5 Things You May Not Know About Michigan Native Glenn Frey

Most people in America know Glenn Frey from his association with the Eagles. Glenn along with Don Henley were co-founders of the band. He also penned many of the Eagles' big hits. Glenn was a Detroit native and got his early start in the music business in Detroit with a little help from a friend. He grew up in Royal Oak and went to Dondero High School.

Hollywood Life reports

Throughout his career, Glenn won six Grammy Awards, and five American Music Awards. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 with the Eagles. As a member of the Eagles, in combination with his solo career, he had 24 singles land on the Top 40 Billboard chart.

Here are 5 things you may not know about Glenn Frey:

Bob Seger Was a Big Supporter

Glenn was friends with Bob Seger who was already well on his way to be a rock star with The Last Heard, Bob used his popularity to help his friend. In 1967 Glenn had a band called the Mushrooms. Bob helped get them a deal with Hideout Records, owned by Punch Andrews, Bob Segers manager. Their first single was written and produced by Bob, it helped Glenn’s band get more exposure and some TV appearances.

Glenn and JD Souther Recorded an Album as a Duo

In 1969 Glenn worked with JD Souther as they both relocated to Los Angeles. They recorded an album together as a duo with the Longbranch/Pennywhistle album.
Rolling Stone reports

“Glenn Frey was my roommate, best friend, and first songwriting partner in Los Angeles,” Souther said in a statement. “We knew we were onto something original, as are most young musicians, including our soon-to-be friends and collaborators Jackson Browne and Don Henley; but quite honestly, we were just trying to do our best work in a very competitive environment.

All It Took Was a Lunch To Get on Miami Vice

For his role on the Miami Vice series, all Glenn had to do was lunch with the executive producer. Upon completion of his Smuggler’s Blues video, Michael Mann Miami Vice Producer reached out to Glenn. When the two finally meet, Glenn is dressed to the max in a suit, Michael shows up in white Levi’s, sandals and a Hawaiian shirt. Their lunch turned out OK as the Producer laid out his vision for Glenn’s role in a Miami Vice episode. Of course, they feature his Smugglers Blues song in the episode as Glenn was playing a Smuggler.

He Was Also a Successful Actor

Glenn had some great success in movies as an actor, especially Jerry McGuire. But his first outing was for a film called Let’s Get Harry. There were some great actors in it along with Glenn, like Mark Harmon, Gary Busey and even Robert Duvall. But the jury is still out on whether that movie was a success or not.

Success With Movie Soundtracks

Glenn wrote The Heat is On for the very first Beverly Hills Cop movie, with great success. Not only was the movie a blockbuster but the song also did very well for him. The producers came back to Glenn asking him to do the theme for Beverly Hills Cop 2, written by Harold Faltermeyer and Keith Forsey. The lyrics to the song did not sit well with Glenn, and at the time he was dealing with laryngitis, so he used it as an excuse to say no to this project. The interesting twist to this story is the song was eventually passed on to Glenn’s old friend Bob Seger. Bob made some changes to make it his own and ended up with Shakedown, which was a number one hit record for Mr. Seger.

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There are always interesting backstories to find with our favorite Michigan artists. Glenn Frey still garners regular requests for Smugglers Blues, and of course his Eagles material. Many were sad after Glenn’s passing in January of 2016. He will always be remembered through his music.