No, it wasn't J.D. Souther or Jackson Browne. It was:

Irving Azoff.

Now, I know that there are folks in this forum who strongly dislike Irving. They believe that all he cares about is money, that he sold out the hallowed concept of the band by sending a faux group out on tour after Glenn Frey died, that… well, who knows what else.

But I want to tell you guys something, and that is this: I strongly believe that there would be no Eagles - at least the way we know them today - without Irving Azoff.

Disclaimer: I do not work for Irving, am in no way related to him, and I don't owe him any money. The last time I saw him was about eight years ago.

There are a lot of outrageously talented musicians in L.A. A lot of talented/beautiful/handsome musicians who can sing and write songs and play guitar/drums/etc. in ways that would just make you fall out of your chair.

And about 98% of them are working at Big 5 Sporting Goods, or driving a tour bus someplace in New Mexico. I have known artists who I was SURE would be a household name, a huge star, only to see them fade away into that particularly cruel obscurity that is reserved for those who Almost Made It Big. I was once married to a woman who, if there was any justice, would've been the next Joni Mitchell.

But there isn't any justice - at least not in the entertainment industry. And while the guys who started The Eagles were immensely talented, they likely would not have made it really big without a boost from a true industry insider.

That insider was Irving Azoff. Like his contemporary, David Geffen, Azoff had this uncanny way of knowing, somehow, what was going to work in terms of hit making. Part of it is just that he works so goddamned hard, but there's another, ephemeral something that is impossible to really pin down.

So it's 1971, and here are these four very talented and determined musicians, willing to do whatever it takes to make it. But, really, who knows these guys? Frey was best known for playing guitar guitar and singing behind Bob Seger; Bernie Leadon had a good rep as a folkie and had been in The Flying Burrito Brothers (one of my all-time favorite groups, but one that had limited appeal in the world of pop music). Likewise, Randy Meisner had played bass in Poco, but they'd fallen out of mainstream style by '71. Henley was certainly known around L.A. as a fine drummer and backup singer, but he was far from nationally famous.

I believe that Azoff provided the focus for these guys. He knew everyone there was to know in the business, knew how to promote talent, had an ear for what a song would sound like when recorded properly. More importantly, he knew that if he didn't know something - album cover art or packaging or some other esoteric aspect of the business - he knew who to turn to who did. It was these talents (and the ability to support it all with large infusions of cash from investors who trusted him) that allowed The Eagles to achieve the kind of mega-success that few artists ever reach.

"I really never believed that it would be like this," Frey once told me while we were waiting in an airport somewhere in the Midwest. "I mean, you think about making it, being a success and all that, but… this is like having a dream that you wake up from - a really, REALLY good dream - and you find out that it's real. This is real life…"

Would they have made it without Irving? I don't know - maybe they could've pulled it off without having the consummate insider in their corner, but I have my doubts. The only band I can think of whose career in some ways parallels The Eagles is Fleetwood Mac - and it took them decades (and mass changes in personnel) to have the vast appeal and financial rewards of this crew.

Well, maybe you still hate Irving, but that's your right - just as it's your right to attend (or not) concerts starring the current version of The Eagles. I worked for him during the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, along with his brother, Dan, and he was more than fair in terms of paying me for my efforts. And if he called me tomorrow, I'd work for him again...