R.I.P. Glenn Frey...

The wonderful music of the Eagles has been with me since the early 70’s. Together with Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Neil Young, Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell they got me through my university days, and have stayed with me ever since.

In the pace of eight days we've lost David Bowie and Alan Rickman and yesterday we lost Glenn Frey, a founding member and, together with Don Henley, a creative genius of The Eagles. So much wonderful music and lyrics that it would be easy to sit here and weave this post with one-liners from the songs which form the soundtrack to much of my life.

We saw The Eagles perform live three times. They were fantastic celebrations of their music, the harmonies they could produce live on stage on a par with anything from a studio recording.

Hotel California would be on my Desert Island Disc list, but I could choose so many other Eagles tracks. It would certainly be a close contender for my final choice. The lyrics were written by Glenn Frey. You can see a post on Hotel California here.

I’m so sad at Glenn’s passing at the age of 67 and my thoughts are with his wife, children, family and friends as they come to terms with a life without him. I'm sure they are very proud of him and all he achieved through his music. I've listened to and read tributes from many people, but this tribute from Don Henley says it all…

"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 is 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."


One of the concerts opened with this song. The music lives on…