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yrsago
10-16-2010, 06:56 PM
I thought it might be interesting for some to hear a remembrance of Glenn Frey before he started playing in rock bands. I was in the the high school band at Dondero in Royal Oak at the same time he was. I didn't know him personally, but knew of him, he was a year ahead of me and lived nearby. He played in the marching band and was known as somewhat of a prodigy. I am not sure, but think he played a wind instument-sax? I recall overhearing a conversation between the band director-a Mr. Parker-and another student-I think the drum major named Dallas-about Glenn. He was quitting the marching band, which was quite grueling, to give more time to his interest in a rock'n roll band. Mr. Parker expressed disappointment and I believe he said that Glenn would probably regret his choice someday, because of his potential as a musician. I think this stuck with me because it was kind of scandalous and unique for that time and place. It was a decidedly nonconformist decision for the Leave it to Beaver generation. There was something happening and the best part was just over the horizon. I think now that it was the feeling of confirming the cultural change that was going on-something about the power of the new and unusual music that belonged to the kids-Glenn was making a choice, as a kid, that resonated in some way with everyone in that circle. I think that this was in 1964.

GlennLover
10-16-2010, 11:55 PM
Thanks so much for posting that story, yrsago. I love to hear stories of Glenn in his very young days, but they are few & far between.

Welcome to the Border!!!

TimothyBFan
10-17-2010, 11:23 AM
Mr. Parker expressed disappointment and I believe he said that Glenn would probably regret his choice someday, because of his potential as a musician. .

:hilarious: Yeah, I bet he really regrets that move!! :hilarious:

Thanks for the recollection yrsago!! And welcome to the Border!!!

Prettymaid
10-17-2010, 11:27 AM
Welcome from me too! Thanks for the story.

Yeah, that Glenn Frey never amounted to much after he quit the marching band!

EaglesFanatic
10-17-2010, 11:28 AM
Great story! Thanks for sharing :thumbsup: Welcome to the Border!

Glennhoney
10-17-2010, 12:04 PM
...welcome..and thanks for your story............post more!!

Glennsallnighter
10-17-2010, 12:50 PM
Great story!! I too would guess that Glenn :heart: deeply regretted that decision to leave the marching band. :lol: But fair dues to Mr Parker recognising Glenn:heart:'s potential as a musician.

Welcome to the Board from me too.

ps Did he look as hot then as he does now? :wink:

sodascouts
10-17-2010, 09:02 PM
Cute story, yrsago, and welcome to The Border! I love hearing stories like this! But I have to agree with the others that Mr. Parker's comment was pretty bizarre. You don't see too many marching bands topping the charts.

yrsago
10-17-2010, 09:40 PM
not so bizarre, sodascouts. Glenn played several instruments and was in the orchestra as well. He was quitting band to focus on guitar, which was not a popular instrument with Midwest band directors of the early 60's and certainly not one Mr. Parker considered a talented student to have a future with. He was also an important member and his spot needed to be filled. Dondero's marching band at that time was almost a professional endeavor, well known and played halftime annually at a Lions game, for which we practiced all season, starting in summer.

Glennsallnighter
10-18-2010, 08:32 AM
Well this talented student had (and is still having) a great future with his guitar. Though I guess Mr Parker Didn't have a crystal ball at the time!

MikeA
10-18-2010, 11:30 AM
I recall the "marching bands" of that era also (early 60's). I was a drummer in one of those high school bands. The emphasis was on teaching technique but mostly it was with classical music and reading music.

The popular music of that day was Folk Music and Country with a little Rockabilly and no one of our parent's generation gave much serious thought to it. They were a lot more interested in Ball Games on radio and at least with all the adults I knew back then, NONE had Pop music recordings....some very few did have some 78 rpm platters of Jazz or Classical but that was uncommon.

I can certainly not fault the Band Director Glenn had for trying to talk him out of leaving the band to concentrate on Rock. Remember, The Beatles were just starting the revolution of popular music and culture in the early 60's.

Brooke
10-18-2010, 01:22 PM
Loved your story, yrsago. Yeah, I bet Glenn has regretted his decision many times since then! Not! lol

And welcome to the board! We're glad you found us. And we'd love to hear more stories like that! :thumbsup:

sodascouts
10-18-2010, 10:30 PM
not so bizarre, sodascouts. Glenn played several instruments and was in the orchestra as well. He was quitting band to focus on guitar, which was not a popular instrument with Midwest band directors of the early 60's and certainly not one Mr. Parker considered a talented student to have a future with. He was also an important member and his spot needed to be filled. Dondero's marching band at that time was almost a professional endeavor, well known and played halftime annually at a Lions game, for which we practiced all season, starting in summer.

I understand - I didn't mean to sound dismissive. If I were Mr. Parker, I'd have done my level best to keep Glenn in the band and orchestra as well!

