On this day (November 6) in 1948, Glenn Frey was born in Detroit, Michigan. He is best remembered as one of the founding members of the Eagles. However, he played in several bands before moving from Michigan to California. Additionally, while the Eagles were on their long hiatus, he launched a solo career and scored several hit singles. Frey was also a longtime friend of Bob Seger. They wrote and recorded together, and Frey almost joined his band, but his mother wouldn’t let him.
Frey learned to play piano and guitar as a child. As a teen, he became part of the Detroit rock scene, playing in bands like the Subterraneans, The Four of Us, and the Mushrooms. In the late 1960s, he met Bob Seger, who helped him get a management deal and recording contract. Additionally, Seger invited him to join his band. However, Frey’s mother and Seger’s manager put a stop to it.
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“We met around Detroit when he was 17 or 18, and I was 20 or 21. He had long hair, was really hippie-ed out,” Seger told Rolling Stone. “He brought me home to his house in 1967, and we played Jimi Hendrix’s Are You Experienced. At the end, we looked at each other and said, ‘Are we out of a job?’ His mom caught us smoking pot together,” he added. As a result, Mrs. Frey wasn’t keen on the pair hanging out.
That made things difficult, but they continued trying to build a band. Then, Seger’s manager, Punch Andrews, weighed in. “You’ll never make it–you’re both too headstrong. It’s better you’re in separate bands,” he told Seger.
Glenn Frey Moves to California
Glenn Frey landed in Los Angeles almost by accident. He initially planned to travel to Mexico, buy some drugs, and visit a girlfriend who had moved to the West Coast. “The whole vibe of L.A. hit me right off. The first day I got to L.A., I saw David Crosby sitting on the steps of the Country Store in Laurel Canyon, wearing the same hat and green bat cape he had on for Turn! Turn! Turn!. I immediately met JD Souther, and we really hit it off,” he recalled. “It was definitely me and him against whatever else was going on.”
Souther and Frey soon began writing and playing songs together. Then, they formed the band Longbranch Pennywhistle. They inked a deal with Amos Records and released their self-titled album in 1969.
While spending time at the Troubadour, he met drummer Don Henley, who was also signed to Amos. When Linda Ronstadt’s manager, John Boylan, hired Frey to play in her backing band, he suggested Boylan also hire Henley. Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon were also members of Ronstadt’s band. While the lineup only played together once, during a gig at Disneyland, they knew they had something special.
The Eagles
Glenn Frey and Don Henley shared hotel rooms while on the road with Linda Ronstadt. Eventually, they decided to start a band. They brought Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner into the group. Soon, they were on their way to being one of the best-selling bands in history.
Frey wrote or co-wrote many of the band’s most memorable songs, including “Lyin’ Eyes,” “Tequila Sunrise,” “New Kid in Town,” “Take It Easy,” and “Heartache Tonight,” among others. He also sang lead vocals on several of the songs he wrote, including “Take It Easy,” “New Kid in Town,” and “Heartache Tonight.”
Frey was with the Eagles from their formation in 1971 to their breakup in 1980. After their 14-year hiatus ended in 1994, he came back to the band. He remained a member until he died in January 2016.
Glen Frey’s Solo Career
Glen Frey’s music career didn’t end when the Eagles split in 1980. Instead, he embarked on a solo career. He released his debut album, No Fun Aloud, in 1982. The LP’s first two singles–“I Found Somebody” and “The One You Love”–were top 40 hits. Two years later, he returned with The Allnighter, which produced the hits “Sexy Girl” and “Smuggler’s Blues.” The latter also appeared on the Miami Vice soundtrack. “You Belong to the City,” another single from the soundtrack went to No. 2, giving Frey his biggest solo hit.
In total, he released five solo albums. Two of those–Strange Weather and After Hours–dropped after the Eagles got back together.
Frey also appeared in several TV shows, including Miami Vice, Arliss, Nash Bridges, and Wiseguy. He made his big screen debut in 1986 in Let’s Get Harry. He also appeared in Jerry Maguire as the GM of the Arizona Cardinals.
“Don and I joke all the time now that the Eagles are recreation,” he said in 2008. “Our real job is being husbands and fathers. That’s the job that’s most demanding and most rewarding,” he added.
Featured Image by Richard McCaffrey/ Michael Ochs Archive/ Getty Images
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