

Walsh capitalized on Townshend ’s style but found himself painted into a corner creatively. In 1971 the James Gang released Live in Concert, compiled from their foreign dates with the Who. Keith Moon ’s insanity would take slightly longer to show in Walsh ’s character, but it would become an equally identifiable trademark of the guitarist in the near future. The influence of Pete Townshend ’s style on Walsh ’s is quite evident in the thick power chords of tunes like “Walk Away ” from the James Gang ’s third LP, Thirds. He taught me how to play lead-rhythm, and Keith Moon taught me how to break things, ” Walsh told Guitar World.

In support of the record, the trio toured Europe in 1970 with the Who, a band whose members had a profound impact on the young guitarist. The James Gang followed up their successful debut the next year with Rides Again, a Top 10 LP that included “Tend My Garden ” and “Fun #49, ” a Walsh tour de force. Walsh joined the James Gang in 1969 (replacing Glen Schwartz), the same year the group (with Walsh handling vocals and guitar chores, Jimmy Fox on drums and Dale Peters on bass) released Yer ’ Album and established themselves as “the most significant post-Cream power-trio strategy, ” according to John Swenson in The Rolling Stone Record Guide. Frankenstein-like experiments on his equipment. Walsh began to work seriously on his guitar playing while at college and complemented this with courses in electronics, enabling him to perform Dr. He enrolled as a full-time student at Kent State University for three quarters before switching to part-time studies. His three-year stint with the James Gang marked the beginning of a fruitful career that has seen nine solo LPs as well as three more with the Eagles in their final and most successful phase.īorn in Wichita, Kansas, in 1947, Walsh grew up in Ohio where he eventually learned to play bass guitar, performing in high school bands like the Nomads. But Walsh ’s fame has not come primarily through the work of others. King to Dan Fogelberg, from Rod Stewart to Graham Nash, countless artists have called upon Walsh ’s melodic playing to enhance their records. Joe Walsh ’s reputation as one of rock ’s premiere guitar craftsmen is highly understandable when one looks at the volume of studio work he has done over the past twenty years.
