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Randy Herman Meisner (born 8 March 1946) is a bass guitarist and vocalist best known for his contribution as a founding member of the country-rock group The Eagles.

Contents 1 Early Years 2 The Eagles 3 Solo Career 4 Imposter 5 Discography 5.1 Eagles songs written or co-written by Randy Meisner 5.2 Eagles songs featuring Randy Meisner on lead or co-lead vocal

Meisner was born in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Throughout his professional musical career, Meisner's main activity has been as bass guitarist and backup vocalist. His first public playing experience was with a local band named The Dynamics (later The Drivin' Dynamics) in 1961. In 1965, he moved to California with a band named The Poor.

Meisner turned to supporting himself through studio sessions. In 1969, he appeared on Poco's first album, Pickin' Up the Pieces. He ceased playing with the band shortly before the record was released and was replaced by Timothy B. Schmit. While his photo does not appear on the jacket, credit for his contributions is given in the album notes.

In 1970, Meisner joined Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band. He appears on both In Concert at The Troubadour,1969 and Rudy The Fifth. At the same time, he was active in Linda Ronstadt's backup band which featured Don Henley, Glenn Frey & Bernie Leadon.

In 1971, he, along with Henley, Frey and Leadon, formed The Eagles and they released their eponymous debut album in 1972. The success of The Eagles brought an end to Meisner's session work as well as his involvement with the Linda Ronstadt band. While he usually manned the bass and handled backing vocals for the Eagles, he also played guitar on Desperado and On The Border and guitar and guitarron on Hotel California. During his stint with the band, he wrote and/or co-wrote songs on each of the group's first five albums - most notably "Take It to the Limit" on One of These Nights and was featured as lead vocalist on several songs per record.

Meisner's time in the band was reportedly weighed down by his desire to be with his family. According to ex-Eagle Don Felder, Meisner constantly threatened to resign. After the release of Hotel California in 1977, Meisner made good on his threats, citing "exhaustion" from touring. He would be replaced again by Timothy B. Schmit, coincidentally the same bassist who replaced him in Poco.

Meisner went on to release solo albums in 1978 (Randy Meisner), 1980 (One More Song); and 1982 with the CBS release (Randy Meisner) which was recorded with members of the rock band Heart. He also resumed his session-playing; supporting James Taylor, Joe Walsh, Dan Fogelberg, Bob Welch, Richie Furay, Richard Marx, Peter Lewis, Danny O'Keefe, Mac Gayden & Electric Range - as well as being part of the one-hit band Black Tie (a cover of Buddy Holly's "Learning The Game").

Meisner's band reunion activities have included the Legacy album with Poco in 1989 and The Eagles' 1998 appearance at the Cleveland, Ohio, USA, National Rock & Roll Hall Fame (with all six other current or former Eagles members).

A man named Lewis Morgan of Atlanta, GA started impersonating Meisner beginning in 1989. His identity wasn't discovered until 1997. In 1998, he was arrested and spent 16 months in jail, but upon his release continued his charade and was still doing so as of 2006.[1][2]

• "Take the Devil" from Eagles
• "Early Bird" (co-writer with Bernie Leadon) from Eagles
• "Tryin'" from Eagles
• "Certain Kind of Fool" (co-writer with Don Henley & Glenn Frey) from Desperado
• "Saturday Night" (co-writer with Don Henley, Glenn Frey & Bernie Leadon) from Desperado
• "Is It True" from On The Border
• "Too Many Hands" (co-writer with Don Felder)
• "Take It To The Limit" (co-writer with Don Henley & Glenn Frey) from One of These Nights
• "Try and Love Again" on Hotel California

Played On James Taylor's Album "Sweet Baby James"

• "Most Of Us Are Sad" (written by Glenn Frey) from Eagles
• "Take the Devil" from Eagles
• "Tryin'" from Eagles
• "Certain Kind of Fool" (co-writer with Don Henley & Glenn Frey) from Desperado
• "Saturday Night" - lead vocal in the bridge ("She said tell me, oh tell me...") from Desperado
• "Midnight Flyer" (written by Paul Craft) from On The Border
• "On The Border" - lead vocal on the "Never mind your name" line of the bridge (written by Don Henley, Bernie Leadon & Glenn Frey) from On The Border
• "Is It True" from On The Border
• "Too Many Hands" (co-writer with Don Felder) from One of These Nights
• "Take It To The Limit" (co-writer with Don Henley & Glenn Frey) from One of These Nights
• "Try and Love Again" on Hotel California

Eagles
Glenn Frey | Don Henley | Joe Walsh | Timothy B. Schmit
Randy Meisner | Bernie Leadon | Don Felder
Discography
Studio albums: Eagles | Desperado | On the Border | One of These Nights | Hotel California | The Long Run | The Long Road to Eden
Live: Eagles Live | Hell Freezes Over | Farewell 1 Tour-Live from Melbourne
Compilations: Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) | Eagles Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 | The Very Best of the Eagles