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Born July 22nd, 1947 Key Tracks "Hotel California," "Desperado" (Eagles), "The Boys of Summer" (Solo) Influenced Bruce Hornsby, Sheryl Crow, Garth Brooks

Don Henley got his famously rough voice from belting out R&B tunes at Texas college gigs in his early band the Speeds. "The frat boys would all want James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding music, which I had to learn," Henley said. "I got hoarse singing that music four hours a night, trying to sound raspy until my voice blew out." Years later, that rasp in his fluid tenor voice would convey a world-weariness that defined Eagles classics such as "Hotel California" from 1976 and solo tunes like "The Boys of Summer" from 1984. "He has an amazing voice that is a mystery to us all," says songwriter J.D. Souther, who wrote or co-wrote many of those Eagles hits. "I would call him one of the great blues singers of our generation."

1. Hotel California
2. Desperado
3. The Boys of Summer

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