Portrait of Don Henley

Birthday profile

Don Henley

Don Henley, American singer-songwriter and drummer

Born
July 22, 1947
Age in 2026
79
Zodiac sign
Cancer
Birth year
1947

About Don Henley

Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He is a founding member of the Eagles, serving as a songwriter, drummer, and vocalist for the band. Henley sang lead vocals on Eagles songs such as "Witchy Woman", "Desperado", "Best of My Love", "One of These Nights", "Hotel California", "Life in the Fast Lane", and "The Long Run". The Eagles disbanded in 1980, but reunited in 1994. Following the death of co-founder Glenn Frey in 2016, Henley became the Eagles' only remaining consistent founding member. After the Eagles' 1980 breakup, Henley pursued a solo career and released his debut studio album I Can't Stand Still in 1982. As a solo artist, he has released five studio albums, two compilation albums, and one live DVD. Henley's notable solo tracks include "Dirty Laundry", "The Boys of Summer", "All She Wants to Do Is Dance", "Not Enough Love in the World", "Sunset Grill", "New York Minute", "The End of the Innocence", "The Last Worthless Evening", "The Heart of the Matter", and "Taking You Home". The Eagles have sold over 150 million albums worldwide; won six Grammy Awards; and charted five number one singles, 17 top 40 singles, and six number one albums. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and is the highest-selling American band in history. As a solo artist, Henley has sold over 10 million albums worldwide, had eight top 40 singles, and won two Grammy Awards and five MTV Video Music Awards. In 2008, he was ranked as the 87th-greatest singer of all time by Rolling Stone. Henley has also played a founding role in several environmental and political causes, including the Walden Woods Project. They changed their name to Shiloh and recorded a few songs for Rogers, and "Jennifer (O' My Lady)" was released as their first single. The band members then became Henley, Richard Bowden and his cousin Michael Bowden, Al Perkins and Jim Ed Norman. Henley is a founding member of the Eagles, serving as a songwriter, drummer, and vocalist for the band.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when Don Henley was born

Don Henley was born in 1947. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1947

  • #1 song"Near You" – Francis Craig
  • Top movieMiracle on 34th Street
  • Top TV showHowdy Doody
  • Best-selling bookThe Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentJackie Robinson breaks baseball's color barrier
  • Top headlineJackie Robinson breaks Major League Baseball's color barrier
  • Technology milestoneTransistor invented at Bell Labs
  • Defining fadFlying saucer mania
  • Notable inventionPolaroid instant camera
  • World population2.47 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderHarry S. Truman
  • Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
  • Also wonPhiladelphia Warriors (BAA)
  • U.S. population144.1M

1947 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Don Henley's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19472026
Gas$0.23$3.45/gal
Average home$7,800$435,000
Average income$4,700$67,500
Minimum wage$0.40$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.40$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population144.1M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, MusicBrainz. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.