Randy Meisner Net Worth - Pulptastic

What is Randy Meisner’s Net Worth?

Randy Meisner, an American musician and songwriter, has a net worth of $15 million dollars. He began his musical career with a local band in Nebraska before moving to California in the mid-60s to play with The Poor. Later, he joined Poco and achieved moderate success. After working as a session musician, he returned to Nebraska.

In the early 70s, he returned to Los Angeles and joined Linda Ronstadt’s band. It was then that he, Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Bernie Leadon formed the Eagles in 1971. The Eagles became an incredibly successful band, with Meisner performing with them for their first six years.

During his time with the Eagles, Meisner recorded and wrote some of their most popular songs. After leaving the band, he returned to Nebraska to be with his family. He has since enjoyed a moderately successful solo career.

Randy Meisner: Early Life and Musical Interests

Randy Meisner was born on March 8, 1946 in Scottsbluff, Nebraska to Herman and Emilie Meisner. His family worked as farmers on a family farm, growing crops like corn, beans, alfalfa, and sugar beets. Meisner and his older sister, Emilie, helped their parents on the farm during their youth.

Meisner became interested in the guitar when he was ten years old and began taking lessons. He later played in local bands and developed a love for R&B and Motown music. One of his teachers at Scottsbluff High School suggested that he switch to bass, which Meisner found easy to do since he could often just make up bass parts when accompanying other musicians.

Randy Meisner’s Early Music Career

Randy Meisner started his music career as a part of the local band, The Dynamics, from 1961 until 1965. He sang lead vocals on their first record, a 4-song EP, released in 1962. The band signed a record deal with Sully Records out of Amarillo Texas in 1965.

Meisner then moved to California and joined a band named The Soul Survivors, which was later renamed The Poor. The band struggled to make a living and experienced some success when they opened for The Jimi Hendrix Experience in New York City. In May of 1968, Meisner briefly joined the group Poco but left before the group released their first album. The next year, he joined Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band and appeared on a number of their tracks and albums before leaving after a tour with them in Europe in 1970.

Meisner started working at a tractor dealership in Nebraska but was convinced to return to Los Angeles after a year to continue his music career.

Randy Meisner’s Time in the Eagles

Randy Meisner made a wise decision to join the Eagles in 1971, becoming the band’s bass player and backing vocalist. The Eagles went on to become one of the most iconic rock bands of the time, producing six number-one albums and winning numerous awards. Meisner’s time in the band was sometimes troubled, as he faced challenges balancing his time with the band and his family, and he became sick during a rigorous touring schedule. After an altercation with Glenn Frey, Meisner was frozen out of the band and eventually quit in 1977 due to exhaustion. He went on to release solo albums and tour with Randy Meisner & the Silverados, and was excluded from the Eagles’ 1994 comeback tour but did join them for their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1998. Meisner declined an invitation to join the band’s History of the Eagles tour in 2013 due to health issues.

Marriages and Tragedy

Randy Meisner was married twice. He married his high school girlfriend, Jennifer Lee Barton, in 1963 and they had three children together. The couple divorced in 1981 after almost 20 years of marriage.

Meisner then began dating Lana Rae, whom he married in 1996 after 12 years of dating. However, the circumstances surrounding the last few years of their marriage and Lana Rae’s death in 2016 were strange.

Meisner had struggled with alcoholism throughout his time with the Eagles and his mental and physical health deteriorated after he left the group. Rumors circulated that Lana Rae was taking advantage of Meisner and encouraging him to drink in order to keep him drunk and unaware of his financial circumstances. A friend of Meisner’s even filed paperwork requesting that he be placed under a court-supervised conservatorship, which was denied.

In March of 2016, police responded to Meisner and Lana Rae’s home after Lana Rae accidentally shot and killed herself while moving a rifle. Meisner was in another part of the house at the time and was placed under psychiatric hold due to his previous mental health issues.