b. 6 November 1948, Detroit, Michigan, USA. Frey’s early career was forged as singer, guitarist in a number of local attractions, including the Mushrooms and Subterraneans. He appeared on several sessions by the Bob Seger System, singing back-up on ‘Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man’, a 1968 hit, before moving to Los Angeles. Here Frey formed Longbranch Pennywhistle with J.D. Souther, but this harmony duo floundered on record label intransigence and in 1972, the now-disengaged musician opted for singer Linda Ronstadt’s backing group. Frey then joined fellow band members Bernie Leadon, Don Henley and Randy Meisner in the Eagles, which grew from humble country rock origins into one of America’s most successful attractions. Frey co-wrote many of the unit’s best-known songs, including ‘Take It Easy’, ‘Lyin’ Eyes’, ‘Take It To The Limit’ and ‘Hotel California’, while his distinctive vocal formed the ideal counterpoint to that of Henley.
The Eagles broke up in 1980 amid rancorous professional and personal circumstances. A new-found partnership with songwriter Jack Tempchin formed the basis of Frey’s solo debut, No Fun Aloud, which achieved gold status and spawned US hits in ‘I Found Somebody’ and ‘The One You Love’. In 1984, he wrote and performed ‘The Heat Is On’, the hit theme to the highly-successful movie, Beverly Hills Cop, before resuming his association with Tempchin for The Allnighter. The following year Frey reached number 2 in the US charts with ‘You Belong To The City’, a song culled from the soundtrack of Miami Vice. He subsequently took an acting role in this popular television crime series and in 1988 completed Soul Searchin’, the third in a series of slick, professional AOR-styled albums. Frey was a key member of the highly successful Eagles reunion in 1994 During their financially lucrative Hell Freezes Over tour in 1995 he was taken seriously ill and received surgery for a stomach complaint. The following year he made a guest appearance in the Don Johnson television series, Nash Bridges, and acted in the Tom Cruise movie Jerry Maguire.
