A tribute to Glenn Frey, 1948-2016

1948-2016

Yesterday, Don Henley confirmed that the Eagles' performance at the Grammy's last month was to be their last. At the ceremony, Henley was joined by Eagles members Bernie Leadon, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit, and singer Jackson Browne to perform what Henley described as "appropriate farewell" to the late, great Glenn Frey.

Although terrible sad news, I have to admit that this doesn't come as a surprise to me, at least for the time being. After seeing The Eagles in August 2014, I was blown away by their singing, their playing, and most of all, their sense of camaraderie. They played the hits chronologically, and as each member of the band came out onto the stage, they were greeted by their companions and the crowd like retired American football players at the Superbowl. And who was on the stage from the very beginning? Of course, it was Frey, who along with Henley founded The Eagles in 1970 after they met supporting Linda Ronstadt on tour.

To me, Frey represents classic, country Eagles. Although his name is on nearly all of the Eagles tracks, he is responsible for singing tracks including Take It Easy, Tequila Sunrise, Lyin' Eyes and Heartache Tonight. They stayed actively performing and producing until 1980, in which time Frey had hits in the pop world with song like You Belong To The City and The Heat is On, written for Miami Vice and Beverly Hills Cop respectively. The Eagles reformed in 1994 and carried on performing and touring for the next twenty two years.

Like most of us, I'm sure, I was completely unaware that since 2000, Frey had been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. The medication that he was taking led to further complications of colitis and pneumonia which later took his life whilst recovering from intestinal surgery.

The song I've chosen to record in tribute to Glenn Frey is Take It Easy, a track that is so upbeat, you can't help but feel better after hearing it. Jackson Browne originally wrote the song but found difficulty when trying to finish it. This was when he drafted in Frey, who added the classic image of a girl (my Lord!) in a flatbed Ford, as well as rearranging the track to something that even Browne admits is far superior to what he could have achieved. I thought the track was most fitting for this passing, as it teaches us all that no matter whatever might be weighing our mind down, we should focus on the moment, and just climb on in to whatever adventure is facing us. Rest in peace, Glenn Frey, and thank you for the words of wisdom.