Chronicling every recording session featuring one member of the Eagles would stretch well beyond the scope of this survey, so the following list focuses on appearances by multiple band members, plus solo appearances with interesting connections to the Eagles saga.
Linda Ronstadt (January 1972, Capitol). All four original Eagles play and sing on Ronstadt’s third solo LP, though never all together on the same track.
Windmills (Rick Roberts, September 1972, A&M). Debut solo album by the former Flying Burrito Brothers singer features extensive contributions from Henley, Leadon, and Meisner (all of whom perform on “Deliver Me”).
John David Souther (1972, Asylum). Frey sings and plays guitar and piano on his former Longbranch Pennywhistle bandmate’s solo debut LP, which includes the author’s original version of “How Long.”
Don’t Cry Now (Ronstadt, September 1973, Asylum). Souther coproduced, and performs throughout, the album that introduced Ronstadt’s version of “Desperado.” Frey plays guitar on “Everybody Loves a Winner,” and he both plays and sings on Ronstadt’s cover of the Souther tune “The Fast One.”
For Everyman (Jackson Browne, October 1973, Asylum). Browne’s sophomore album features his version of “Take It Easy,” as well as backup vocals (on separate tracks) from Frey and Henley.
Good Old Boys (Randy Newman, September 1974, Reprise). Frey, Henley, and Leadon sing on Newman’s fifth album.
Late for the Sky (Browne, September 1974, Asylum). Henley and Souther sing backup (as does Dan Fogelberg) on Browne’s third LP, a critical triumph featuring signature songs “Before the Deluge,” “Fountain of Sorrow,” and the title cut.
Souvenirs (Dan Fogelberg, October 1974, Full Moon/Epic). Walsh produced the sophomore disc for folk-rock heartthrob Fogelberg, playing on nearly every track and contributing an unmistakable solo to the hit single “Part of the Plan.” (Walsh cut his own version of that song in 2017.) Frey, Henley, and Meisner sing harmonies on the album. Henley also plays drums.
Heart Like a Wheel (Ronstadt, November 1974, Asylum). A massive hit producing the singles “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore,” “When Will I Be Loved,” and “You’re No Good,” the LP also features Ronstadt’s version of Souther’s “Faithless Love.” Frey and Henley make vocal contributions, and future Eagle Schmit plays bass.
So Long Harry Truman (Danny O’Keefe, 1975, Atlantic). Produced by John Boylan, the singer-songwriter’s fourth LP features all four original Eagles, plus Ronstadt, on various tracks. “Steel Guitar” features Frey, Henley, and Meisner performing alongside lap-steel wizard David Lindley.
Warren Zevon (May 1976, Asylum). In addition to introducing “Hasten Down the Wind,” this sophomore disc by the acerbic tunesmith features heavy participation by rock luminaries: Browne, Souther, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, etc. Frey and Henley sing harmony on “The French Inhaler,” and Frey plays and sings on “Carmelita.”
Hasten Down the Wind (Ronstadt, August 1976, Asylum). Critically praised disc noteworthy for the title cut, which Ronstadt performs as a duet with Henley.
The Pretender (Browne, November 1976, Asylum). Henley and Souther provide backing vocals on the album that introduces “Here Come Those Tears Again,” which Henley subsequently recorded on his 2015 Cass County LP.
A Rumor in His Own Time (Jeffrey Comanor, 1976, Epic). Felder, Henley, Schmit, and Walsh all contribute to the singer-songwriter’s third and final album, as does Souther.
Hard Candy (Ned Doheny, 1976, Asylum). Second LP by the singer-songwriter who turned Browne (and, indirectly, the Eagles) onto cowboy mythology features Frey and Henley singing background on “If You Should Fall.”
Black Rose (Souther, 1976, Asylum). Souther’s sophomore disc includes his most famous solo composition, “Faithless Love.” Frey and Henley sing on the title cut, as do Browne and Doheny. Other tracks feature guitar work by Frey and Walsh.
Fools Gold (Fools Gold, 1976, Morning Sky/Arista). Debut album by a country-rock outfit comprising musicians who first assembled to support Dan Fogelberg. Frey produced three tracks (two of which feature Felder on guitar) and Walsh both produced and plays on one.
Nether Lands (Fogelberg, May 1977, Full Moon/Epic). Walsh plays guitar, while Henley and Souther sing harmonies.
Little Criminals (Newman, September 1977, Reprise). Newman’s novelty song “Short People” has background vocals by Frey, Schmit, and Souther. Frey and Walsh both play guitar on the album’s title cut, while Frey and Souther sing on “Baltimore.” All five Eagles circa mid-1977 sing harmonies on “Rider in the Rain.”
Glenda Griffith (November 1977, Ariola). Henley and Jim Ed Norman coproduced the singer-songwriter’s debut disc, so Henley plays drums and sings harmony on most tracks. Other noteworthy participants include Felder, Walsh, and Schmit, plus Danny Kortchmar, Souther, and Jai Winding. Providing even more SoCal flavor are Karla Bonoff, Valerie Carter, Kenny Edwards, Andrew Gold, and Waddy Wachtel. Amusingly, the album’s most-star studded track (featuring Henley, Felder, Schmit, Souther, and Carole King) is titled “Eagle.” If pedigrees alone were enough to make albums hits . . .
