Don Henley’s Reasoning For Getting Paid More Than Don Felder

Many bands handle things democratically, but some believe there needs to be a band leader to take care of press conferences, interviews, announcements, and of course, their finances. Despite being together and overcoming the struggles in their path for all those years, bandmates can have conflicts with each other when it comes to money.

Bruce Springsteen is considered the leader of the E Street Band, and he has a way of preventing any kind of conflict related to finances: splitting the earnings equally between the band members. This thoughtful gesture even earned him the title ‘The Boss.’ On the other hand, Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon are at each other’s throats regarding Journey’s finances.

When it comes to the Eagles, Don Henley often comes forward as the band’s leader. He even had to make a huge sacrifice by leaving his family behind during the recordings of ‘Long Road Out Of Eden.’ Henley’s bandmates appreciate his contributions, and fans know that the Eagles wouldn’t be here without his commitment. As it seems, the singer also knows his own value, so he believes he has the right to get paid more.

However, as it turns out, Don Felder disagreed with him since he was angry that Don Henley and Glenn Frey were paid the most. Speaking to Australia’s News in 2014, Henley said that Frey had told him they deserved this because they wrote most of the Eagles’ hits, took on great responsibility, and made the record deal with David Geffen possible. The singer agreed with Glenn, claiming they were the leaders of the Eagles.

Here is what Don Henley said about him and Frey getting paid more than the others:

“Glenn has no qualms about talking about that. He feels like we deserve it because we started this mess. We guided it; we’re the ones who had the connections that got the record deal with David Geffen, and we wrote most of the hit songs. We felt like, and still feel like, we are the leaders of this band. Although we certainly do listen to the opinions of the other guys. We all seem to be able to reach a consensus these days and go forward.

The thing about bands is you have to have leaders in a band. Everybody can’t be on equal footing. It’s like a football team. Somebody’s got to be the quarterback. Somebody’s got to snap the ball; somebody’s got to run with the ball; somebody’s got to block. If people play their positions and strengths, everything turns out well. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. We always understood that; some of the other people apparently didn’t understand that.”

So, Don Henley believes that every band needs a leader because everyone has different responsibilities to take care of. Considering his and Glenn Frey’s sacrifices for the good of the Eagles, Henley said it’s no wonder they got the bigger share of the cake, although Don Felder disagreed. On the other hand, Glenn never hesitated to express his gratitude for working with Henley, as they wouldn’t have love songs and harmonies without him.