Eagles

According to their late founding member Glenn Frey, Eagles chose their name because the bird was “the creature that flew closest to the sun”. It proved especially apt as the band soared to the highest strata of success, with their six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards underscoring the estimated 150 million records they’ve moved worldwide.

First formed in Los Angeles in 1971 by Frey, Don Henley, Randy Meisner and ex-Flying Burrito Brother Bernie Leadon, the pioneering country-rock outfit didn’t have the hipster cachet of cosmic Americana outfits such as the Burritos or the Gram Parsons-era Byrds, but their mellow vibes and hook-filled tunes ensured their move into the mainstream was seamless. Early 70s hits such as Take It Easy and Desperado laid the groundwork, but their reputation still rests primarily upon a paid of era-defining mid-70s albums, One Of These Nights  and Hotel California, and their ubiquitous Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975), which, after close on 40 million sales, still ranks as the best-selling album of all time in the US.