Chronicling Rock History One Season at a Time

EAGLES: BEFORE THE BAND

COUNTRY ROCK WAS A NEW MUSICAL TREND as the 1960s ended. Los Angeles was the movement's epicenter, and many bands tried to find the right formula for fusing electric instruments with country and bluegrass music. Then Eagles came along, and they helped create a new blueprint for what became the California Sound.

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The story of the Eagles began with their inspirations: The Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and many others.

In the band's first nine years together, they scored gold records for every album release and delivered songs that changed the musical landscape. Their thought-provoking, intimate lyrics joined with precision instrumentation that sounded as good live as in the studio—legions of fans built around them.

But where did they come from? Eagles: Before the Band maps their individual histories before they became the best-selling rock and roll band in American history. They came from Detroit, East Texas, Nebraska, Minneapolis, and Florida.

Follow along season by season as they struggle in small bands across the country and eventually find each other in Los Angeles. Their journey is as legendary as their music.

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"Having read numerous books on [the Eagles], I approached this one with some trepidation, concerned that there was nothing left to tell in the story... or the genre in which they got their start. I need not have been concerned. Before that brilliant open G Major chord in 'Take It Easy' ever rung in our ears, there was a steep learning curve both individually and eventually collectively. This book tells that story."

—Amazon Reviewer

"Ever wonder how a true legend of an American Rock & Roll band happens in the first place? The 20th Century's most prolific gross-selling version, the Eagles, is meticulously laid out in chronological detail in Rik Forgo's first edition of a historical trilogy in "Eagles - Before the Band." A wondrous account of how the boys with a dream made it all come true."

—Amazon Reviewer

"This book is very detailed. Like the title says 'Before the Band' talks about Elvis and the invention of Stratocaster guitars, but everything you read ties in with the band members in some way. And then it leads into the band's full story about growing up and all. Awesome book 💯 A trilogy story, I need the other two Books now. 😌"

—Amazon Reviewer

"After reading numerous books on [the Eagles], I approached this one with some trepidation, concerned that there was nothing left to tell in the story... I need not have been concerned. Before that brilliant open G Major chord in 'Take It Easy' ever rung out, there was a steep learning curve both individually and eventually collectively. This book tells that story."

—Amazon Reviewer

"'If you enjoy the ins and outs of the music changes through the 60's and 70's you will enjoy this read. Rik uses a kind of Pulp Fiction style of writing but the book keeps building your curiosity from page one. I grew up following the bands mentioned throughout and to learn about their trials and tribulations, the ups and downs they went through, most of us would have given up years earlier. This book will keep you interested cover to cover."

—Goodreads Reviewer

"What sets this work apart from many books that cover a band's history is the feeling of reliving the moments rather than simply remembering them. With short entries that speak very specifically to an event (song, album, tour, etc) we are taken back to each one. While the book as a whole is certainly a narrative, it is not one continuous narrative but rather a series of entries that together form one."

—Goodreads Reviewer

"I liked the format of "short stories"... just interesting stories, anecdotes, and both meaningful and meaningless details. An easy read that goes great with me switching the music on my JBL between whichever artist, song, or album I'm reading about."

—Goodreads Reviewer

"I enjoyed this book from start to finish. Even though it goes through the beginnings of the Eagles and how they came together, I learned a lot about many other bands I have listened to for years."

—Goodreads Reviewer

Rik Forgo developed his love of music while managing a store for a prominent Washington D.C.-area record chain. The burning interest in rock and roll he cultivated there would stay with him for the rest of his life. A few years later, he began his writing career as an Air Force journalist in Panama and the Middle East. He also filed a few stories from Ohio and New Jersey jungles. Eventually, he found his way into the halls of National Geographic, where he took on a different kind of writing—coding software—in support of the company’s heralded magazine and books divisions. In 2018 he put all that experience together with his passion for rock and roll and founded Time Passages, his own rock-oriented publishing company, and stocked it with veteran rock journalists and seasoned professionals with record industry experience. The first book the company published was his own—Eagles: Before the Band, in 2019. When he’s not writing, designing, or editing, he and his wife, Maureen, and their dog, Zeus, relax and watch ducks and sailboats from their home near Annapolis, Maryland.

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