Donald William Felder (born September 21, 1947) is an American musician who was the lead guitarist of the rock band Eagles from 1974 to 2001.

[8][9] The Maundy Quintet recorded and released a 45 rpm single on the Tampa-based Paris Tower label in 1967, which received airplay in north-central Florida.

[citation needed] After the Maundy Quintet broke up, Felder went to Manhattan, New York City, with a band called Flow, which released a self-titled improvisational rock fusion album in 1970.

[1] The 1970 Flow album has the distinction of being among the first issued on the newly independent CTI Records label, founded by jazz producer Creed Taylor.

[1] After founding member Bernie Leadon departed in 1975 following the tour to support the album, Joe Walsh joined the band.

Felder had previously jammed with Walsh while Leadon was still a member of the Eagles, and together as dual guitar leads, they eventually became one of rock music's most memorable onstage partnerships.

[16] In contrast, "Victim of Love" was recorded in a live session in studio apart from the lead vocal and the harmony on the choruses which were added later.

[17] After the release of Hotel California and the tour that followed, the Eagles found themselves under tremendous pressure to repeat this success and tensions were made worse by alcohol, cocaine and other drugs.

Nevertheless, the fighting did not end with the addition of the mild-mannered Schmit, but it rather intensified during the recording of The Long Run, which took 18 months to complete, and Felder and Glenn Frey were especially hostile to one another, despite respecting each other's musical abilities.

[20] At a concert in Long Beach, California for Senator Alan Cranston on July 31, 1980, known as the "Long Night at Wrong Beach", things hit a breaking point in the band when the animosity between Felder and Frey boiled over before the show began after Felder said, "You're welcome – I guess" to Cranston and his wife, thus offending Frey.

[23][24][23][25] Following the 1980 disbandment of the Eagles, Felder focused more on his family, but also embarked on a solo career, concentrating on film composition and session work.

Through his association with Bee Gees' producer Albhy Galuten, Felder made session appearances on albums by artists as diverse as Diana Ross, Barbra Streisand, and Andy Gibb.

The album's single "Never Surrender", co-written with Kenny Loggins, was a minor hit, having also appeared on the soundtrack to the popular motion picture teen comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

[27] Among his musical film credits in the 1980s are two songs on the soundtrack to the 1981 animated cult film Heavy Metal entitled "Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride)" (with former bandmates Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmit contributing backing vocals) and "All of You" – with Jefferson Starship's Mickey Thomas as backing vocalist, as well as the title track "Wild Life" from the 1985 motion picture adaptation of Neil Simon's The Slugger's Wife.

[30][31] Felder alleged that from the 1994 Hell Freezes Over tour onward, Henley and Frey had "insisted that they each receive a higher percentage of the band's profits", whereas the money had previously been split in five equal portions.

The album features musicians such as Sammy Hagar, Slash (who lives near Felder),[35] Richie Sambora, Orianthi, Peter Frampton, Joe Satriani, Mick Fleetwood, Chad Smith, Bob Weir, David Paich, Steve Porcaro, Alex Lifeson and Jim Keltner, among others.

[36] The title track references artists from Jimi Hendrix and Santana to The Doobie Brothers, U2 Bruce Springsteen, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Van Halen, Guns N' Roses and more.

[37] In a 2008 interview with Howard Stern, Felder affirmed that he remains friends with fellow former Eagles members Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner.

[38] When asked if he still had any contact with Glenn Frey or Don Henley, Felder stated that the only replies he gets are from their respective attorneys.

[1] The book allowed Felder to tell his life story, describe his relationships with Glenn Frey and Don Henley, and to relate his own version of his termination from the band in 2001.