Timothy Bruce Schmit (born October 30, 1947) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He has performed as the bassist and vocalist for

Poco Poco was an American country rock band originally formed in 1968 after the demise of Buffalo Springfield. Guitarists Richie Furay and Jim Messina, former members of Buffalo Springfield, were joined by multi-instrumentalist Rusty Young, bassi ...

and the

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

, having replaced bassist and vocalist

Randy Meisner Randall Herman Meisner (born March 8, 1946) is a retired American musician, singer, songwriter and founding member of the Eagles. Throughout his professional musical career, Meisner's main role was that of bassist and backing high-harmony vocal ...

in both cases. Schmit has also worked for decades as a session musician and solo artist. In 1998, he was inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

as a member of the Eagles.

Early life

Schmit was born in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

. He was raised in

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, and began playing in the

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

group Tim, Tom & Ron at the age of 15. That group evolved into a surf band called the Contenders, then changed its name to the New Breed (sometimes known simply as "the Breed"). As the New Breed, they had a major local hit in Sacramento: the

Animals Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in ...

-inspired "Green Eyed Woman," which was released in 1965 and hit #1 on local top-40 outlet KXOA. (The track also charted on isolated stations in Virginia and Indiana.) A few more local-only hits followed, before the group changed its name once again to Glad. The group recorded the album ''Feelin' Glad'' in 1968.

Poco

In 1968, Schmit auditioned for

but was turned down in favor of founding member

. When Meisner quit the band in 1969, Schmit replaced him on bass and vocals. He appeared on nine of Poco's studio albums and two live albums between 1969 and 1977, composing numerous songs. He wrote and was the lead singer on the song "Keep on Tryin'," Poco's biggest hit single to that point, peaking at #50 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1975. Apart from Poco, Schmit also contributed vocals to

Firefall Firefall is an American country rock band that formed in Boulder, Colorado, in 1974. It was founded by Rick Roberts, former member of the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Jock Bartley, who had been Tommy Bolin's replacement in Zephyr. The band' ...

's 1977 hit, "

Just Remember I Love You "Just Remember I Love You" is a song by American rock band Firefall from their album, ''Luna Sea'' (1977), with backing vocals by Timothy B. Schmit. It was written by Rick Roberts and released as a single on July 21, 1977. "Just Remember I Love ...

." Schmit sang backing vocals on the

Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from live ...

albums ''

Pretzel Logic ''Pretzel Logic'' is the third studio album by American rock band Steely Dan, released on February 20, 1974, by ABC Records. It was written by principal band members Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, and recorded at The Village Recorder in West L ...

,'' ''

The Royal Scam ''The Royal Scam'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Steely Dan. It was produced by Gary Katz and was originally released by ABC Records in 1976. ''The Royal Scam'' features more prominent guitar work than the prior Steely Dan album ...

'' and '' Aja.'' Schmit also sang backing vocals on "

Never Let Her Slip Away "Never Let Her Slip Away" is a song written by American musician Andrew Gold, who recorded it for his third album, '' All This and Heaven Too'' (1978). The single reached number five on the UK Singles Chart and number 67 on the ''Billboard'' Ho ...

", a top 5 UK hit for

Andrew Gold Andrew Maurice Gold (August 2, 1951 – June 3, 2011) was an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and record producer who influenced much of the Los Angeles-dominated pop/soft rock sound in the 1970s. Gold played on scores of reco ...

in 1978, along with Brock Walsh,

J.D. Souther John David "J. D." Souther (born November 2, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He has written and co-written songs recorded by Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles (band), Eagles. Souther is probably best known for his songwriting ab ...

and an uncredited

Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest singers in the ...

. In 1974, Schmit played bass alongside

Glenn Frey Glenn Lewis Frey (; November 6, 1948 – January 18, 2016) was an American singer, guitarist and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. Frey was the co-lead singer and frontman for the Eagles, roles he came to share with fellow member Don ...

and

Don Henley Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947) is an American musician and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. He is the drummer and one of the lead singers for the Eagles. Henley sang the lead vocals on Eagles hits such as "Witchy Woman", "Despe ...

on the song "

You Can Close Your Eyes "You Can Close Your Eyes" is a song written by James Taylor which was released on his 1971 album ''Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon''. It was also released as the B-side to his #1 single "You've Got a Friend". It has often been described as a l ...

" featured on

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

's album ''

Heart Like a Wheel ''Heart Like a Wheel'' is the fifth solo studio album by Linda Ronstadt, released in November 1974. It was Ronstadt's last album to be released by Capitol Records. At the time of its recording, Ronstadt had already moved to Asylum Records and rel ...

''.

Eagles

In 1977, Schmit joined the

during the ''

Hotel California "Hotel California" is the title track from the Eagles' album of the same name and was released as a single in February 1977. Writing credits for the song are shared by Don Felder (music), Don Henley, and Glenn Frey (lyrics). Joe Walsh came ...

