stories

Story #1

* Note we are not able to forward e-mails to Don unless there is a "Send a e-mail to Don" link up. Lisa's was sent with other fan e-mails on May 10th, 2001. - Webmaster

June 18, 2001

23 years ago I was a 16 year old Eagles fanatic. I had all their albums and probably drove my mother crazy as I played them over and over. Hotel California was the latest album, but I did not have it yet. My stepmother worked for a doctor in Malibu, California, and as luck would have it, Don and his family were patients there. My stepmother knew of my obsession with the Eagles and especially Don Felder. She bought a copy of Hotel California and asked Don to sign it for me for my birthday. Don signed it "Happy Sweet 16, Love Don Felder". As you can well imagine I was ecstatic. That album was my prized possession and I showed it to anyone who happened to be around. Unfortunately, 10 years later my ex-husband was getting rid of some old things in the garage and gave away my old record player stand. What he neglected to do (besides ask me if I wanted to get rid of it) was look inside the stand where I was storing all my albums. He had no idea who took it, or how to get it back. Needless to say, I was heartbroken and upset that someone else was now in possession of my album and I knew I would never see it again.

Fast forward 23 years and my story has a happy ending thanks to Cathy's help and support. Cathy and I have been corresponding occasionally by e-mail since I found her web site. I told her my story and sent Don an e-mail* also relating my story. Cathy generously offered her copy of Hotel Californiafor Don to resign and mailed it to him with a copy of my note. I just received the signed album in the mail from Cathy and the excitement was beyond my wildest dreams. If people thought I was excited when I was 16 they should have seen me now that I'm 39! Don signed, "Happy Sweet 16 & 39, Love Don Felder". This man is a "CLASS ACT" and deserves so much more than what he is getting presently. He will forever be my hero! - Lisa W :)

Dear Don,

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!! I just received the Hotel California album you signed for me again. It meant so much to me the first time, but means so much more now because I never imagined that it could be replaced. Not that there was ever any doubt, but you have proven that you are truly a "CLASS ACT" as I always knew you were. Your fans are here and we are supporting you 100%. Cathy is doing a great job with the web site

and collecting information and I owe her a world of thanks for being an instrumental part of replacing my dream. I wish you the best of luck and am looking forward to the future of Don Felder!

All the best,

Lisa Wenninger

What can you say about someone like Don Felder that hasn’t already been said? A lot! Everyone knows he’s a famous guitarist, who was in the Eagles and he wrote the music to one of the most beloved songs in rock history…Hotel California. But that’s all professionally related and little is ever said about the ‘other’ Don Felder. The Don Felder who does so much for children and who tries to do at least one charity a month for kids, whether it’s tennis, golf, skiing, etc.

I spent time with Don at the Orchard Ridge Country Club on the 9th of June 2003 while he was there golfing during the Mad Anthonys Charity Classic for Children. I met Don when he first arrived while signing in. I said I came to see him and I explained to him how we have a mutual acquaintance and that I had something for him and I handed it to him and he smiled. The first thing I saw when I looked at him was that he looks so much younger (and more handsome) in person than any photo I have ever seen him in and he has the most incredible eyes. They were honest and sincere.

I have never been to a golf course before and I was lost when it came to where to go or what to do. So I asked Don if I could tag along and he said “Sure.” Here is this adorably charming guy who I’ve admired for years saying it’s ok to hang out with him. He said he had to go to put his things away but to meet him at the practice area. I had to ask the Mad Anthony people for a map to find it. Here I am at a golf course and I don’t have a clue about golf or how it’s played.

About 20 minutes later I found the practice area (I got lost) and I saw Don putting. He saw me and waved and I told him I got lost and he laughed. I sat down on the grass and Don came over and asked what was that pass I had on. I said I bought it and he said, “Oh no. Take this one. It’s an all access pass.” and handed me another pass. I was taken by surprise; I didn’t expect that at all. After he finished putting, we went to what I think is called a driving range and Don was hitting them out there for a while. Then it was time to go to the first hole to start playing.

