Just 8 days after the death of iconic rocker David Bowie, the classic rock world has taken another blow. Glenn Frey, founding member of The Eagles, died today in New York from a combination of complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis, and pneumonia. He was 67.
While The Eagles are loved across the planet, I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Glen Frey, knowing that – to me – he’s a local boy done good. He, too, grew up in suburban Detroit, graduating from Royal Oak Dondero, were a couple of my cousins also went to school. Frey got his first taste of recording music at the age of 19 when in 1968 he played backing guitar and sang backing vocals on the early Bob Seger hit, “Rambling, Gambling Man.”
Encouraged by Seger to write his own songs, Frey moved to Los Angeles shortly afterward. He had a friend in the music business who was dating J.D. Souther, and that started the ball rolling to what would eventually land him in The Eagles, one of the super groups of the 1970’s. Before The Eagles came together, Frey and Don Henley would serve a stint in the back up band for Linda Ronstadt.
The Frey-Henley writing combination became prolific, producing huge-selling albums and hits in the 70’s. Frey wrote or co-wrote most of their hits with Henley. The list of songs that Frey wrote and sang lead vocals on includes: Already Gone, Heartache Tonight, Lyin’ Eyes, Take it Easy, Peaceful, Easy Feeling, Tequila Sunrise, James Dean, How Long and New Kid in Town.
After The Eagles broke up in 1980, Frey had some success as a solo artist. The Heat is On, You Belong to the City and Smuggler’s Blues highlight his list of solo hits. Then, in 1994, The Eagles re-united for the Hell Freezes Over album and tour.
Back in December, The Eagles were scheduled to be honored at the Kennedy Center Awards show in Washington, D.C., but Frey’s health issues would not allow him to travel. The honor was to happen in 2016. The Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. They won six Grammy Award and sold over 120 million albums world wide.
Let’s hope this “celebrity deaths come in three’s” thing ends right now.
Doc Watson
