Introduction:
How Travis Tritt Helped Heal Old Wounds and Bring the Eagles Back Together
The Eagles set an incredibly high bar for themselves during the 1970s, crafting harmonies and hits that defined an era. But those same lofty standards, combined with creative differences and personal tensions, eventually pulled the band apart in 1980.
By the late ’70s, the pressure to follow the success of Hotel California weighed heavily on the group. Recording sessions for The Long Run were notoriously difficult, and heavy touring only added to the strain. Things finally boiled over when Glenn Frey and Don Felder clashed onstage during a 1980 concert—an incident that signaled the end of the Eagles for more than a decade.
Enter country star Travis Tritt. In 1993, he recorded the Eagles’ classic “Take It Easy” for the tribute album Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles. When the time came to shoot the music video, Tritt proposed inviting the original lineup—Frey, Felder, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit—to appear with him.
To everyone’s surprise, the band agreed. For the first time since their bitter breakup, the Eagles were together in one room, playing the song that had launched their career. That simple idea set the stage for their triumphant Hell Freezes Over reunion tour in 1994.
Tritt later recalled how humbling it was to watch his heroes reconnect. What began as a tribute to one of his favorite bands became a pivotal moment in rock history.
The very song once tied to their breakup ended up being the glue that brought the Eagles back—thanks to a country singer who simply loved their music and believed they belonged together again.