Glenn Frey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Glenn Frey | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Glenn Lewis Frey |
| Born | November 6, 1948 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Country rock, Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, Songwriter, Actor |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards |
| Years active | 1968-present |
| Label(s) | Asylum, MCA |
| Associated acts | Eagles |
Glenn Lewis Frey (born November 6, 1948 in Detroit, Michigan[1]) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as one of the founding members of rock band Eagles.
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[edit] 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 Roberts (later replaced by Lenny Mintz) on drums and Doug Gunsch and Bill Barnes on guitar.
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. 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.
[edit] 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", "Already Gone", "Tequila Sunrise", "Lyin' Eyes", "New Kid in Town" and "Heartache Tonight".
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.
[edit] 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.
In the late 1990s, Frey founded a record company with attorney Peter Lopez called Mission Records.
[edit] 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 also was 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.
[edit] 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".
[edit] References in pop culture
Cameron Crowe, who interviewed the Eagles on the road when he was a teenager, has stated that the character of Russell, the lead guitar player from his film Almost Famous, was based primarily upon Glenn Frey. The instruction Russell gives to Crowe's autobiographical young critic William Miller, to "Just make us look cool," was apparently a direct quote from Frey.
In the television show Corner Gas, in the episode "Hook, Line and Sinker", the characters are putting up a sign outside the gas station. Brent says he was careful in choosing letters that could not be rearranged to spell something crazy. Wanda asks what it is. Brent says "Come for the oil change, stay for the grease." and soon after, Wanda says "Choose Glenn Frey for a menage à trois."
There is a Saturday Night Live short, called The H(eat) Is O(n), by Adam McKay, in which a character named Wes, played by Ben Stiller has a one night stand with Glenn Frey (played by Will Ferrell). Over the course of the evening, Glenn reveals his penchant for aggressive sex play, leaving Wes very upset.
The Randy Stonehill song Teen King is about Glenn Frey's experiences as a rock star.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- 1982 No Fun Aloud #32 US
- 1984 The Allnighter #22 US, #31 UK
- 1988 Soul Searchin' #36 US
- 1992 Strange Weather
- 1993 Glenn Frey Live In Dublin
- 1995 Solo Collection (compilation)
- 2000 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Glenn Frey (compilation)
[edit] Singles
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 | US Mainstream Rock | US AC | CAN Singles | UK | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | "I Found Somebody" | 31 | 57 | 25 | - | - | No Fun Aloud |
| 1982 | "The One You Love" | 15 | - | 2 | 12 | - | No Fun Aloud |
| 1982 | "Don't Give Up" | - | 25 | - | - | - | No Fun Aloud |
| 1982 | "Partytown" | - | 5 | - | - | - | No Fun Aloud |
| 1983 | "All Those Lies" | 41 | - | 28 | - | - | No Fun Aloud |
| 1984 | "Sexy Girl" | 20 | - | 23 | 48 | 81 | The Allnighter |
| 1984 | "The All Nighter" | 54 | - | - | - | - | The Allnighter |
| 1985 | "The Heat Is On" | 2 | - | - | 8 | 12 | Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack |
| 1985 | "Smuggler's Blues" | 12 | 13 | - | 37 | 22 | Miami Vice soundtrack / The Allnighter |
| 1985 | "You Belong to the City" | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 94 | Miami Vice soundtrack |
| 1988 | "True Love" | 13 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 84 | Soul Searchin' |
| 1988 | "Livin' Right" | 90 | - | 22 | - | - | Soul Searchin' |
| 1988 | "Soul Searchin'" | - | - | 5 | - | - | Soul Searchin' |
| 1991 | "Part Of Me, Part Of You" | 55 | 9 | - | 9 | - | Thelma and Louise Soundtrack / Strange Weather |
| 1992 | "I've Got Mine" | 91 | - | 12 | 18 | - | Strange Weather |
| 1992 | "River Of Dreams" | - | - | 27 | 57 | - | Strange Weather |
| 1995 | "This Way to Happiness" | - | - | - | 54 | - | The Solo Collection |
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- The popular track "The Heat Is On" (from Beverly Hills Cop) was ranked 784th out of 2006 songs by voting featured in the Triple M Essential 2006 Countdown.
- 'The Heat is On' is Ottawa Senators star forward Dany Heatley's goal song.
- 'The Heat is On' is the song played when the Omaha Lancers junior hockey team scores, and 'Partytown' is played at Waterloo Black Hawks games when the home team scores. Both teams play in the United States Hockey League. During the mid-to-late 80s, it was also played at New York Mets home games following a home run by a Mets player.
- 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.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Glenn Frey at the Internet Movie Database
- Glenn Frey at TV.com
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