49 Facts About Randy Meisner

Randall Herman Meisner was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and founding member of the Eagles.

Randy Meisner co-wrote and provided lead vocals on the Eagles' hit song "Take It to the Limit".

Randall Herman Randy Meisner was born in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, on March 8,1946, the second child and only son of farmers Herman and Emilie Randy Meisner.

Randy Meisner had an elder 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.

Randy Meisner developed an interest in the guitar at the age of 10, after seeing Elvis Presley perform on The Ed Sullivan Show.

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 four-song EP with Randy Meisner singing lead vocals on Sam Cooke's "You Send Me".

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

In May 1968, after auditioning alongside Timothy B Schmit, Meisner joined Poco with Rusty Young, and 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; only Messina and Furay were to be involved in completing production.

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

Randy Meisner appears on 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 wrote "Certain Kind of Fool" with Frey and Henley, and sang lead.

At their show in Knoxville, Tennessee, Randy Meisner, who had stayed up late and caught flu, decided to skip performing the song as an encore; 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 said that his 1978 album, which he co-produced with Alan Brackett, was scattershot and not "conceptualized to its best".

Randy Meisner co-wrote six of the album's nine songs, two, including the 1981 Top-20 single "Hearts On Fire" with Eric Kaz, and four with Kaz and Wendy Waldman.

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 said he was rebuffed; however, he said that he held 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 were inducted into the Nebraska Music Hall of Fame.

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 was a special guest at two Richie Furay livestream concerts.

On October 30,2020, Randy Meisner made a second remote appearance, singing background vocals with Furay'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 KCSN 88.5 FM.

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

Randy Meisner later married his girlfriend of 12 years, Lana Rae, in November 1996.

Many people who met and worked with Randy Meisner remarked on his kindness.

Don Felder, James Taylor, and Rick Roberts described Randy Meisner as being one of the nicest people with whom they had ever worked.

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

Randy Meisner often tried to use Meisner's identity to rent hotel rooms in Reno, Nevada.

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

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

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 was shot and killed when a rifle she was moving was struck by an object in its case and accidentally discharged.

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 died due to complications associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Los Angeles, on July 26,2023, at the age of 77.