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Mon 5 October 2026 22:15, UK
From the minute the Eagles started, Don Henley wanted to see if he could have a space among the musical giants.
Everyone at his age would have had stars in their eyes like that, but when you listen to Henley’s voice out of context, it’s no surprise that he eventually turned into one of the biggest names in country rock. He was always going to have a throat made of solid gold whenever he sang some of those old tunes, but he knew that it was better to be respected as a musician first and foremost before being known as one of the biggest frontmen the world had ever seen.
People like Mick Jagger could pull off dancing across the stage, but Henley was a much more reserved presence whenever he came out front. No one gets into a band where their primary job is sitting at the back of the stage and asks to have every bit of attention, but whenever someone starts singing a tune like ‘Witchy Woman’ or ‘Desperado’ for the first time, the drums weren’t going to be their security blanket for that much longer.
Henley was born to be at the lip of the stage, but if he did have the world’s ears, he figured that he would give them something that wasn’t disposable. Some of the best lines that he ever wrote for Eagles had more to do with the greater problems with the world, and while he tried his best to comment on the harsher sides of everyday life, that didn’t stop people from gravitating towards some of the traditional love songs in his catalogue as well, like ‘The Heart of the Matter’.
When you look through his life after Eagles, though, Henley always wanted to improve as a musician. It’s one thing to keep your voice in shape and write songs that fit that range most of the time, but Henley also had a lot of time to work on honing his craft. He was still proud of his old work, but he knew that there was always room for him to improve if Glen Campbell could become one of the biggest names in rock and roll.
Campbell was already known for being one of the biggest pieces of the LA session musician scene, but the fact that he could deliver such elegant tunes on his own was what the rest of the world focused on. He was one of the finest singers of his generation, but Henley remembered thinking that a lot of what he did on guitar managed to get overlooked whenever he sang some of his greatest hits.
His voice on ‘Southern Nights’ was fantastic, but Hnley felt that his skills as a guitarist ended up flying well under the radar, saying, “He has one of the greatest voices in music. He is also a very underappreciated musician. One of the best guitar players ever to emerge on the American music scene. He played on a lot of very famous records that people probably aren’t aware of. He has recorded some beautiful, beautiful records. A lot of Jimmy Webb songs.”
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And to name but one, ‘Wichita Lineman’ is one of the greatest moments that Campbell ever had as a musician. The song could have easily been finished off with one extra verse, but instead of bringing in someone to help tidy everything up, hearing Campbell break out the six-string bass and play one of the most gorgeous interludes of all time is still one of the best moments that he ever had on any instrument.
So while many singers like to preserve their one instrument and hope for the best, Campbell was out there teaching people like Henley that it was alright to keep switching things up on every instrument. No one needed to stop after accomplishing one musical goal, and it was anyone’s guess as to what the future held when working on something a bit more challenging every now and again.
