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Don Henley – Lioness at Large

Don Henley

Don HenleyBiographical Sketch

Donald Hugh “Don” Henley (born Gilmer, TX, USA, July 22, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and drummer, best known as a founding member of The Eagles before launching a successful solo career. Henley was the drummer and lead vocalist for The Eagles from 1971 – 1980, when the band broke up. Henley sings lead vocals on Eagles hits such as Witchy WomanDesperadoBest of My LoveOne of These NightsHotel CaliforniaLife in the Fast Lane, and The Long Run.

After The Eagles broke up in 1980, Henley pursued a solo career and released his debut album in 1982. He has released four studio albums, two compilation albums, and one live DVD. His solo hits include Dirty LaundryThe Boys of SummerAll She Wants to Do Is DanceThe Heart of the MatterThe Last Worthless EveningSunset GrillNot Enough Love in the WorldNew York Minute and The End of the Innocence.

The Eagles have sold over 150 million albums worldwide, won six Grammy Awards, had five number-one singles, 17 top-40 singles, and six number-one albums. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and are the highest-selling American band in history. As a solo artist, Henley has sold over 10 million albums worldwide, had eight top-40 singles, won two Grammy Awards and five MTV Video Music Awards. Combined with the Eagles and as a solo artist, Henley has released 25 top-40 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. He has also released seven studio albums with the Eagles and five as a solo artist. In 2008, he was ranked as the 87th-greatest singer of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.

Henley has also played a founding role in several environmental and political causes, most notably the Walden Woods Project, which is dedicated to preserving the legacy and most famous writerly location of 19th century transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau. From 1994 to 2016, he divided his musical activities between The Eagles and his solo career.

Read more about Don Henley on Wikipedia.

 

Major Awards and Honors

Hall of Fame Inductions
Rock’n Roll Hall of Fame
  • 1998: Member of The Eagles
Vocal Group Hall of Fame
  • 2001: Member of The Eagles
Songwriters Hall of Fame
  • 2000: Don Henley (individually)
Others
Grammies
  • 1975: Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus – “Lyin’ Eyes”
    Grammy awarded to: The Eagles (Don Felder, Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, Randy Meisner), artist.
  • 1977: Record Of The Year – “Hotel California”
    Grammy awarded to: The Eagles (Don Felder, Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Randy Meisner, Joe Walsh), artist; Bill Szymczyk, producer.
  • 1977: Best Arrangement For Voices – “New Kid In Town”
    Grammy awarded to: The Eagles (Don Felder, Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Randy Meisner, Joe Walsh), arranger.
  • 1979: Best Rock Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group – “Heartache Tonight”
    Grammy awarded to: The Eagles (Don Felder, Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit, Joe Walsh), artist.
  • 2007: Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals – “How Long”
    Grammy awarded to: The Eagles (Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Timothy B Schmit, Joe Walsh), artist.
  • 2008: Best Pop Instrumental Performance – “I Dreamed There Was No War”
    Grammy awarded to: The Eagles (Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Timothy B Schmit, Joe Walsh), artist.
MTV Video Music Awards
  • 1985: Video of the Year – “The Boys of Summer”
  • 1985: Best Direction – “The Boys of Summer”
    (Director: Jean-Baptiste Mondino)
  • 1985: Best Art Direction – “The Boys of Summer”
    (Art Director: Bryan Jones)
  • 1985: Best Cinematography – “The Boys of Summer”
    (Director of Photography: Pascal Lebègue)
  • 1990: Best Male Video – “The End of the Innocence”
American Music Awards
  • 1977: Favorite Pop/Rock Album – The Eagles: “Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)”
  • 1981: Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group – The Eagles
  • 1996: Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group – The Eagles
  • 1996: Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist – The Eagles
  • 1996: Favorite Pop/Rock Album – The Eagles: “Hell Freezes Over”
Country Music Awards (American Academy of Country Music)
  • 1975: Top Vocal Group – The Eagles
  • 2007: Top Vocal Group – The Eagles
Silver Clef Awards (Great Britain)
  • 2006: The Eagles

