Watch Keith Urban Honor Glenn Frey With ‘Take It Easy’
Country musicians of all stripes, from Vince Gill to Travis Tritt and more, have come out in expressing their admiration for the Eagles versatile musician and co-founder Glenn Frey, who passed away yesterday at age 67. Now another country star influenced by the country-rock of Frey’s band has paid his respects: Keith Urban took to Facebook late Monday night to share his condolences by performing a cover of the Eagles’ “Take It Easy.”
“So deeply saddened tonight to hear of Glenn Frey’s passing. Way too young… Blessing to all of his family and the Eagles,” Urban wrote in a note accompanying the video.
Urban’s rendition of the Eagles’ 1972 breakout single, written by Frey and Jackson Browne, is a stripped-down affair, with the singer showing off his soulful side on the piano. While Frey typically played the road-dog anthem on the acoustic guitar, he was no stranger to the keys; one of the band’s most well-known songs, “Desperado,” had Frey playing the piano while Don Henley sang the track in concert.
“Take It Easy” was the band’s first single, released in May 1972, and was the opening track on the Eagles’ debut album. It peaked at Number 12 on the Billboard charts. Several artists have covered it over the years, including Tritt, who recorded a version of the song for the 1993 tribute album, Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles.
At Tritt’s suggestion the video for his version of the song reunited the band’s classic lineup (Frey, Don Henley, Don Felder, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit), who hadn’t performed together since their split 13 years prior.
“If you look at the entire catalog of all the things that the Eagles did for all those years, not to mention the things that Glenn did in his solo career, it’s always just top-notch,” Tritt told Rolling Stone Country. “It was an inspiration just to be around him and to listen to the songs that he did both with the Eagles and on solo projects and just know that he was one of the greats of our time.”
So deeply saddened tonight to hear of Glenn Frey’s passing. Way too young…. Blessings to all of his family and the Eagles! – KU
Posted by Keith Urban on Monday, January 18, 2016