Joe Walsh Meets Joe Walsh

I have told this story over 100 times as I am always getting razzed about my name. People always asking  me if I sing or play guitar. Not complaining mind you. Its a lot better than having a name like Ted Bundy. My Grandfather, Uncle, Cousin, and myself were Joseph Walsh's.

Anyway back in 1987 while living in Dallas Tx, Joe Walsh was going to be at The Hard Rock Cafe at a Radio Stations weekly bring in the weekend party held each Friday at happy hour. Joe was also playing at The Hard Rock that Sunday night and all tickets sold out within hours.

So I closed up at my office as was working for IBM at that time and headed down to The Hard Rock to check it out.

I got there and went upstairs to what they call the Texas Bar where they got a lot of Stevie Ray and Billy Gibbons stuff and sat down and had a beer. I gave my credit card to the bartender and he looked at the name and of course he laughed and said cool. We got talking and I got this notion to buy a beer and put it on my credit card and have a waitress take the beer and the slip to Joe Walsh who was sitting downstairs with the DJ of the radio station named Red Beard. About the time she got there they left and took a break. She set it down at his seat on the table and left.

Joe comes back with his Bass player Rick and sits down and looks at the beer and then looks at the credit card slip. He freaks out and gets out his wallet to make sure he still has his credit card. We are cracking up laughing upstairs. He flags down the waitress and she tells him what's going on and he looks up with a big smile.

Now I was not expecting to meet him. He flags me down to come see him. I was not expecting this at all. So down I go nervous as hell. He asks to see my drivers license. That worried me as his song says he lost his and I first thought he may not give it back.

He did and then he asks me if he can interview me on the radio ??? What have I got myself into here I thought. It was pretty funny. He asked me all the questions he got asked over and over. When will the Eagles get back together, what kind of guitar strings I use. The DJ Red Beard was having a good time with this.

So I got to sit down with Joe later and talk for some time. He put me on his guest list and I sat with his girlfriend and crew and watched a great concert. I gave him some IBM business cards with Joe Walsh on them. I think he had some fun with those. He called me a few years later and needed some help with his computer and that's the last time I talked to him.

Will Never Forget It
Joseph K. Walsh

Ronda Meets Timothy B. Schmit

The NAMM show is an annual international trade show representing, educating and promoting the music product industry. This incredible show, held in Anaheim, CA, draws a diverse crowd from many aspects of the music product industry, as well a wide group of musicians and recording professionals. I was lucky enough to be the guest of a friend who repairs amplifiers.

Timothy B. Schmit was scheduled to appear at the Carvin booth at 1:00 on Saturday. He arrived on time with his son (I’d guess he’s around 10). Timothy was wearing jeans and a black long sleeve shirt. They chatted with some Carvin people for a bit while and started signing.

The line of Timothy’s fans had about 20 people in front of me and perhaps another30 behind – many carrying something for him to sign. Timothy sat at a table with a stack of 8x10 color photos of him with the bass he designed for Carvin. There was a chair beside him, and each of us sat next to him as he autographed a picture and allowed us to take a photo. When I sat down, I told him my name was Ronda and gave him the lyric sheet from his solo album Feed the Fire. There is a full-length foldout picture of him on the inside. As he signed his autograph on his picture, I told him, “The Long Run was my first concert ever. My parents took me when I was 9.” He simply replied, “Wow.” He asked me if I also wanted one of the Carvin pictures signed, and I accepted. I told him how much I appreciated that he traveled so much so that we could see him perform, and I recognized that touring took time away from his family. He paused for a moment and said sincerely, “I have a really great job.” I thanked him for that, asked to take a photo with him, shook his hand and left.

He’s as soft-spoken and kind as a person could be. If I had one word to describe this meeting, it was “Peaceful.” I was grateful to meet him and have the opportunity to thank him. It was well worth the drive to LA!

Shannon Meets Joe Walsh

I really can't remember how we found out he was about (my husband is an ex-roadie and I think one of his mates phoned and told him to get down town that day). Joe was playing with a local band called Midnight Oil at the time and recording in the studio with a reggae / funk band called Herbs.

I can remember grabbing some bits n pieces as I tore out the front door -including this little sketch I drew about 10 years earlier while bored in
high school (usual thing of staring out the window thinking about music rather than doing school work).

Anyway, long story short - we got the call, went downtown and there was Joe with some of his band and I remember having a conversation with him about my favourite JW album called "You Can't Argue with A Sick Mind" (which I have two signed copies of, on LP and CD). Joe's comments were 'well that's a pretty old album, you don't look old enough to have been around when that came out' - nice compliment. When I presented him with the old sketch I'd drawn and showed him the date, he grinned and said to me 'that's a good drawing and I predict you'll be a great artist one day'. Little did he know, as they say - upon his very words I would later go on and win an award for my drawing and yes I am an artist these days..., thank you Joe! (and yes, my drawing has improved somewhat over the last 30 years).

Randal and Carla Meet Randy Meisner

We live in Colorado and I found out Randy was going back to his home town Mitchell Nebraska as part of World Class Rockers to play at that years county fair. So we bought tickets and made the trip. A great show. After the show Randy was standing at the back of the stage so I walked over to him said hello, talked a little ask him if he would sign a album cover for me he said he would, had to go back to our pickup get the cover and meet him back stage he signed the cover, I ask if I could get a picture with him, no problem. Had to be at least 50 people back there he took time for them all. Randy has always been my favorite, what a wonderful experience. Too bad things had to go so sour years ago, a lot of great songs will never be heard at an eagles concert because Randy or Bernie either sung or wrote them.

Lisa Meets Glenn Frey

It was January of '93 and my company was having a sales meeting in Palm Springs, CA. We'd had a number of years of incredible sales, so
the bosses had decided to surprise the sales force of a thousand with a really big party that was kept utterly hush hush. We walk in and
find incredible food, free bars (not just wine & beer) set up all over and this stage set up. Suddenly the lights go black, then come up and there's Glenn Frey and his band. They immediately break into Smuggler's Blues. They played for a really long time, all his current hits, then most of the Eagles songs too. When they finished the set, everyone went insane, so the VP went up & whispered to Glenn. (I feel assured this was a set up.) Then he came back out and said..'ok Glenn's gonna play some more and that's another $25 grand for you folks.' He played 3 encores, the last one he led into with this exact comment: "He says I can't play this, but ---- it, I'll play what I want!" And then played Hotel California.
 
Afterwards, Glenn and the band came down into the ballroom area. They munched and drank with all of us. He chatted and was a really nice
guy, willing to sign autographs and just talk about stuff. He seemed interested in the work we did & why a company would pay for a private concert. While he was clearly enjoying the eye candy of all the young female sales reps & some of his band was making 'good friends', he didn't seem interested in more than looking and talking
 
I'm really disappointed that I didn't get copies of the pictures that were taken that evening as I know I'm with him in at least two shots. DARN!