two of the band 's most popular tracks : `` Desperado '' and `` Tequila Sunrise . '' The band released On the Border in 1974 , adding guitarist Don Felder as the fifth member midway through the recording of the album . The album generated two top 40 singles : `` Already Gone '' and their first number one , `` Best of My Love . ''   Their 1975 album One of These Nights included three top 10 singles : `` One of These Nights , '' `` Lyin ' Eyes , '' and `` Take It to the Limit , '' the first hitting the top of the charts . Guitarist and vocalist , Joe Walsh , also joined the band in 1975 . The Eagles continued that success and hit their commercial peak in late 1976 with the release of Hotel California , which would go on to sell more than 16 million copies in the U.S. alone and more than 32 million copies worldwide . The album yielded two number-one singles , `` New Kid in Town '' and `` Hotel California . '' They released their last studio album for nearly 28 years in 1979 with The Long Run , which spawned three top 10 singles : `` Heartache Tonight , '' `` The Long Run , '' and `` I Ca n't Tell You Why , '' the lead single being another chart-topping hit .   The Eagles disbanded in July 1980 but reunited in 1994 for the album Hell Freezes Over , a mix of live and new studio tracks . They toured consistently and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 . In 2007 , the Eagles released Long Road Out of Eden , their first full studio album in 28 years and their sixth number one album . The next year they launched the Long Road Out of Eden Tour in support of the album . In 2013 , they began the extended History of the Eagles Tour in conjunction with the band 's documentary release , History of the Eagles .   Following the death of Frey in January 2016 , Henley stated in several interviews that he did n't think the band would perform again . However , in March 2017 it was announced that the Eagles would be headlining two concerts in July 2017 .