Pre- Eagles
1. One of his band mates in the Continentals, which he joined at the age of 15, was Stephen Stills. "We played junior high schools, the usual stuff," recalls Felder. "We were pretty successful, considering that we were all teenagers lying about our ages." When Stills left the Continentals, he was replaced by Bernie Leadon, who came from California with some hot bluegrass licks. "I wanted to learn his country stuff, and Bernie had never played electric guitar," says Felder, "So we traded lessons."
2. Don taught guitar to Tom Petty and did arrangements for Mudcrutch. Mudcrutch later would become Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Airborne
1. Don Henley almost recorded Felder's song 'Night Owl.' on his debut LP 'I Can't Stand Still.'
2. Back during the Eagles heyday Joe & Don (Felder that is) would stay up all night drink, hang out and write music. The music for the song Bad Girls was written during one of these 'jam sessions' but it originally had another name. " A couple of Airborne's tracks were written -- or at least started -- during the sessions for the last eagles studio album, The Long Run. "Bad Girls," the opening cut on Side One, started out as "Wild Turkey," but Felder admits "I never had a really clear concept of what the lyrics should be about. But (Joe) Walsh and I loved playing the song, because we had a couple of good double-guitar parts and it's a good rock 'n' roll number. If you play that record and think of looking at Walsh and me, you can imagine who'd play what part."
3. On "Never Surrender," Felder recruited two members of Chicago -- Jim Pankow and Lee Loughnane -- to play horns, and Kenny Loggins and Dave Mason chimed in with background vocals.
4. At the end of the song (Asphalt Jungle), the Vocoder starts naming all these s***** cities. The song is about kids that get out of high school and go out on the street. They've got visions of success, but they don't have the tool necessary to survive. There are people around every corner that'll mug you and destroy you. The song is dedicated to all those people on the street struggling."
5. In Don's 'Bad Girls' video Cheech Marin & Randy Newman make a guest apperance.
6. Don headed up to New England to learn the production part the recording business. "I moved to Boston and got a job in a recording studio, learning how to make records and be an engineer."
Eagles.
1. What REALLY happened in Long Beach was they were doing a benefit gig for Senator Allan Cranston, Felder said something to the senator that Frey thought was an insult - Frey said to Felder, "WHAT did you say?!" and they started fussing, then had to go onstage. The whole time they were singing they supposedly were thinking, each of the other, "Three more songs and then I get to kill him!" Then, backstage, Frey got in Felder's face, and the backstage police had to break them up. It seems Frey started the incident and provoked Felder into the fight.
2. On the Eagles LP 'On the Border' Don is listed as 'Late Arrival.'
3. Why Don didn't sing lead on Those Shoes? "When Joe is singing, I have to carry about 75 percent of the guitar load. And besides, I'm in a band with four great singers, so I'm content to do harmonies. I was going to sing "Those Shoes", but we realized that I couldnt do it in the concerts because I have to play the guitar. So Don (Henley) sings it."
4. Graham Nash asked Felder to play guitar on his solo tour. "I was getting ready to out with Graham when The Eagles called me to come in and add some slide guitar to 'Good Day in Hell.' I did the session and the next day they asked me to join the band."
Solo & Other Facts
1. The song 'Wild Life' was co- written by Marc Jordan. Don plays all the instruments and vocals are done by Don & Monty Byron.
