Don Felder
| Don Felder | |
|---|---|
Felder in 2009
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Donald William Felder |
| Born |
September 21, 1947 Gainesville, Florida, US |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, record producer |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1966–present |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | www.donfelder.com |
| Notable instruments | |
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Gibson EDS-1275 Gibson Les Paul Fender Telecaster Gretsch White Falcon |
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Donald William "Don" Felder (born September 21, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his work as a lead guitarist for the Eagles from 1974 until 2001.
Don Felder was born in Gainesville, Florida on September 21, 1947. From his paternal side he has German ancestry. He was raised in a Southern Baptist family.
Felder was first attracted to music after watching Elvis Presley live on The Ed Sullivan Show. He acquired his first guitar when he was about ten years old, which he has stated he exchanged with a friend at the five-and-dime for a handful of cherry bombs. A self-taught musician, he was heavily influenced by rock and roll. At the age of fifteen he started his first band, The Continentals, which also included Stephen Stills.
Around that time, he met Bernie Leadon, who later became one of the founding members of the Eagles. Leadon replaced Stills in The Continentals, which eventually changed its name to the Maundy Quintet. Felder and Leadon both attended Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Florida. In the 1967 Gainesville High School yearbook, the Maundy Quintet is pictured next to another Gainesville High student and his early band: Tom Petty and The Epics. Felder gave Petty guitar lessons at a local music shop for about 18 months, at which time Felder also learned how to play slide guitar from Duane Allman. The Maundy Quintet recorded and released a 45 rpm single on the Tampa-based Paris Tower label in 1967, which received airplay in north-central Florida.
After The Maundy Quintet broke up, Felder went to Manhattan, New York City with a band called Flow, which released a self-titled improvisational rock fusion album in 1970. The 1970 Flow album has the distinction of being among the very first issued on the newly independent CTI Records label, founded by noted jazz producer Creed Taylor. While in New York, Felder improved his mastery of improvisation on the guitar and learned various styles.
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Wikipedia