Introduction:
How Travis Tritt Accidentally Reunited the Eagles — And Made ‘Hell Freeze Over’
For longtime fans of the Eagles, seeing the band perform again after their breakup in 1980 once seemed impossible. Don Henley himself famously declared that the group would play together again “when hell freezes over.” But a little over a decade later, it was a country singer from Georgia — Travis Tritt — who unknowingly sparked one of the greatest reunions in rock history.
In 1993, Tritt was invited to take part in Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles, a country tribute album featuring 13 artists covering classic Eagles hits. The project not only honored one of the most influential bands in American music but also helped fund Don Henley’s Walden Woods Project. For his contribution, Tritt recorded a version of “Take It Easy,” the band’s 1972 debut single.
When it came time to shoot a music video for the song, Tritt was given creative control and asked what concept he had in mind. On a whim, he replied, “Hell, I don’t know… let’s get the Eagles back together.” Little did he know, that offhand remark would make history.
At the time, tensions between the band’s members — particularly Don Henley and Glenn Frey — were still running high. Yet Tritt’s suggestion somehow found its way to longtime Eagles manager Irving Azoff, who encouraged the idea. Azoff told Tritt that if he could personally convince both Henley and Frey to appear, they would make it happen.
“So, I got on the phone,” Tritt recalled. “Glenn Frey said he’d do it if Henley agreed. Henley said the same thing. So, we got those guys to agree.”
The video for “Take It Easy” was filmed in December 1993, featuring all five members of the Eagles — Henley, Frey, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, and Don Felder — together for the first time in 13 years.
That single moment opened the door to something fans thought they’d never see again. Just months later, in April 1994, the Eagles reunited officially for a live concert special at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California — the event that became the legendary Hell Freezes Over album and tour.
Travis Tritt has always been quick to downplay his role, saying, “I don’t take any credit for bringing the Eagles back together.” But for countless fans, his version of “Take It Easy” became the spark that reignited one of rock’s most beloved bands — proving that sometimes, the biggest miracles begin with the simplest ideas.