In what year did Joe Walsh join the Eagles?

Joe Walsh joined the Eagles in 1975.

He came aboard after founding guitarist Bernie Leadon left the band. Producer Bill Szymczyk recommended Walsh, whose harder-rocking guitar style helped the Eagles move beyond their earlier country-rock sound. Walsh had already established himself with the James Gang and Barnstorm, and his solo work had attracted attention from several Eagles members.

Walsh’s first Eagles studio album was Hotel California, released in 1976. He played electric guitar, organ, and contributed backing vocals, while sharing the famous extended guitar passage on “Hotel California” with Don Felder. This sometimes causes confusion because Hotel California became the album most associated with Walsh’s arrival, but the question asks when he joined the band, which was the preceding year.

Walsh remained an important Eagles member through the band’s 1980 breakup and later reunions. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Eagles in 1998.