Dominic Ng: We have been friends for more than 20 years! One of my fondest memories is working together on the benefit concert for Katrina hurricane victims in 2006. How did that impact you?

Don Felder: I have to thank you because you’re the reason I have a solo career. You called me one day right after Hurricane Katrina and said, “We have to do something to help these people.” You brought in sponsorship from East West Bank and got the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. I put together the talent line-up, and together we created “Don Felder and Friends Rock Cerritos for Katrina.” We had Cheech Marin hosting and performers including me, Dennis Quaid, Alice Cooper, Stephen Stills, David Foster, Tré Cool (Green Day) and Karen Han. I had to put together my first solo band to play that show. It was a great experience that raised $157,000 for the American Red Cross and Salvation Army.

Dominic Ng: You’ve made a lot of amazing friends over the years and done other collaborations and charity work. On your album American Rock ‘n’ Roll, you have many legendary musicians. How do you approach these types of collaborations?

Don Felder: I wrote this album over 20 months. It was a labor of love! When I invited all of these brilliant musician friends to collaborate on the album, including Sammy Hagar, Slash, Richie Sambora, Peter Frampton and Mick Fleetwood, it was because we had something in common. We were all influenced by Woodstock. I was one of the 400,000 people to be there live, and rock just exploded on the scene! Slash and I have known each other for many years and we’ve done charity work together, so that was another easy choice that factored into my collaborations.

Dominic Ng: Yes! I have certainly met people around the world who love the song and know the lyrics. As Chair of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council (ABAC), I was thrilled to have you perform “Hotel California” among your other gems at our Host Year extravaganza. What was special about performing it this time?

Don Felder: It was an honor to be asked! The Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco is a gorgeous, historic California landmark and was the perfect venue. It was fantastic to perform for the hundreds of delegates who traveled from the Asia Pacific region, and to see them singing and dancing after days of economic talks. We had this tremendous harmonious gathering, and I think everyone left with a unique California memory to take home with them.

Dominic Ng: You also helped us celebrate our 50^th anniversary last year at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. We had special musical guests and instruments. What was it like to hear your music played on the erhu?

Don Felder: Thank you, Dominic, for inviting me! I had the honor of being a surprise guest and performing “Hotel California.” It was also great to follow a set that featured “In the Joy,” that you commissioned for East West’s 50^th anniversary. What a creative way to bridge the East and West with performers like Singaporean pop star JJ Lin singing, and Karen Han on the erhu instrument. On that open air terrace, inside that big glass dome, with the Hollywood Hills as the backdrop—I think the entire city could hear us jamming that night!