'' tour, replacing Randy Meisner on bass/vocals, as he had done in Poco, after Meisner quit. Although the Eagles are thought of as a quintessential California band, Schmit is the only member of the group who is actually a native of California. On their 1979 album, '' The Long Run'', Schmit co-wrote and sang lead vocals on the song "

I Can't Tell You Why "I Can't Tell You Why" is a song by the American rock band Eagles that appeared on their 1979 album '' The Long Run''. It was written by band members Timothy B. Schmit, Glenn Frey and Don Henley. Recorded in March 1978, it was the first song ...

". The band later broke up in 1980 and reunited 14 years later, with Schmit singing the lead vocals on "

Love Will Keep Us Alive "Love Will Keep Us Alive" is a song written by Jim Capaldi, Paul Carrack, and Peter Vale and produced by the Eagles, Elliot Scheiner, and Rob Jacobs. It was first performed by the Eagles in 1994, during their ''Hell Freezes Over'' reunion tour, ...

" on the reunion album ''

Hell Freezes Over ''Hell Freezes Over'' is the second live album by the Eagles, released in 1994. The album is the first to be released after the Eagles had reformed following a fourteen-year-long break up. The band's lineup was that of the ''Long Run'' era: Gle ...

''. In 2007, the Eagles released a new album, ''

Long Road Out of Eden ''Long Road Out of Eden'' is the seventh and most recent studio album by American rock band the Eagles, released in 2007 on Lost Highway Records as their first ever double album. Nearly six years in production, it is the band's first studio ...

''. Schmit continued to be part of the Eagles lineup along with Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of three successful rock bands: the James Gang, Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr B ...

until Frey's death in 2016 and is in the current Eagles touring lineup featuring

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist b ...

Career after the Eagles and Poco

After the Eagles broke up in 1980, Schmit embarked on a solo career, singing vocals and playing bass for hire during studio sessions. His voice can be heard on many hits, including Bob Seger's " Fire Lake" and Boz Scaggs' "

Look What You've Done to Me "Look What You've Done to Me" is a 1980 song recorded by Boz Scaggs, composed by Scaggs and David Foster for the movie ''Urban Cowboy''. It reached #14 on the U.S. ''Billboard Hot 100'' in November, #13 on the Cashbox (magazine), ''Cash Box'' Top ...

" (each with Frey and Henley), Don Felder's "

Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride) "Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride)" is a song by Eagles guitarist Don Felder with lead vocals sung by Don Felder with backing vocals sung by Timothy B. Schmit and Don Henley. It is the theme song of the animated film '' Heavy Metal'', not to be confu ...

" (with Henley), and Crosby, Stills and Nash's "

Southern Cross Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for ...

" and " Wasted on the Way", where he sang harmony. He was also a background musician on two of Don Henley's hit songs, " Dirty Laundry" and "You Don't Know Me at All". Schmit teamed with his predecessor in both Poco and the Eagles, Randy Meisner, along with their mutual Eagles bandmate Joe Walsh, to provide background vocals to the

Richard Marx Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963) is an American adult contemporary music, adult contemporary and pop rock singer-songwriter. He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Marx's Richard Marx (album), self-titled debut album went tri ...

1987 hit "

Don't Mean Nothing "Don't Mean Nothing" is the debut single by singer/songwriter/producer Richard Marx from his triple platinum 1987 eponymous album. It hit No. 1 on ''Billboard''s Album Rock Tracks chart and No. 3 on the Hot 100. With the chart success of "Don't M ...

". Schmit also performed on the Toto 1983 hit singles "

I Won't Hold You Back "I Won't Hold You Back" is a song by American rock band Toto, written and sung by Steve Lukather for their fourth album, ''Toto IV'', released in 1983 (see 1983 in music). The song features the Eagles' bass player Timothy B. Schmit on backing ...

" and "

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

", and the Jars of Clay song "Everything in Between". He also played on the 1983

Glenn Shorrock Glenn Barrie Shorrock (born 30 June 1944) is an English-born Australian singer-songwriter. He was a founding member of rock bands the Twilights, Axiom, Little River Band and post LRB spin-off trio Birtles Shorrock Goble, as well as being a solo ...

solo album. He sang harmony and backing vocals on

Dan Fogelberg Daniel Grayling Fogelberg (August 13, 1951 – December 16, 2007) was an American musician, songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his 1970s and 1980s songs, including "Longer" (1979), "Same Old Lang Syne" (1980), and " ...

's 1984 project ''

Windows and Walls ''Windows and Walls'' is the eighth album by American singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg, released in 1984 (see 1984 in music). The first single, "The Language of Love", reached No. 13 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, making it his last Top ...

