49 Facts About Randy Meisner

Randall Herman Meisner was born on March 8,1946 and is a retired American musician, singer, songwriter and founding member of the Eagles.

Randy Meisner co-wrote the Eagles hit song "Take It to the Limit", which he sang.

Randall Herman Randy Meisner was born in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, the second child and only son of farmers Herman and Emilie Randy Meisner.

Randy Meisner had an older sister, Carol, who died in 2005.

Randy Meisner recalled that his mother was always singing around the house.

Randy Meisner's maternal grandfather, George Haun, was a violin teacher.

The Randy Meisner family grew corn, beans, alfalfa, and sugar beets on their farm.

Young Randy Meisner developed an interest in the guitar at ten years old, after seeing Elvis Presley perform on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Randy Meisner began taking lessons and playing in local bands.

Randy Meisner played bass and sang with a local band named The Dynamics from 1961 to 1965.

In late 1962, The Drivin' Dynamics released their first record, a 4-song EP with Randy Meisner singing lead vocals on Sam Cooke's "You Send Me".

Randy Meisner moved to California with a band named The Soul Survivors, later to be renamed The Poor.

Rev-Ola released a CD of The Poor's music in 2003, which included one song written by Randy Meisner called "Come Back Baby".

In May 1968, after auditioning alongside Gregg Allman and Timothy B Schmit, Meisner joined Poco with former Buffalo Springfield members Richie Furay and Jim Messina.

Randy Meisner appears on the group's first album, Pickin' Up the Pieces, but quit the band shortly before the record was released.

Randy Meisner's exit was the result of his anger at being excluded from participation in the final mix playback sessions for the album, as only Messina and Furay were to complete production.

Randy Meisner's image was removed from the painting on the album's cover and replaced with a dog.

Randy Meisner appears on both In Concert at the Troubadour, 1969 and Rudy The Fifth.

Randy Meisner is featured in Easy to Be Free, a documentary of the Stone Canyon Band's 1969 tour, directed by Rick Nelson's brother David.

Randy Meisner co-produced "In Concert at the Troubadour" with Rick Nelson.

Randy Meisner continued to support himself as a session performer, playing bass on two tracks of James Taylor's Sweet Baby James album, recorded in December 1969.

Randy Meisner returned to Nebraska in the spring of 1970, after a difficult tour of Europe with Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band.

Randy Meisner began working at Frank Implement Company, the local John Deere tractor dealership.

Randy Meisner had been arguing with fellow member Glenn Frey about his signature song, "Take It to the Limit", during the tour, as Meisner was struggling to hit the crucial high notes in the song.

At their show in Knoxville, Tennessee, Randy Meisner decided to skip the song as an encore as he had stayed up late and caught the flu, and Frey and Randy Meisner then became involved in an angry physical confrontation backstage.

Randy Meisner formally quit the band in September 1977, citing "exhaustion".

Randy Meisner co-wrote six of the album's nine songs, including the Top 20 single "Hearts on Fire", collaborating with songwriters Wendy Waldman and Eric Kaz.

In 1985, Randy Meisner became part of an all-star band Black Tie composed of Jimmy Griffin and Billy Swan.

From 1987 to 1989, Randy Meisner formed a band and toured with former Firefall singer-songwriter Rick Roberts, called the Roberts-Randy Meisner Band.

In 1989 and 1990, Randy Meisner reunited with Poco for the Legacy album and tour.

Randy Meisner asked the band if he could sit in with them at their Millennium Concert at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on New Year's Eve 1999, but says he was rebuffed; however, he says he holds no resentment towards Henley and Frey.

Randy Meisner reunited with the Drivin' Dynamics for a performance in 2000, when the band and Randy Meisner as a solo performer was inducted into the Nebraska Music Hall of Fame.

Randy Meisner's last known public performance was in 2008 in Naples, Florida.

Randy Meisner was invited by the Eagles to take part in their History of the Eagles world tour in 2013, but he declined due to health issues.

Randy Meisner married his high-school girlfriend, Jennifer Lee Barton, in 1963, and the young couple had a son, Dana Scott Meisner in November 1963.

The couple had two more children, twins Heather Leigh and Eric Shane Randy Meisner, born in May 1970, before divorcing in 1981.

Randy Meisner later married his girlfriend of twelve years, Lana Rae, in November 1996.

Randy Meisner had previously been charged with impersonating Don Henley in Las Vegas, Nevada, but he skipped on his bail.

Randy Meisner was not as successful as years earlier with the ruse, since the city's hotels had notified each other of the impostor.

Randy Meisner has reportedly struggled with periodic alcohol dependence since the late 1960s, especially during his tenure with the Eagles, as he tried to deal with his new-found fame.

In March 2013, Randy Meisner suffered yet another health scare after losing consciousness in his California home.

Randy Meisner later revealed that his former Eagles bandmates had paid the medical bills from the hospitalization.

Randy Meisner had allegedly threatened to kill himself and others with a weapon in early 2015, though he did not have a firearm at the time.

Ninety minutes later, after police had left the scene, Lana Randy Meisner accidentally shot and killed herself when a rifle she was moving was struck by an object in its case and fired.

Authorities determined that Randy Meisner had no role in the shooting, as surveillance tapes showed he was in another part of the house at the time.

Randy Meisner was a special guest at two Richie Furay livestream concerts.

Randy Meisner appeared from his home, singing back-up harmony with Furay and his band on the Buffalo Springfield song "For What It's Worth".

On October 30,2020, Randy Meisner made a second remote appearance, singing background vocals with Richie's band on the Poco song "Pickin' Up the Pieces".

Randy Meisner was a special guest on the November 28,2020 "Joe Walsh's Old Fashioned Rock n' Roll Radio Show", chatting with his friend and former Eagles bandmate Joe Walsh on the Independent 88.5FM.