Randall Herman Meisner (March 8, 1946 – July 26, 2023) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and founding member of both Eagles and Poco. Throughout his professional musical career, both as group member and session musician, his main role was that of bassist and backing vocalist. He co-wrote and provided lead vocals on the Eagles' hit song "Take It to the Limit".

Randall Herman Meisner was born in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, on March 8, 1946, the second child and only son of farmers Herman (1911–1995) and Emilie (née Haun) Meisner (1911–2010). All four of Randy's grandparents were Volga German immigrants. He had an elder sister, Carol, who died in 2005. He recalled that his mother was always singing around the house. His maternal grandfather, George Haun, was a violin teacher.

The Meisner family grew corn, beans, alfalfa, and sugar beets on their farm. Randy developed an interest in the guitar at the age of 10, after seeing Elvis Presley perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. Randy began taking lessons and playing in local bands. While attending Scottsbluff High School, one of Randy's teachers suggested he take up the bass. "I loved R&B and the bass players on the Motown stuff were great. They really inspired me. I can't read music. Once I learn a part, it's there. My bass playing came real naturally."

Meisner played bass and sang with a local band named The Dynamics (later The Drivin' Dynamics) from 1961 to 1965. Their first paying job was performing in the dance hall at Little Moon Lake in Torrington, northeast of Cheyenne, Wyoming, in December 1961. They played there regularly through 1962. In late 1962, The Drivin' Dynamics released their first record, a four-song EP with Meisner singing lead vocals on Sam Cooke's "You Send Me". It was pressed locally with only 500 copies released. In August 1965, The Dynamics signed a record deal with Sully Records from Amarillo, north of Lubbock, Texas. They recorded three songs, with Meisner singing lead on two: "One Of These Days" and "So Fine". "So Fine" was released as a single, and sold well regionally and in the Southeastern U.S. Early in 1966, Meisner moved to California with a band named The Soul Survivors, later to be renamed The Poor (because, as Don Felder later said, "that is what they became").

It was a hardscrabble existence, as Meisner later recalled: "I never had a car, I had to walk. I sold the Los Angeles Free Press on Sunset and Highland. I made about five bucks a day." The Poor was managed by Charlie Greene and Brian Stone, who also managed Buffalo Springfield and Sonny & Cher. The band released several singles on Loma Records, York, and Decca Records in 1966 and 1967 with limited success. Loma was a subsidiary of Warner Bros. and had offices in the same building. In February 1967, The Poor recorded "She's Got the Time, She's Got the Changes", written by Tom Shipley (later of Brewer & Shipley fame) while he was a staff writer for A&M Records. Three of the singles were produced by Barry Friedman (a.k.a. "Frazier Mohawk") and recorded at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood. The band performed on "Study in Motion #1", which was featured in the 1967 Jack Nicholson film Hell's Angels on Wheels.

In the summer of 1967, The Poor was booked for two weeks at the Salvation Club in New York City opening for The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Although the band did get to play a few times, it was not the opportunity its members had hoped it would be; they had to threaten their management in order to get money for plane tickets back to Los Angeles. Rev-Ola released a CD of The Poor's music in 2003, which included one song written by Meisner, "Come Back Baby".

In May 1968, after having auditioned with Timothy B. Schmit, Meisner joined Poco (originally named Pogo) with Rusty Young, and former Buffalo Springfield members Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Meisner appears on the group's first album, Pickin' Up the Pieces, but quit the band shortly before the record was released. His exit was the result of his anger at being excluded from participation in the final mix playback sessions for the album; only Messina and Furay were to be involved in completing production. His image was removed from the painting on the album's cover and replaced with a dog. His bass parts and backing vocals were left in the final mix, but his lead vocals were removed and new versions were sung by George Grantham.

In April 1969, Meisner joined Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band, and persuaded Nelson and producer John Boylan to hire his former bandmates from The Poor, Allen Kemp (guitar) and Pat Shanahan (drums). The pedal steel guitarist Tom Brumley, previously of Buck Owens' band, completed the group. Meisner appears on In Concert at the Troubadour, 1969 and Rudy The Fifth. He is also featured in Easy to Be Free, a documentary of the Stone Canyon Band's 1969 tour, directed by Rick Nelson's brother David. The film was eventually broadcast on U.S. television in 1973. Meisner co-produced In Concert at the Troubadour with Rick Nelson. Although he did not perform on Nelson's Garden Party, he did co-author one of the album's tracks, "I Wanna Be With You". Meisner continued to support himself as a session performer, playing bass on two tracks of James Taylor's Sweet Baby James album ("Country Road" and "Blossom"), recorded in December 1969. In the same month, he played bass on several tracks for Waylon Jennings' 1970 album Singer of Sad Songs, recorded at RCA Victor Studio in Hollywood.