Bernie Leadon

Bernard Matthew Leadon III (/ˈlɛdən/ LED-ən; born July 19, 1947) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Eagles, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Prior to the Eagles, he was a member of four country rock bands: Hearts & Flowers, Dillard & Clark, Linda Ronstadt & the Corvettes and the Flying Burrito Brothers. He is a multi-instrumentalist (guitar, banjo, mandolin, steel guitar, dobro) coming from a bluegrass background. He introduced elements of this music to a mainstream audience during his tenure with the Eagles.

Leadon's solo career since leaving the Eagles has been sporadic, resulting in two albums under his name (the first being a collaborative project with Michael Georgiades) with a gap of 27 years in between. However, Leadon appeared on many other artists' records as a session musician.

In 1957 Leadon moved with his family to San Diego, California, where he met fellow musicians Ed Douglas and Larry Murray of the local bluegrass outfit the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers. The Barkers proved a breeding ground for future California country rock talent, including shy, 18-year-old mandolin player Chris Hillman, with whom Leadon maintained a lifelong friendship. Augmented by banjo player (and future Flying Burrito Brother) Kenny Wertz, the Squirrel Barkers eventually asked Leadon to fill in, upon Wertz's joining the Air Force in 1963. However, Leadon did not become a member of the band.

He later met future Eagles lead guitarist Don Felder, whose band, the Continentals, had just lost guitarist Stephen Stills.

A call from ex-Squirrel Barker Larry Murray in 1967 to join his fledgling psychedelic country-folk group Hearts & Flowers and to replace Rick Cunha brought Leadon to California, where he became involved with the burgeoning L.A. folk/country rock scene. Leadon recorded one album with the band, its second release, Of Horses, Kids, and Forgotten Women, for Capitol Records. The record was a local hit but failed to make much of a dent on the national album charts. Discouraged, the group disbanded the following year.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.