Bob Seger on Glenn Frey: ‘He Was the Leader of the Eagles’
Bob Seger, a longtime friend of Glenn Frey who collaborated with the guitarist when the two artists resided in Detroit in the Sixties, paid tribute to the late Eagle in an interview with Billboard. “I knew him for 50 years,” Seger said. “He was a great kid. I always kind of thought of him as my baby brother, a little bit. He was fucking brilliant. He was a joy to be around. I always looked forward to seeing him. It was always memorable. He had an amazing sense of humor and was just smart, whip-smart.”
Seger and Frey, both Detroit natives, had worked together since the mid-Sixties; Seger penned “Such a Lovely Child,” recorded by Frey’s group the Mushrooms, and Frey later contributed background vocals to Seger’s singer “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man.” “I just knew right away he had something special,” Seger said of Frey, adding that the two used to listen to music together in Frey’s mother’s house. “And make no mistake about it: He was the leader of the Eagles. He was the band leader. Never doubt that for a minute, and they’ll all tell you that it’s true.”
Even though Frey moved to Los Angeles in 1969, he and Seger remained close, with Seger co-writing the Frey-sung Eagles hit “Heartache Tonight.” Every time I saw him in the last 10, 11 years, he was so grateful to the fans,” a “devastated” Seger added. “The first thing he’d say to me — normally he’d start with a joke or something — but then he’d say to me, ‘Isn’t it amazing, Bob, we’re still doing this at our age? I am so grateful that these fans keep coming out.’ And he meant it, every word. He was definitely sincere.”
Following Frey’s death at 67, his Eagles band mate Don Henley said in an emotional statement, “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.”