Tracking the Eagles’ Album On the Border and the Band’s First #1 Single
On this date in rock-and-roll history, the legendary band EAGLES landed its first #1 single — thanks in part to a Kalamazoo, Michigan DJ with an ear for a hit and the dedication to push it to the top.
- March 22, 1974 — Elektra-Asylum releases On the Border the third studio album by the Eagles.
- April 19, 1974 — “Already Gone” becomes the first single released from On the Border album.
- May 13, 1974 — On the Border hits WKMI’s Big 30 weekly music survey.
- June 10, 1974 — On the Border becomes a featured album on WKMI’s Big 30 weekly music survey.
- June 29, 1974 — “Already Gone” peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at #32. It spent three weeks on the American Top 40 with a total of 15 weeks on the chart.
- August 5, 1974 — “Best of My Love” is listed as “Hit Bound” on WKMI’s Big 30 weekly music survey, introduced by DJ Jim Higgs.
- August 9, 1974 — “Best of My Love” ranks #22 on the WKMI Big 30 weekly music survey.
- August 14, 1974 — “James Dean” becomes the second single released from On the Border album.
- August 15, 1974 — “Best of My Love” moves up to #15 on the WKMI Big 30 weekly music survey.
- August 26, 1974 — “Best of My Love” moves up to #3 on the WKMI Big 30 weekly music survey.
- September 2, 1974 — “Best of my Love” moves up to #2 on the WKMI Big 30 weekly music survey, where it stays for 2 weeks.
- September 15, 1974 — “James Dean” enters the Billboard Hot 100 chart at #93.
- September 16, 1974 — “Best of My Love” hits #1 on the WKMI Big 30 weekly music survey, where it stays for 2 weeks.
- October 6, 1987 — “James Dean” peaks at #77 for one week, with 5 total weeks on the charts.
- November 5, 1974 — At the urging of WKMI DJ Jim Higgs, Elektra-Asylum released “Best of My Love” as the third single from On the Border album.
- November 30, 1974 — “Best of My Love” enters the Billboard Hot 100 chart at #83. The next week it moved up to #72 and then #61, breaking into the Top 40 (at #40) on December 28, 1974.
- December 1974 — “Best of My Love” is named #5 of the 136 best songs of 1974 by WKMI.
- February 1, 1975 — “Best of My Love” hits the Top 10 (coming in at #9). It continues to move up throughout the month of February: #5 (February 8), #3 (February 15) and #2 (February 22).
- March 1, 1975 — After a 14 week climb, “Best of My Love” becomes the Eagles first #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The single spent a total of 19 weeks on the Hot 100 leaving the list with a #59 ranking on April 5, 1975. On the Border ranks #17 on the charts, selling two million copies.
Later in 1975, Elektra-Asylum executives Rip Pelley and Burt Stein present Jim Higgs with a framed copy of the On the Border album – autographed by all the then band members.
Fast forward to March 2014…when Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids announces that the Eagles will be performing in concert as part of its “The History of the Eagles” tour on Monday, September 8. Jim Higgs – still working on-air after more than 50 years – and his family are invited to attend the concert (arranged by Burt Stein, noted above). The story about Jim’s involvement in the band’s first #1 hit, which was known to family and a few friends, became local news when Mlive reported on the story.
The night of the show, Higgs and his family arrive at Van Andel Arena and are soon ushered backstage where they spend about 15 minutes talking with members of the band – Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit and Joe Walsh. After a series of photos, and delaying the start of the show slightly, the Higgs family found their seats to enjoy the show. The backstage meet-and-greet left an impact on the band, at least Michigan-born Frey, who shared details with the 12,000-plus concertgoers.
Sixteen months later, when band co-founder and guitarist Frey passed away at the age of 67, the local connection story resurfaced with local media outlets reaching out to Higgs for his reaction.
Glenn Frey mourned by Michigan DJ recognized by The Eagles
Later that summer, Rolling Stone released “Eagles – The Ultimate Guide” where the story about the band’s first #1 made the national scene.
“Best of My Love” became a hit after a DJ in the Midwest started playing it and the song took off. How surprised were you that it took that route to success?
Don Henley: We had more or less given up hope for the success of the On the Border album, and we’d begun work on the next album. So, when “The Best of My Love” took off, it was like a resurrection, a miracle. Totally unexpected. On our last tour – the History of the Eagles Tour – we tracked down that DJ, Jim Higgs (who had broken the song at station WKMI in Kalamazoo, Michigan), and we invited him to our show in Grand Rapids. His daughter brought him, and we had a nice visit backstage, thanked him for his early support and took some photographs. It was a sweet moment, and I’m glad we got the chance to acknowledge him in person. He wasn’t expecting it, and I think it made him very happy.
That gesture and the overall concert itself left a lasting impression on Higgs and his entire family. It is included in the 2025 book Kalamazoo County Characters written by his daughter, Dianna Higgs Stampfler. The father-daughter duo worked on the book together, their last research and writing project, before Higgs passed away on May 5, 2024. The book was released in January 2025 from The History Press.
Thank you to Carol (Clarke) Stamm for help in creating the timeline for this story.