It was 7 p.m. on February 9, 1964, in Linden, Texas, and the thermometer read a crisp 56 °F. Sixteen-year-old Don Henley flipped on the television just in time to see The Beatles launch into “All My Loving.” In that moment, a spark ignited—music became his destiny.

Don Henley: The Biography offers you an exclusive backstage pass to fifty years of that journey and the man at its center.

Inside, you will discover:

• Never-before-seen moments from Linden living rooms where Henley and his Shiloh bandmate Richard Bowden first jammed, all the way to the earliest Eagles rehearsals with Glenn Frey

• Scandals and personal loss laid bare, from his arrest over underage drugs to the horror of witnessing his best friend and first bandmate Jerry Surratt’s gruesome accident, followed by his father’s heart attack in 1972

• The true origins of two legendary anthems: how the Eagles made “Desperado” a nationwide classic and how Henley’s solo “The Boys of Summer” captured a generation

• Insider perspectives from music historian Harvey Kubernik and session guitarist Al Perkins, plus more remarkable names to be revealed soon

Whether you’ve sung “Hotel California” at every karaoke bar or you’re just discovering Don Henley’s voice, this is your chance to experience every creative breakthrough, every setback, and every triumphant chorus as if you were there.

Charlotte journalist Colin Cerniglia, who first saw Henley live in 2003, brings you this unauthorized, independently published deep dive on July 22, 2027—Henley’s 80th birthday.

Bookmark this page or subscribe to Colin’s Substack now for exclusive excerpts, behind-the-scenes visuals, and the latest updates on the definitive account of a rock legend.