On the way to the 1st hole, I was walking behind Don and one of his team mates Doug Schenkel (Who by the way is very nice too, I never really had an opportunity to talk to the other three members of Don's team) and this guy taps me on the shoulder and asks if that is Don Felder and I said “It sure is!” Come to find out he’s a reporter for the local newspaper. He walks up to Don and asks if he can ask some questions and Don smiles and says, “It depends on the questions.” So the guy asks Don about Mad Anthonys and his team winning last year. And Don tells him about the trophy being in his ‘studio’ next to his Diamond award for selling the most albums of all time, which of course is Eagles Greatest Hits 1971-1975. (I noticed in the article the reporter wrote ‘recording studio’, but I believe Don meant den/office and Don did say it was on the fireplace mantle and I never heard of a fireplace in a recording studio before.) He also told the reporter that he tries to do a charity a month and I thought that was so great of Don to want to help people so much. Then people started asking Don for autographs and if they could get a photograph with him and he signed EVERY autograph, posed for EVERY photo and thanked people for coming out to the tournament! I couldn’t help thinking what a wonderful guy he is. He talked to everyone and he was always a gentleman!

Don went over to the starting area to get ready and I was looking at the map and I couldn’t make heads or tails of it, so I waved Don over and I asked him how do I find him once he starts? He took my map and he flips it around and shows me where we were standing and where they go from there and I ask how do I get there from here, since it was all roped off and the place was nothing but a huge maze to me. (Only the players were allowed inside the 1st hole area.) Don smiled (like he always did) and said just follow the green cart with the tan top and he pointed to the carts. What a wise-a** they were all green with tan tops! He laughed that adorable laugh of his and said just meet us down there and pointed down the path where the ball was being hit. So his team went up on the green and then they were off.

While they were at the first hole (and after Don had his turn) I went to get something to drink, figuring they'd still be there when I returned, but they were already gone when I got back. And...I got lost again! I did find them though, they were on their way to hole #2. Don looked over at me from his cart while driving by and said, "Hey, you found us!" and I replied, "Yeah, I just followed the green cart with the tan top." and Don laughed. So, that day, I just hung around with Don and his team (and their family and friends.) No one knew who I was and I didn’t know who they were, so I did feel kind of strange, but I tried to just blend in as much as I could. Don was funny and he made jokes (as did the rest of his team) the whole day. The guys would joke, “Hey, the ‘Eagle’ just made a birdie!” or “Don just made an eagle.” And everyone was having a great time. From time to time someone would ask Don for an autograph and/or photo and of course he’d oblige.

I was having such a wonderful time and I knew that day no one in the world was happier than me. I told Don that this was the happiest day in my whole life and he said he was glad I was having a wonderful time. I also didn’t know anything about golf so from time to time I’d ask Don about golf and he’d explain it to me. Doug also explained some rules to me, which I thought was so nice of them, since neither of them had to explain anything to me. They were so helpful.

I never realized how funny and charming Don was until that day. I always knew he was nice, you can see it on The Hell Freezes Over DVD, but it doesn’t really show you how much of a good-natured guy he really is. Even if he had a bad shot he had a great sense of humor about it.One time Don's golf ball hit a tree and we all heard it hit and one of the golfer’s wives said, “Hey Don, Bet you can’t do that again!” and we all laughed. It was like that the whole day. It was a really fun environment to be in. He didn’t mind when people were joking about golf balls that went awry or a missed shot. Don's purpose that day was to help kids and it looks like, to me, that regardless of who won the event, the kids who benefited from the tournament were the real winners that day.

