Randy Meisner

For a while, at the dawn of the 1970s, Randy Meisner looked to be one of California rock's also-rans -- a prodigious talent on vocals and bass, he moved up through the ranks of '60s bands and was poised for a big break as a member of Poco, only to exit that band on the eve of the completion of their debut album. And then he got a second bite of the apple as a member of The Eagles, only to quit in the wake of their biggest album, Hotel California. Born in Scottsbluff, NE, in 1946, Meisner co-founded a band called the Dynamics (later the Drivin' Dynamics) in 1961, in which he served as lead singer and bassist. By late 1962, they'd made their first record, produced and released themselves, which included a rendition of Sam Cooke's "You Send Me," sung by Meisner.

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