Eagles Co-Founder Bernie Leadon Debuts First New Song in Years

Bernie Leadon, the multi-instrumentalist and founding member of the Eagles, has re-emerged with “Too Many Memories,” marking his first release in over 20 years. The new track dropped last month alongside a poignant music video featuring a montage of vintage photos from Leadon’s early career—images that serve as both a visual memoir and an emotional companion to the song’s reflective tone.

“I dug out a bunch of old photos of my life and career for this video,” Leadon said in a press statement. “It was actually a lot of fun to go through.” The result is a sentimental journey that taps into the universal experience of revisiting the past—photos, songs, and stories that still carry emotional weight decades later.

“It’s not that we literally have too many memories,” Leadon explained. “It’s that some are unresolved—things we’ve left undone or unsaid.” The song ultimately encourages letting go of old burdens and embracing emotional closure: “Let them dissolve like the mist rising off a meadow in the early morning.”

A Legacy Beyond the Eagles

Leadon’s name is forever tied to the Eagles, the country-rock juggernaut he co-founded in 1971 with Glenn Frey, Don Henley, and Randy Meisner. Before the band’s meteoric rise, Leadon had already cut his teeth with influential acts like Dillard & Clark and the Flying Burrito Brothers—groups that helped lay the groundwork for the California country-rock sound.

Following his departure from the Eagles in 1975, Leadon carved out a quieter yet prolific career. His 2004 solo album Mirror was his last solo project before this new release, but during the interim, he remained active behind the scenes, contributing guitar, banjo, and mandolin work as a sought-after session musician. His credits read like a who’s who of American music, including collaborations with Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Stephen Stills, and Stevie Nicks.

A Quiet Return to the Spotlight

Despite stepping out of the limelight, Leadon never strayed far from music. He reunited with the Eagles for their History of the Eagles tour from 2013 to 2015, reconnecting with the band and fans alike. In 2016, he joined Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, and Jackson Browne at the Grammy Awards to pay tribute to the late Glenn Frey with a heartfelt performance of “Take It Easy.”

With “Too Many Memories,” Leadon doesn’t just offer new music—he offers perspective. It’s a meditation on the past, not with regret, but with quiet reverence. For an artist whose contributions helped define a generation, his return feels less like a comeback and more like a welcome continuation of a legacy still unfolding.