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TL;DR:

  • Joe Walsh became Ringo Starr’s brother-in-law in 2008.
  • Ringo Starr was surprised to learn that Joe Walsh mastered a George Harrison guitar solo.
  • Joe Walsh later asked himself what George Harrison would do on a different song.
Joe Walsh wears a striped shirt and plays guitar. George Harrison wears a black jacket and plays guitar.
Joe Walsh and George Harrison | Michael Putland/Getty Images; Pete Still/Redferns

When Joe Walsh met Ringo Starr, he eagerly told the drummer a story about a challenging George Harrison guitar solo he’d mastered. He was a fan of The Beatles and worked hard to learn the impressive guitar part. Starr was surprised when Walsh told him this. According to him, not even Harrison had been able to play it. Walsh wondered if he was the only person who could actually play the solo.

The Eagles guitarist and the Beatles drummer married into the same family

In 1981, Starr married his second wife, Barbara Bach. He’d been friends with Walsh for years, and they collaborated in the All-Starr Band. In 2008, they became family when Walsh married Marjorie Bach, Barbara’s sister. Walsh appreciated the family’s warmth and closeness.

“My wife was the part of me that was missing,” Walsh told The Chicago Tribune in 2012. “And I got that whole family that came along with her in the deal. It’s an extended family, and they’re very close, and it’s a dynamic that’s never been around me before. I’ve been pretty much all alone, or isolating heavily, in the dark days.”

Joe Walsh spent a long time learning a George Harrison guitar solo

Long before he became Starr’s brother-in-law, Walsh played in bands at Kent State. He showed impressive promise before he was famous, a fact proven by his mastery of Harrison’s guitar solo in The Beatles’ song “And Your Bird Can Sing.”

When he met Starr in the 1970s, he told him he’d mastered the solo. Starr was stunned that Walsh had actually been able to play it. As it turned out, the complex solo was a result of a bit of studio magic.

“Nah, nah, nah — he played it twice,” Starr told Walsh. “It’s two notes playing together!”

According to The Beatles drummer, Harrison played two guitar parts separately and laid them on top of each other in the studio.

“I think I’m the only guy who can play it — including George,” Walsh said.

Joe Walsh said he tried to channel George Harrison on a Ringo Starr song

In 2019, Walsh featured on Starr’s 20th studio album, What’s My Name. He played on a version of the John Lennon song “Grow Old With Me,” which also features Paul McCartney on bass. For the mini Beatles reunion, Walsh said he tried to channel Harrison.

“Oh boy, that was great,” Walsh told Billboard. “It sounds just like the Beatles. At first I didn’t know what to do, but I think I really nailed it, and I’m so proud of it. I just thought, ‘What would George (Harrison) do?’ and went with that. It’s a real honor and privilege to be on song like that.”

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