RAHWAY, NJ — “Hotel California” was the fifth album by the Eagles, released December 1976.
The record was a commercial success. Its title track won “Record of the Year” at the 20th Grammy Awards and “New Kid in Town” won for Best Arrangement for Voices.
The album will be performed in its entirety by Best of the Eagles at Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway on Friday, June 20. In addition, they will be playing other Eagles hits, such as “Life in the Fast Lane,” “Take it Easy” and “Boys of Summer,” which is actually a song lead singer and drummer Don Henley recorded on his second studio album, “Building the Perfect Beast.” Best of the Eagles is known for playing most of the songs from “Their Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 and 2,” which have sold more than 40 million copies combined.
Best of the Eagles consists of Anthony Krizan, drums and vocals; Dan “Dano” Miller, bass and vocals; Jerry Steele, guitar, pedal steel and vocals; Dave “Squiggy” Biglin, keyboards and vocals; Joe Vadala, guitar and vocals; and John Bushnell, guitar and vocals.
One of the top tribute bands in the country, Best of the Eagles was formed in 2012 by Vadala. He’s a producer, singer and songwriter who has performed nationally with artists such as Buzzy Linhart, La Bamba and the Hubcaps, Joey and The Works, and Poetic Justice, to name a few.
Music has always been a part of Vadala’s life. Like so many others, he remembers watching The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. But he also came from a musical family. His uncle was a professional keyboardist. He had one aunt who played guitar and another who played banjo.
He also had a neighborhood friend whose father owned a music store in New Brunswick. The store was sold and the dad kept some instruments on the front porch of his house. “We’d play whatever we could,” said Vadala. “Drums, piano, tambourine; whatever inspired you.”
Vadala started playing guitar when he was 13 years old and he put a band together. “Battle of the Bands, that was the first thing you practiced for,” he said. “I played many of those. Local swim clubs. Those types of things. It’s great experience.”
As he was working his way into his musical career, he took on assorted day jobs and played music at nights. He’s opened for many national acts and performed as part of the premier house bands at Stone Pony in Asbury Park. His music is published through Polygram Universal International.
“I was fortunate,” said Vadala. “I always had family I could depend on. I never starved. When you’re young like that, you look at it as you’re learning something and doing something. It’s still a learning process. It never ends.”
Vadala had been in the industry for a long time when he put together Best of the Eagles. “I knew a couple members from back in the original songwriting days,” he said. “John Bushnell, I knew. We always crossed paths as musicians, always supported each other. I had an idea of what I wanted. I mentioned it to people, and they recommended (people).”
Still popular today, “Hotel California” is an iconic album that listeners of all ages embrace. Vadala believes that 1976 was a good time for music in general. He said, “It’s just great songs. When bands recorded an album, you wanted to listen to the whole album.”
Vadala’s daughter is an aspiring singer-songwriter. He likes to advise young musicians to be smart with the business part of it. “I learned from the ground up,” he said. “I put myself in those positions to learn. Try not to make the same mistake over and over again. That’s how you grow. You can read a book, but there’s nothing like hands on.”
When he’s not performing, Vadala said he loves looking out at the woods. “Good silence to help think,” he said. And spending time with good friends.
To learn more about Best of the Eagles, visit: https://bestoftheeagles.com/.
For tickets to see Best of the Eagles at Union County Performing Arts Center, visit: https://ucpac.org/event/best-of-the-eagles/.
Photo Courtesy of Rebecca Wolf, Rebecca Wolf Photography