For more than forty years, Joe Vitale has been pursuing a very successful career as a multi-instrumentalist, specifically as a drummer. Vitale has played for various legendary bands and musicians such as CSNY, John Envistle, Ted Nugent, and Joe Walsh, who widely appreciated his skills.
Vitale’s professional career started when he joined The Chylds. However, he gained fame and popularity after Ted Nugent hired him to play the drums in The Amboy Dukes in 1971. As a part of the band’s late summer line-up, Vitale recorded a few demos, but they weren’t released. Vitale left The Amboy Dukes to join The Eagles icon Joe Walsh’s new band.
What Was Ted Nugent’s Reaction After Joe Walsh Hired His Drummer?
Joe Walsh and Joe Vitale were classmates at Kent State University. In one of the shows in which Vitale was playing for Ted Nugent, Walsh approached his longtime friend, who offered him to join his new band Barnstorm. Vitale was so happy and excited about this offer that he immediately left The Amboy Dukes and became Barnstorm’s drummer.
Vitale stated that Ted Nugent’s reaction was very positive, as he gave the pair his blessing, and he even told them that it would be great to see them playing together. Thus, Nugent wasn’t angry at Joe Walsh for hiring his drummer. Fortunately, it didn’t turn into a feud thanks to Nugent’s positive approach to his former drummer Vitale’s choice.
Vitale recalled these times saying:
“After the show, Joe said, ‘Let’s hang. Come over to my room…’ He said that he was going to do something different, and he wanted me to play drums in it. Ted was really sweet about it. He was so nice. He gave us his blessing and said, ‘Listen, you guys should be in a band together.'”
Later, even though Barnstorm disbanded in 1971, Vitale and Walsh continued to play together in The Eagles as Vitale became the band’s touring drummer. Therefore, Barnstorm was the beginning of a longtime partnership between former The Amboy Dukes drummer Joe Vitale and The Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh.
