3/14/2016

Eagles Tribute Bands And Other Iconic Rock Bands

By George Fox


The Eagles, an internationally acclaimed band from California, were one of the most influential musical groups in the 1970s. The band was composed of musicians Randy Meisner (bass player and vocalist), Bernie Leadon (guitar, steel guitar, banjo, dobro, and mandolin), Don Henley (producer, drummer, singer-songwriter), and the late Glenn Frey (piano, guitar, keyboard, vocals). Over the years, they racked up numerous number one albums and singles, not to mention various awards, including American Music and Grammy awards. As might be expected, their success spawned a variety of Eagles tribute bands. Other influential and successful musical groups from the 60s and 70s include Boston, Derek and the Dominoes, Deep Purple, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, and the Allman Brothers.

Led Zeppelin, known originally as the Yardbirds and later the New Yardbirds, formed in 1968 Britain. The band was made up of Jeff Beck, Chris Dreja, Keith Relf, Jim McCarty, and Jimmy Page. Legendary guitar player, Eric Clapton, is also of the Yardbirds/Zeppelin stable. He, Page and Beck will dwell forever on Rolling Stone's list of Top One Hundred Guitar players.

Despite releasing only a single album, Derek and the Dominoes made a huge mark in rock music history. Layla, the title track to their album, was borrowed from a fifth century Arabian poem about unrequited love. The story bore similarities with Clapton's forbidden love for Pattie Boyd, married at the time to Clapton's pal, George Harrison, a Beatle. Boyd eventually divorced Harrison and married Eric Clapton in 1979. They, too, ultimately split up.

One of the main bands spawned by the Sunshine State of Florida was the Allman Brothers, founded in 1969. Widely recognized as the forefathers of Southern Rock, the band was inspired by elements of country music, jazz and blues. The leader of the group, Duane Allman, was killed in 1971 in a motorcycle accident. The following year, band member Berry Oakley met the same fate. Greg Allman found solace in the arms of songstress Cher.

Fleetwood Mac, a British-American rock group, formed in London during the year 1967. Their album, Rumours, became the eighth best-selling album of all time and sold more than 40 million copies. It spawned no fewer than four top 10 singles in the American charts.

Another Brit invasion band was Pink Floyd, founded in 1965 London. Two tracks from their album, "Dark Side of the Moon, " were particularly memorable. These were "Careful with that Axe, Eugene, " and "The Wall." The latter track evolved into a feature-length cult movie.

Riding the well-established wave of British invaders, Deep Purple formed in Hertford in 1968. The County of Hertfordshire is a county in southeast England, bordered by Bedfordshire, Essex, Buckinghamshire and Greater London. Situated on the Herts and Essex border is a pub formally called The Rising Sun but known colloquially to real ale drinkers as Sid's.

Like the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd hail from Florida. Formed in 1964, they went by several different names (One Percent, My Backyard, and the Noble Five) before arriving at Lynyrd Skynyrd. The band was based in Jacksonville, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL football team. Two of their biggest hits were Free Bird and Sweet Home Alabama. Three of the band's members perished in a plane crash at the peak of their popularity in 1977.




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