''. In 1991 Schmit covered the standard "

I Only Have Eyes for You "I Only Have Eyes for You" is a romantic love song by composer Harry Warren and lyricist Al Dubin, written for the film ''Dames'' (1934) when Dick Powell introduced it. Several successful recordings of the song were made in 1934; later, there we ...

" for the soundtrack of the film ''

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead ''Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead'' is a 1991 American coming-of-age black comedy film directed by Stephen Herek, written by Neil Landau and Tara Ison, and starring Christina Applegate, Joanna Cassidy, Keith Coogan, John Getz and Josh Char ...

''. In 1988 he added background vocals to

Sheena Easton Sheena Shirley Easton (; born 27 April 1959) is a Scottish singer and actress. Easton came into the public eye in an episode of the first British musical reality television programme '' The Big Time: Pop Singer'', which recorded her attempts to ...

's album ''The Lover in Me'' and in 1989 Schmit added background vocals on the

Stacey Q Stacey Lynn Swain (born November 30, 1958), known by her stage name Stacey Q, is an American pop singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. Her best-known single, John Mitchell's " Two of Hearts", released in 1986, reached number one in Canada, n ...

single, "Heartbeat", which was featured on her '' Nights Like This'' album. He also sang background vocals on the

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

album ''

Alibi An alibi (from the Latin, '' alibī'', meaning "somewhere else") is a statement by a person, who is a possible perpetrator of a crime, of where they were at the time a particular offence was committed, which is somewhere other than where the crim ...

''. Schmit toured with Toto in 1982 and with

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffet ...

in 1983, 1984, and 1985 as a member of the

Coral Reefer Band The Coral Reefer Band is the touring and recording band of American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. The band's name alludes to both coral reefs (in line with Buffett's tropical-themed music) and "reefer" (slang for marijuana). Origins Current ...

and coined the term "

Parrothead James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffet ...

s" to describe Buffett's fans. He was a member of

Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band is a live rock music, rock Supergroup (music), supergroup founded in 1989 with shifting personnel, led by former The Beatles, Beatles drummer and vocalist Ringo Starr. History and description Since 1989, Starr h ...

in 1992. In 1993, he contributed background vocals to several tracks on

Clint Black Clint Patrick Black (born February 4, 1962) is an American country music singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Signed to RCA Nashville in 1989, Black's debut album '' Killin' Time'' produced four straight number one singles on the ...

's ''

No Time to Kill ''No Time to Kill'' is the fourth studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Clint Black. The title is a play on the title of his debut album, '' Killin' Time''. All Five singles from the album were top ten hits for Black on the '' ...

'' CD including the title cut. In 1995, Schmit sang the song "How Far I'll Fly" for the ending credits to the Australian movie ''

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

''. In 1996, he sang on a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...

' song "

Caroline, No "Caroline, No" is a song by American musician Brian Wilson that was released as his first solo record on March 7, 1966 and, two months later, reissued as the closing track on the Beach Boys' album ''Pet Sounds''. Written with Tony Asher, the lyr ...

" on their album '' Stars and Stripes Vol. 1'', with the Beach Boys themselves contributing harmonies. In 2000, he toured with Dan Fogelberg; recordings from that tour became a live album, ''Dan Fogelberg Live''. Schmit sang harmony on the title track of

Katy Rose Kathryn Rosemary Bullard (born January 27, 1987), known professionally as Katy Rose, is an American singer-songwriter and producer. Rose released two studio albums, '' Because I Can'' (V2 Records) and ''Candy Eyed'' (River Jones Music). Since her ...

's debut album, '' Because I Can'', produced by fellow Poco alumnus and Katy's father,

Kim Bullard Kim Bullard is an American keyboardist, songwriter, record producer, and film composer. He has been making music since the 1970s and has performed extensively as a keyboard player with musical acts such as Elton John and Crosby, Stills, & Nash. ...

. Schmit's fifth studio album, '' Expando'', was released in October 2009. In May 2012, Schmit was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

. His sixth studio album ''Leap of Faith'' was released on September 23, 2016, the first release of an Eagles member since the death of bandmate Glenn Frey in January 2016. His seventh studio album ''Day by Day'' was released on May 6, 2022.

Personal life

Schmit has three children: a daughter by his first wife and a daughter and son by his present wife. He was successfully treated for throat and neck cancer in late 2012.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schmit, Timothy B. 1947 births American rock bass guitarists Living people Musicians from Oakland, California Eagles (band) members Poco members MCA Records artists Universal Records artists Lost Highway Records artists Kennedy Center honorees American session musicians American male singer-songwriters American country bass guitarists American male bass guitarists American country rock singers American country singer-songwriters American rock singers Guitarists from California 20th-century American guitarists Coral Reefer Band members Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band members Singer-songwriters from California