The Eagles were a British music

quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

active from 1958 until the mid-1960s. They formed in 1958 at the Eagle House youth club in

Knowle West, Bristol Knowle West is a neighbourhood situated on a low plateau in the south of Bristol, England, about 2 miles (3 km) from the centre of the city. Historically in Somerset, most of the area is coterminous with the Filwood ward of Bristol City C ...

. Led by lead guitarist Terry Clarke (11 June 1944, Bristol – 29 October 2008), who used a homebuilt custom instrument, the group included drummer Rod Meacham (born Roderick Meacham, 25 March 1943, Bristol, died 21 March 2002, Bristol), bassist Michael Brice (born 4 March 1944, Bristol), and Johnny Payne on rhythm guitar (born John Payne, 1944). Playing primarily instrumental

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, they began their career playing local venues in Bristol such as dance halls. They were launched into the world of professional music in 1962 after being noticed by composer Ron Grainer, probably best remembered for his theme to ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

''. Grainer was interested in the Eagles for a film project on which he was working, '' Some People'', about a fictional Bristol band not unlike themselves. The Eagles contributed to the ''Some People'' soundtrack, and became Grainer's protégés, recording new versions of some of his film score work, such as the theme of the television series '' Maigret''. The ''Some People'' soundtrack reached No. 2 on the EP charts, and remained on the charts for 21 weeks. The group were awarded the

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the city of Edinburgh in Scotland, was a substantive title that has been created three times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not produc ...

Trophy for their work on the film, and soon afterward were signed to Pye Records, at the time among the top three labels in Britain. After releasing the singles "Bristol Express" and "

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...

(Main Theme)", the Eagles embarked on a major tour of England along with Del Shannon,

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

, Johnny Tillotson, and

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles cha ...

. The tour lasted much of 1963, during which their debut album, ''Smash Hits From The Eagles'', was released in the UK and the US. The following year brought their most successful single and the one for which they are best remembered today, a vocal rendition of " Wishin' and Hopin' ", with the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

"Write Me a Letter".

After the Eagles

Clarke continued to play with local bands until the 1980s, and then played as a duet with his wife (building his wife's bass guitar) in Bristol until his death in 2008. Payne returned to Bristol and also continued to play with local bands. Brice continues his music career playing with the band 'The Ivy League'. The Eagles' music is available on many

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

s of the era, and in 1998 Sanctuary Records released a 61-track

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...

set, ''Smash Hits from The Eagles and The Kestrels''.

References

External links

January 1964 press clipping
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eagles, The English rock music groups Musical groups from Bristol Musical groups established in 1958 Musical groups disestablished in 1964 1958 establishments in England