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Bob Seger Remembers His Friend Glenn Frey: ‘He Had A Drive, An Imagination And A Talent That Was Just Titanic’

By Lindsay McCane
Published on: 05:28 PST, Jan 21, 2016

Bob Seger is remembering his friend Glenn Frey, who passed away on Monday, January 18.

Seger was not only Frey’s fellow musician, he was also his longtime friend. During a recent interview with Billboard, Seger opened up about his friend’s devastating death, recalling the days they met and their friendship throughout the years.

“I knew him for 50 years,” Seger told the website. “He was a great kid. I always kind of thought of him as my baby brother, a little bit. He was f—ing 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.”

Bob Seger and Glenn Frey met in the 1960s when they were both getting started in the music industry in their hometown Detroit. According to Billboard, Seger actually wrote and produced the first song Frey ever recorded, “Such a Lovely Child,” for Frey’s band he called the Mushrooms. Frey later sang backup vocals in Seger’s 1968 hit single “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man.”

“I just knew right away he had something special,” Seger recalled. “He had a drive, an imagination and a talent that was just titanic. He loved music. He loved soul music. He loved Marvin Gaye. He loved Al Green. He loved Otis Redding. I remember listening to the Jimi Hendrix Experience up in his bedroom in his mom’s house, and we looked at each other and I said, ‘Glenn, we’re out of a job! This guy is so f—in’ good!’ and we laughed our a—- off about it.”

According to a post on the Eagle’s official website, Glenn Frey died after succumbing to complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis, and pneumonia. Frey and the other original members of the group, Don Henley, Randy Meisner, and Bernie Leadon, formed the band in the early 1970s. Frey played guitar and keyboard and took over the lead vocals on several songs, including their hits “Take it Easy” and “Tequila Sunrise,” according to CNN. The Eagles have sold over 100 million records worldwide and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

“And make no mistake about it: He was the leader of the Eagles. He was the band leader,” said Seger, who presented Frey with the Detroit Music Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1997. “Never doubt that for a minute, and they’ll all tell you that it’s true. He used to tell me that ‘Every single track’s gotta be good. Every single track. We don’t release an album till it’s good.'”

Seger co-wrote Eagles’ 1979 hit “Heartache Tonight” and remained close friends with Frey throughout the years. The last time they saw each other was when the Eagles played on July 24 in Detroit. At the time, Frey and Henley kept Frey’s health problems from him but later admitted that Frey had been in the hospital since November.

“Every time I saw him in the last 10, 11 years, he was so grateful to the fans,” Seger said. “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.”

[Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP]

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