Travis Tritt was one of the most popular country music stars of the 1990s.
He had many talents outside of music.
And Travis Tritt ended one nasty feud between classic rock legends in the most unlikely way.
Travis Tritt helps end the bitter feud between The Eagles
Rock and roll history is marked by bitter disputes that led to some of the most beloved bands splitting up.
The Eagles were one of the most popular bands of the classic era until they split in 1980.
Lead guitarist Don Felder and co-lead singer Glenn Frey were ready to fight after a 1980 concert in Long Beach, California.
“We’re onstage, and Felder looks back at me and says, ‘Only three more songs till I kick your ass, pal.’ And I’m saying, ‘Great. I can’t wait.’ We’re out there singing ‘Best of My Love,’ but inside both of us are thinking, ‘As soon as this is over, I’m gonna kill him,’” Frey recalled.
The Eagles split up and went their separate ways during the 1980s.
One of the most popular bands of the classic rock era seemed destined to stay apart because of the animosity between the members.
Country music legend Travis Tritt brought the bandmates back together for the 1993 tribute album Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles.
The Eagles 1972 hit “Take It Easy” off their self-titled debut album was going to be covered by Tritt for the tribute album.
Tritt and the former members of the Eagles gathered together to shoot a music video for “Take It Easy.”
And something strange happened during the shoot for the music video despite the bad blood between the former bandmates.
Travis Tritt and The Eagles take it easy for music video
The music video for Tritt’s version of “Take It Easy” was shot in a bar with the former members of The Eagles.
Everyone in the video is having a good time jamming on instruments and playing pool in the bar.
That was the first time that former members of The Eagles had gathered together since their break up in 1980.
Tritt had asked the band to join him for the music video and surprisingly he was able to get them all to agree.
Frey, Felder, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit – The Eagles’ original lineup – were reunited for the music video.
Schmit said that something clicked when the bandmates were back together in the 2013 documentary, History of the Eagles.
“There was a little bandstand scene where we all picked up our instruments and started playing,” Schmit recalled. “I was thinking, ‘Guys, come on!’”
Frey refused to participate in any prior attempts to get the band back together.
“After years passed, you really sort of remember that you were friends first,” Frey said. “You have a lot of common history together and a lot of shared experiences. I remembered mostly the good stuff . . . I just remembered how much we genuinely had liked each other and how much fun we’d had.”
Tritt’s cover of “Take It Easy” and the Common Thread album went on to become smash hits and lay the groundwork for an Eagles reunion.
The Eagles reunited in 1994 and released the album Hell Freezes Over, which hit number one on the charts.
Travis Tritt ended up playing a small part in reuniting one of the most popular bands of the classic rock era.