Stranger in Town (Bob Seger, May 1978, Capitol). Frey plays the guitar solo on “Till It Shines,” and Felder plays the solo on “Ain’t Got No Money.”
You’re Only Lonely (Souther, 1979, Asylum). The title track, an unabashed tribute to Roy Orbison’s music, became Souther’s biggest solo single, hitting No. 7 on the pop chart and No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Frey and Henley provide background vocals on the LP and Felder plays guitar. Additionally, Souther cowrote “The Last in Love” and “’Til the Bars Burn Down” with Frey.
Against the Wind (Seger, February 1980, Capitol). Frey sings backup on the iconic title cut. Additionally, Frey, Henley, and Schmit sing group vocals on “Fire Lake,” their lines so isolated and prominent that the song is virtually a Seger-Eagles duet.
Bella Donna (Stevie Nicks, July 1981, Modern/Atco). The hit solo debut LP from Fleetwood Mac’s witchy woman features her classic duet with Henley, “Leather and Lace.” Another track, “The Highwayman,” places Felder’s guitar alongside Henley’s drums and harmony vocals.
The Innocent Age (Fogelberg, August 1981, Full Moon/Epic). Frey and Henley contribute vocals.
Plantation Harbor (Joe Vitale, 1981, Asylum). Second solo LP from the longtime Walsh/Eagles collaborator features contributions from Felder, Schmit, and Walsh, each of whom performs on multiple tracks. All three appear on “Sailor Man.”
Wild Heart of the Young (Karla Bonoff, March 1982, Capitol). Third solo LP from SoCal singer-songwriter Bonoff, whose material appears on several Ronstadt albums, features Bonoff’s only hit single, the R&B cover “Personally.” Although it was Frey who introduced Bonoff to the song, his former bandmates Henley and Schmit provided harmonies on the actual recording. Walsh lends guitar work to a separate track, and the album features Eagles associates Danny Kortchmar, David Sanborn, and Souther. (Sidenote: Frey and Souther provide harmonies for an earlier Bonoff cut, the lovely “If He’s Ever Near,” on her self-titled 1977 debut LP, while Henley and Souther harmonize during the title cut of Bonoff’s 1979 Restless Nights album.)
The Distance (Seger, December 1982, Capitol). Frey sings harmony vocals on the countrified “Shame on the Moon,” and Felder plays guitar on two tracks.
Home By Dawn (Souther, 1984, Warner Bros.). Souther’s final album before a lengthy recording hiatus includes harmonies from Henley and Schmit.
Like a Rock (Seger, April 1985, Capitol). Henley and Schmit sing on “Miami.”
Richard Marx (June 1987, Manhattan/EMI). The album’s first single, “Don’t Mean Nothing,” features Walsh on guitar plus harmonies from Meisner and Schmit, while the second single, “Should’ve Known Better,” includes backing vocals from Schmit. Both tunes were No. 3 pop hits.
Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles (Various Artists, October 1993, Giant). As mentioned previously, the video for Travis Tritt’s cover of “Take It Easy” was a stepping stone to the Eagles reunion. Retrospectively, however, it’s also worth noting future quasi-Eagle Vince Gill’s lovely rendition of “I Can’t Tell You Why.”
Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors (Tim McGraw, November 2002, Curb). “Illegal” features backing vocals by Henley and Schmit.
The Wind (Warren Zevon, August 2003, Artemis). After learning he was terminally ill, Zevon recorded his final album with help from famous friends including three Eagles. Henley drums on one track, Walsh plays guitar on another, and the trusty duo of Henley and Schmit provide harmonies on “She’s Too Good for Me.”
I Know That Name (Paul Carrack, November 2008, Carrack-UK). Henley and Schmit harmonize behind British soul singer Carrack on “I Don’t Want to Hear Any More,” which Carrack cowrote, a year after the Eagles version of the song appeared on Long Road Out of Eden.
The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again (John Fogerty, August 2009, Fortunate Son/Verve Forecast). Fogerty’s cover of Rick Nelson’s “Garden Party” features solo lines and harmonies from Henley and Schmit. Trivia: although Meisner was part of Nelson’s band during the “Garden Party” era, he didn’t actually perform on the studio version of the song.
A Tribute to Dan Fogelberg (Various Artists, October 2017, BMG Rights Management). Joe Walsh revisits “Part of the Plan” with a faithful cover version questionably credited to the Eagles. Walsh handles lead vocal and lead guitar, Schmit plays bass, and the stalwart duo of Henley and Schmit provide harmonies.
Restoration: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin (Various Artists, April 2018, Universal Nashville). Henley and latter-day Eagle Gill duet on a roots-rock interpretation of “Sacrifice.”
“I Won’t Back Down” (Blake Shelton single, 2023). Schmit and Walsh provide bass and lead guitar, respectively, on country star Shelton’s cover of the familiar Tom Petty Song, recorded with and for representatives of nonprofit group Miraculous Love Kids, which provides music education for Afghan women presently displaced to Pakistan.
