|
|
|
|
Glenn Frey
|
| |
|
| |
Glenn Lewis Frey (born November 6, 1948 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as one of the founding members of the rock band Eagles.
ing up in Royal Oak, Michigan, Frey became part of the mid-1960s Detroit rock scene. One of his earliest bands was called the Mushrooms and included fellow Dondero High School students Doug Edwards (later replaced by Lenny Mintz) on drums, Doug Gunsch and Bill Barnes on guitar and Jeff Hodge on bass.
His first professional recording experience was performing acoustic guitar and background vocals on Bob Seger's Ramblin' Gamblin' Man in 1968.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Glenn Frey' Start a new discussion about 'Glenn Frey' Answer questions from other users |
Encyclopedia
Glenn Lewis Frey (born November 6, 1948 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as one of the founding members of the rock band Eagles.
Early life
Growing up in Royal Oak, Michigan, Frey became part of the mid-1960s Detroit rock scene. One of his earliest bands was called the Mushrooms and included fellow Dondero High School students Doug Edwards (later replaced by Lenny Mintz) on drums, Doug Gunsch and Bill Barnes on guitar and Jeff Hodge on bass.
His first professional recording experience was performing acoustic guitar and background vocals on Bob Seger's Ramblin' Gamblin' Man in 1968. Frey and Seger would remain friends and occasional songwriting partners in later years.
Frey then moved to Los Angeles to follow a girlfriend who was an aspiring singer. His first recording as a musical writer was while fronting Longbranch Pennywhistle, a duo with J. D. Souther, in 1969. Frey also met Jackson Browne there, with whom he would also write songs. The three shared an apartment for a short time.
Tenure with the Eagles
After a stint in 1971 backing Linda Ronstadt, Frey helped form the Eagles, playing guitar and keyboards. Frey wrote or co-wrote (often with Don Henley) many of the group's songs, and sang lead vocal on a number of Eagles hits including "Take It Easy", "Peaceful Easy Feeling", "Already Gone", "Tequila Sunrise", "Lyin' Eyes", "New Kid in Town", "Heartache Tonight", and "How Long".
The Eagles broke up in 1980 and reunited in 1994, when they released an album mixing both live tracks and four new songs, Hell Freezes Over.
2007 saw the release of the Eagles' album Long Road out of Eden.
Glenn Frey participated in the Eagles' The Long Road out of Eden Tour (2008-2009).
Solo career
After the Eagles disbanded, Frey found solo success in the 1980s, especially with two #2 hits: the soundtrack songs "The Heat Is On" (from Beverly Hills Cop) and "You Belong to the City" (from the television series Miami Vice, the soundtrack to which stayed on top of the U.S. album charts for 11 weeks in 1985). His other contribution to the soundtrack, "Smuggler's Blues", hit #12 on the Hot 100. Frey also contributed the song "Flip City" to the Ghostbusters II soundtrack, and "Part of Me, Part of You" to the soundtrack for Thelma and Louise.
During his solo career he had 12 songs in the U.S. Top One Hundred. Eleven of those were written with Jack Tempchin who also wrote Peaceful Easy Feeling.
In the late 1990s, Frey founded a record company with attorney Peter Lopez called Mission Records.
Acting career
As an actor on television, Frey guest starred on Miami Vice in an episode inspired by his hit song "Smuggler's Blues" and had a starring role in the "Dead Dog Arc" of Wiseguy. He was also the star of the short-lived South of Sunset, which was canceled after one episode. In the late-1990s, he guest starred on Nash Bridges as a policeman whose teenage daughter had run amok and gone on a crime spree with her sociopath boyfriend. In 2002, he appeared on HBO's Arli$$, playing a political candidate who double-crosses Arliss and must pay a high price for it.
Frey's first foray into film was his starring role in Let's Get Harry, a 1986 film about a group of plumbers who travel down to Colombia to rescue a friend from a drug lord. Frey's next film appearance was a smaller role in Cameron Crowe's third film, Jerry Maguire. Frey played the frugal owner of the Arizona Cardinals football team who, in the film's climax, finally agrees to pay Cuba Gooding's character, wide receiver Rod Tidwell, a large professional contract.
Commercial endorsements
Frey appeared in or wrote music for a few advertisement campaigns in the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s. This move was somewhat controversial within the music industry; Neil Young was especially vocal in his criticism of Frey.
Frey's first appearance as an actor in a commercial was for Pepsi with Miami Vice star Don Johnson. Another notable commercial campaign was the "Hard Rock in the 70s, Rock Hard in the 80s" gym campaign of 1988, which featured a photograph of a newly physically toned Frey contrasted with the famous Hotel California insert photograph. He even did a picture spread in Rolling Stone modeling ski wear, and a spread in Penthouse modeling sweaters.
Frey also contributed music for several commercials, with his jingle for Canada Dry ginger ale evolving into the obscure Japanese Strange Weather bonus track "Ain't It Love".
Discography
Studio albums
Compilation and specialty albums
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album |
|---|
| Hot 100 | Main Rock | US AC | CAN | UK |
|---|
| 1982 | "I Found Somebody" | 31 | 57 | 27 | — | — | No Fun Aloud | | "The One You Love" | 15 | — | 2 | 12 | — | | "Don't Give Up" | — | 25 | — | — | — | | "Partytown" | — | 5 | — | — | — | | 1983 | "All Those Lies" | 41 | — | 28 | — | — | | 1984 | "Sexy Girl" | 20 | — | 23 | 48 | 81 | The Allnighter | | "The All Nighter" | 54 | — | — | — | — | | "The Heat Is On" | 2 | 4 | — | 8 | 12 | Beverly Hills Cop
(soundtrack) | | 1985 | "Smuggler's Blues" | 12 | 13 | — | 37 | 22 | The Allnighter | | "You Belong to the City" | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 94 | Miami Vice
(soundtrack) | | 1988 | "True Love" | 13 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 84 | Soul Searchin | | "Soul Searchin'" | — | — | 5 | — | — | | 1989 | "Livin' Right" | 90 | — | 22 | — | — | | 1991 | "Part of Me, Part of You" | 55 | 9 | 7 | 9 | — | Strange Weather | | 1992 | "I've Got Mine" | 91 | — | 12 | 18 | — | | "River of Dreams" | — | — | 27 | 57 | — | | 1993 | "Love in the 21st Century" | 112 | — | — | — | — | | 1995 | "This Way to Happiness" | — | — | — | 54 | — | Soul Collection | |
Trivia
- "Partytown" is played at Waterloo Black Hawks games when the home team scores. The team plays in the United States Hockey League.
- Monday through Friday, KSHE95 in St. Louis, MO plays "Partytown" at 10:00 AM CST with Todd Rundgren's "Bang the Drum All Day" following right after.
External links
|
| |
|
|
