Randy Meisner

Randy Meisner

Randy Herman Meisner (born March 8, 1946 in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, U.S.) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as a founding member of Poco and the Eagles. Throughout his professional musical career Meisner's main role has been as bassist and backing high-harmony vocalist as both a group member and session musician.
Meisner was born in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, the son of sharecroppers. When he was 17, in May 1963, Randy married his high school sweetheart Jennifer Barton, and the young couple had a son, Dana Scott Meisner in November 1963. Randy and Jennifer were married for 18 years, with the marriage producing two more children (Heather Leigh and Eric Shane Meisner) born in May 1970. His first public playing experience was with a local band named The Dynamics (later The Drivin' Dynamics) in 1961. By 1965 he had moved to California with a band named The Soul Survivors, later to be renamed The Poor (because, as Don Felder later said, "...that is what they became.")

In 1968, after auditioning along side the likes of Duane Allman and Timothy B Schmit, Meisner joined Poco (originally named Pogo) with former Buffalo Springfield members Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Meisner appeared on Poco's first album, Pickin' Up the Pieces, but was asked to leave the band shortly before the record was released. Meisner's exit was a result of his anger from being excluded (at Furay's insistence) from participation in the final mix playback sessions for the record, as only Messina and Furay were to complete the production. His image was removed from the painting on the album's cover,[9] and replaced with the dog seen at the far left. His bass parts and backing vocals were left in the mix, but his lead vocals were removed, and new versions were sung by George Grantham.

In 1969, Meisner joined Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band, and persuaded Nelson and producer John Boylan to hire his former band mates from The Poor, Allen Kemp (guitar) and Pat Shanahan (drums); pedal steel guitarist Tom Brumley completed the group. Meisner appears on both In Concert at the Troubadour, 1969[12] and Rudy The Fifth. Although he did not perform on Nelson's Garden Party, he did co-author one of the album's tracks. Meisner continued to support himself as a session performer, playing bass on James Taylor's Sweet Baby James album, among others. By early 1971, he would become active in Linda Ronstadt's backing band, which featured Don Henley and Glenn Frey. Bernie Leadon had already been playing with Ronstadt for some time.

Eagles songs written or co-written by Randy Meisner

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

Eagles songs featuring Randy Meisner on lead or co-lead vocal

    "Most of Us Are Sad" from Eagles
    "Take the Devil" from Eagles
    "Tryin'" from Eagles
    "Take It Easy" - co-lead vocal w/Glenn Frey on second verse ("Well, I'm-a standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona...") from Eagles
    "Certain Kind of Fool" from Desperado
    "Saturday Night" - lead vocal in the bridge ("She said tell me, oh tell me...") from Desperado
    "Midnight Flyer" from On the Border
    "On the Border" - lead vocal in the bridge ("Never mind your name...") from On the Border
    "Is It True" from On the Border
    "Too Many Hands" from One of These Nights
    "Take It to the Limit" from One of These Nights
    "Try and Love Again" from Hotel California

Poco songs featuring Randy Meisner on lead or co-lead vocal

    "Make Me a Smile" - high-harmony with Richie Furay from Pickin' Up the Pieces (written by Richie Furay/Jim Messina)
    "Short Changed" - high-harmony with Richie Furay from Pickin' Up the Pieces (written by Richie Furay)
    "Anyway Bye Bye" - original lead before leaving group from Poco (album) (written by Richie Furay)
    "Nothin' To Hide" from Legacy (written by Richard Marx, Bruce Gaitsch)
    "Rough Edges" from Legacy (written by Young, Radney Foster, Bill Lloyd)
    "Nature of Love" from Legacy (written by Jeff Silbar, Van Stephenson)

Website
www.randymeisneronline.com/