Remembering Glenn Frey

Glenn Frey

Those of us who grew up on the radio hits of the Baby Boomer era are mourning the loss of yet another great voice.  So far in 2016, we’ve lost Natalie Cole, David Bowie, and now Glenn Frey. You could put together a pretty good radio station with those artists alone.

Last December, Eagles, the supergroup Frey co-founded in the early 1970s, was scheduled to be among the honorees at the annual Kennedy Center program.  Just before the show, it was announced that the group would be unable to participate due to the illness of a group member, and their tribute would take place in 2016.  Sadly, we now know the ailing group member was Frey, and a combination of illnesses took him from us today.

Glenn Frey, 1993

Many of us remember Frey and Joe Walsh on Saturday June 26, 1993, the final night of that year’s Riverbend Festival, appearing as part of their “Party of Two” tour.  Big crowd, big fireworks, big hits.

“Well I’m runnin’ down the road, tryin’ to loosen my load, I’ve got seven women on my mind.”  Jackson Browne wrote the words, but Glenn’s laid-back, good ol’ boy delivery influenced us all to Take It Easy.  They’ve even named a park in Winslow, Arizona in honor of this song.  “Such a fine sight to see.”

I have three favorite Glenn Frey songs, and this one, their very first hit from 1972 leads off my list.

Back in 1975, “Lyin’ Eyes” was released as a single off the “One of These Nights” album, and Elektra Records edited the song down to about three minutes.  I was music director at WFLI at the time, and I refused to play that short version, like our competitors did.  The album version was well over six minutes, and most radio stations frowned on playing long songs (you could squeeze in more commercials with short songs).  Still, I got away with it, and when we’d play the full version of “Lyin’ Eyes,” we’d always make some wise comment like, “WFLI, where you hear the REAL version of Lyin’ Eyes.”  I was proud to play it then, and I’m glad most stations play the long version today.  It’s my second favorite Glenn Frey lead vocal.

There are many other Glenn Frey songs that will be around forever.  With Eagles, he sang lead on “Tequila Sunrise,” “Heartache Tonight,” and “New Kid in Town,” to name a few, and as a solo artist, “The Heat Is On” is another favorite.  With the gravel-voiced Don Henley, Eagles had a great one-two punch of vocal styles.  Here is the heartfelt statement Henley wrote after learning of his partner’s death:

“He was like a brother to me; we were family, and like most families, there was some dysfunction. But, the bond we forged 45 years ago was never broken, even during the 14 years that the Eagles were dissolved. We were two young men who made the pilgrimage to Los Angeles with the same dream: to make our mark in the music industry — and with perseverance, a deep love of music, our alliance with other great musicians and our manager, Irving Azoff, we built something that has lasted longer than anyone could have dreamed.  

“But, Glenn was the one who started it all. He was the spark plug, the man with the plan. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of popular music and a work ethic that wouldn’t quit. He was funny, bullheaded, mercurial, generous, deeply talented and driven. He loved his wife and kids more than anything.  

“We are all in a state of shock, disbelief and profound sorrow. We brought our two-year ‘History of the Eagles Tour’ to a triumphant close at the end of July and now he is gone. I’m not sure I believe in fate, but I know that crossing paths with Glenn Lewis Frey in 1970 changed my life forever, and it eventually had an impact on the lives of millions of other people all over the planet. It will be very strange going forward in a world without him in it. But, I will be grateful, every day, that he was in my life.

“Rest in peace, my brother. You did what you set out to do, and then some.”

It’s hard to pick a favorite Glenn Frey song, but “Peaceful Easy Feeling” is hard to beat.  Eagles sold more albums than anybody in the 1970s, and Glenn Frey’s musicianship and voice are among the main reasons.  RIP to one of the great voices of the top-40 era.