Joe Walsh's recruitment into the Eagles began not with a formal audition but with a series of impromptu on-stage appearances during the band's 1975 tour for One of These Nights, according to accounts from co-founder Glenn Frey. With guitarist Bernie Leadon growing increasingly at odds with the band's direction and reportedly showing disrespect towards Frey backstage, the group was already considering a shift away from its country-rock roots towards a harder sound.

Walsh, who had already established himself as a solo star following the break-up of the James Gang, would join the Eagles for encores during the tour, emerging to play his hit "Rocky Mountain Way" on his Les Paul guitar. Frey later recalled watching these performances and repeatedly thinking "Joe Walsh over Bernie Leadon". The band's interest in Walsh had also been shaped by his 1973 album The Smoker You Drink The Player You Get, which influenced the sound they wanted after growing frustrated with earlier records. Following the tour, Leadon departed and Walsh officially joined, going on to contribute to the era-defining Hotel California album while continuing his solo career alongside the band.