The thing I think I’ll always remember most about Don for the rest of my life was when he sat down on a bench next to this little blond girl who was about seven or eight and was talking to her. I really couldn’t hear what he was saying to her but he was pointing to his golf club and she was looking at him attentively while he was talking to her. I had a memory of me being about that age and my dad taking me fishing and I’d be sitting next to my dad while he was trying to show me how to bait the fishing pole. Just watching Don with that little girl I got the impression he’s a great dad and he truly does loves children. I could imagine him showing his kids when they were little how to golf or fish. He’s got such a big heart! Who knows maybe Don sparked some interest in her and years from now she'll grow up to be a pro golfer. Life is funny that way, people sometimes don't know how they influence others (especially children) just by being nice and doing just a simple gesture that means a lot to the child and that they'll remember for a lifetime.

After his team finished golfing and he talked to the press, Don said he was going to the clubhouse after he gets his things. Don must have been a little tired after golfing all day, but he was mingling with the fans and people were coming up to him and asking for autographs and photos and he did all of them, and I thought that was so thoughtful of him since he was just out there in the hot sun for so long. Then the funniest thing happened. All of a sudden a few guys starting singing the refrain from Hotel California to Don (Rather badly I’m afraid<G>) It was hilarious! After Don left the clubhouse I asked Don to sign a couple things for me and someone took our picture. Don said he was going to check out the Steve Azar concert, and I said I had to get going, but I thanked him for a wonderful day and he thanked me for coming out to see him and I left.

Not once during the entire day did I think, “Oh, my God I’m spending the afternoon with this Hall of Fame inductee who is on the biggest selling album of all time!” I never thought of Don as a musician at all. Music was the last thing on my mind. Though I could have asked him a million questions about songwriting and music, I never asked, because I just forgot 'what' he was. To me Don Felder was never a celebrity, he was just a nice guy who took time out of his busy schedule to help kids in need. I think when it comes down to it, it’s who you are and not what you do for a living that’s important and Don proved it that day. He is a gentleman in every sense of the word and other golfers were always saying nice things about him. One said, “Yeah, Don’s first rate!” and others would say how nice he is also and the public loved him. Don said that he does appreciate the people who supported his career though the years and help get him where he is today and he appreciated that people came down to the event to help the kids. I’ll probably never have another opportunity to meet Don again, but for that one day I was so blessed and I’ll remember the fun I had as long as I live! Thank you Don (and Doug too!)

Photos from that day:)

Story # 3

(This story is from Mike how help put together the Gibson promotion/contest in 1995. )

Wow, what a trip down memory lane for me. I put together that whole Eagles promotion for Don and Joe back in 1994 when I worked for Gibson Guitar. I personally picked out both of the guitars they are holding from the factory and had them shipped to LA for the guys to use in a photo shoot there with Henry, the photographer.

Funny story about the Les Paul that Joe is holding. We were promoting a Les Paul Standard Plus model, which was new and had not even been made yet. It was a standard with a mild "flame" top on it. I had to take a Les Paul Classic and dress it out like the Standard (pickups covered instead of uncovered, different truss rod cover, etc.) for the photo shoot. The only giveaway that it wasn't a Les Paul Standard Plus and was a Classic, at least from the photo, was the headstock, which in small words read "Classic" where the Standard would have said "Model." Not a big deal on a small print ad, right? Well, it is on life size stand-ups of them for music stores.

About the time the ad was put together, I got a promotion there and got to move into another division. I told my replacement about ten times to make sure that they photo shopped the word Classic out and put in "Model." Of course, she didn't do it. It cost about $20k to make the stand-ups. I saw them in the factory and pointed out the mistake. My former boss almost had a heart attack and had to replace them all with a new, corrected print run. :)

I enjoyed showing Don around the factory when they came through Nashville on that tour. He were very nice to me and my family at the show, too. Their manager made sure I had six row seats for the second night since I had no seat for the first night. Don was a nice cat. The Eagles tour that year was one of my fonder Gibson memories. Tell Don I said hello. I own a music industry book/DVD publishing business now.

Photos of Promotional Items