Rolling Stone Magazine
  • 100 Greatest Artists of All Time: #75 – The Eagles
  • 100 Greatest Singers of All Time: #87 – Don Henley
  • 500 Greatest Albums of All Time:
    • #37 – The Eagles: “Hotel California”
    • #368 – The Eagles: “The Eagles”
    • #389 – “The End of the Innocence”
  • 500 Greatest Songs of All Time:
    • #49 – The Eagles: “Hotel California”
    • #423 – “The Boys of Summer”
      (Album: “Building the Perfect Beast”)
  • 100 Best Albums of the Eighties: #73 – “Building the Perfect Beast”
VH1
  • 100 Greatest Artists of Rock & Roll: #23 – The Eagles
Country Music Television
  • 40 Greatest Men of Country Music: #34 – The Eagles

 

Discography

Solo Releases
Albums
  • I Can’t Stand Still (1982)
  • Building the Perfect Beast (1984)
  • The End of the Innocence (1989)
  • Actual Miles (1995)
  • Inside Job (2000)
  • The Very Best of Don Henley (2009)
  • Cass County (2015)
Compilations and Soundtrack Contributions
  • Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
    – Song: Love Rules.
  • Vision Quest (1985)
    – Song: She’s on the Zoom.
  • The Color of Money (1986)
    – Song: Who Owns This Place?
  • Leap of Faith (1992)
    – Song: Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat.
  • Randy Newman’s Faust (1993)
    – Songs: Bless the Children of the World and The Man; as well as playing the role of Faust.
  • The Unplugged Collection, Volume One (1994)
    – Song: Come Rain Or Come Shine.
  • Kermit Unpigged (1994)
    – Song: Bein’ Green.
  • Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
    – Song: Come Rain Or Come Shine.
  • Tower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen (1995)
    – Song: Everybody Knows.
  • Michael (1996)
    – Song: Through Your Hands.
  • Bridge School Concerts, Vol. 1 (1997)
    – Song: Yes It Is.
  • Coyote Ugly (2000)
    – Song: All She Wants to Do Is Dance.
  • From the Vaults (2000)
    – Live versions of: The End of the Innocence, The Boys of Summer and Volcano (with Jimmy Buffett).
  • The Country Bears (2002)
    – Songs: Can Love Stand the Test (with Bonnie Raitt) and Straight to the Heart of Love (with John Hiatt, E.G. Daily, Colin Hay and Bonnie Raitt).
  • Enjoy Every Sandwich: Songs of Warren Zevon (2004)
    – Song: Searching for a Heart.
  • Looking into You: A Tribute to Jackson Browne (2014)
    – Song: These Days (with Blind Pilot).
  • Restoration: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin (2018)
    – Song: Sacrifice (with Vince Gill).
Guest Appearances on Other Artists’ Albums
  • Joni Mitchell: Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm (1992)
    – Song: Snakes and Ladders (duet).
  • Roger Waters: Amused to Death (1992)
    – Song: Watching TV (duet).
  • Aerosmith: Get a Grip (1993)
    – Song: Amazing.
  • Randy Newman: Randy Newman’s Faust (1995)
    – Songs: Bless the Children of the World and The Man (duet).
  • Earl Scruggs: Earl Scruggs and Friends (2001)
    – Song: Passin’ Through (with Earl Scruggs and Johnny Cash).
  • Jerry Lee Lewis: Last Man Standing (2006)
    – Song: What Makes the Irish Heart Beat (duet).
  • Reba McEntire: Reba: Duets (2007)
    – Song: Break Each Other’s Hearts Again (duet).
  • John Fogerty: The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again (2009)
    – Song: Garden Party (with John Fogerty and Timothy B. Schmit).
  • Brad Paisley: This Is Country Music (2011)
    – Song: Love Her Like She’s Leavin’ (duet).
The Eagles
Shiloh
  • Shiloh (1970)

 

 

 

Lyrics and Quotes

Dirty Laundry

(Album: I Can’t Stand Still)

“We got the bubble-headed-bleach-blonde who
Comes on at five
She can tell you ’bout the plane crash with a gleam
In her eye
It’s interesting when people die –
Give us dirty laundry

Can we film the operation?
Is the head dead yet?
You know, the boys in the newsroom got a
Running bet
Get the widow on the set!
We need dirty laundry

You don’t really need to find out what’s going on
You don’t really want to know just how far it’s gone
Just leave well enough alone
Eat your dirty laundry”

On The Heart of the Matter:

“It took me 42 years to write this song, and 5 minutes to sing it.”
[During the Eagles’ Hell Freezes Over tour.]

 

Links

Don Henley
The Eagles