Peekaboo
10-19-2010, 03:28 AM
Neat story, yrsago. Thanks for sharing it with us and welcome to The Border. :wave:

yrsago
10-22-2010, 06:00 PM
I tried to post to this thread a couple hours ago. It was a long one. When I submitted it I went directly to the sign in page and lost the post. I was signed in. Waazup w/dat?

sodascouts
10-22-2010, 06:56 PM
If you take a long time composing, the board signs you out automatically because it sees you as "idle." The next time it happens, hit "back" and you'll be able to retrieve your post by copying it and pasting it into a new post.

I'm so sorry you lost your long post - how frustrating!

yrsago
10-23-2010, 12:58 AM
Thanks to all who have welcomed me with replies. I wish I had more experiences to relate, but it has been nearly 50 yrs and I don't think I would have recalled Glenn if it hadn't been for what I've described as striking me in a funny way that was relevant to my curiosity about my own future and the excitement of those beginnings. I did wonder how it might work out for him and if Mr. Parker was right, as he was talented enough for people to recognize it and the only kids I knew then that went their own way were those in difficult circumstances, which did not seem to fit him. Also, the older brother of a friend talked about Glenn's quitting the band as an opportunity to move up a "chair" in their section-though I don't recall the section (a grouping of instruments). I rediscovered all this years later when, somewhere along the line, I heard that Glenn Frey of the Eagles was from Royal Oak and realized that I knew "that guy". Realizing that was a minor epiphany for me as it closed a circle-connecting the child of that time with the person of many years later. It led me back to the 1st thoughts I remember about doing what feels right and believing in yourself, despite what others might think. I suspect that Glenn was in touch with those concepts from an early age, more so than most people. That his musical talent was nurtured from early childhood must have been a driving force, as he seemed to know what he wanted to do with it. I have read some of the biographical info out there and tried to connect memory with it. I am pretty sure that we went to the same Boy's Club, which was important to the boys in the neighborhood. The elementary school he went to was was one over from my neighborhood school. I have seen nothing that states that he also went to Clara Barton Jr. High School in Royal Oak in '60, '61. He was a pretty popular kid and surely went to the weekly evening dances we called "rec". For the record, Mr. Parker's given name was Joseph and he was a hard driving perfectionist. He died in April 2010 and I will insert a link to the funeral home page that has many comments about his life. My impression of Glenn was that he was ahead of the curve in many respects, particularly with music and I suspect that Mr. Parker had some impact on his musical development, as he did on that of many kids in Royal Oak schools, going way back. I'm thinking that you guys may get a kick out of this. Maybe with this information someone can discover more! I'll bet that if you could find a 1961 yearbook from Barton online, you'd get a picture of a 12 yr old Glenn. Same with a 1966 Dondero yearbook-they are out there. To MikeA: my parents jitterbugged and played pop albums, i. e. Sinatra, Martin, Como, as well as dixieland jazz and instrumentals-Al Hirt was very big back then. I think it depended on where you were brought up. My mother played 45's by Elvis and Buddy Holly. Right after the Beatles hit in '63, some kids were listening to the Stones, but it was the rare adult (or kid) who could appreciate that just then. The kids in Detroit were quick to adopt the music and dances from the coasts and Glenn would have been Twisting and doing the Mashedpotaoes and Madison for sure at the weekly rec's. To Allnighter: I guess you could say he was a good looking kid, but I don't know-I was lookin' at the girls! Here is the link for Mr. Parker: www.tributes.com/condolences/view_memories/88306521#1473165 (https://www.eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/www.tributes.com/condolences/view_memories/88306521#1473165)

tequila girl
10-23-2010, 03:52 AM
Thanks for you memories Yrsago very enlightening! :) and Welcome from me too!
I'm afraid your link for Mr Parker doesn't work for me :-(

MikeA
10-23-2010, 08:02 AM
I hear what you are saying.

Oh, WELCOME to the forum!

I think it does matter "where you were raised up" as well as when. When I was a kid, the "popular" music was hymns sang by the local Baptist or Methodist church.

That changed when I got into my early teens. The kids started getting interested in music even if their parents didn't approve. The more promiscuous Moms and Dads bought their kids record players and indulged them with whatever kind of music the kid wanted to buy. Those were the really popular guys! It was either Rock or Country for most of the kids....especially rock after the Beatles and probably Ricky Nelson or Elvis Presley next. That was early Sixties. By the mid-sixties, MoTown had come along and there were a few other RnR bands showing up. For me though, it was either Folk or Blues. I wasn't one of the really popular kids.

Ive always been a dreamer
10-23-2010, 10:06 AM
First of all, welcome to the board, yrsago. Glad you found us and hope you enjoy it here on The Border. Of course, we love your stories about young Glenn here. Your link to Mr. Parker's obituary wouldn't work for me either, so I copied it into a browser and it worked. I'm going to post the link again to see if it works ...

http://www.tributes.com/condolences/view_memories/88306521#1473165

There are actually several pictures of young Glenn in the photo gallery on GlennFreyOnline. Here is the link to the pictures from his early years:

http://www.glennfreyonline.com/photos/earlyera.htm

I thought I'd post a couple of them here that are from some of his yearbooks. I think the first one here is from a yearbook that Soda has, but she'll have to tell you the year. The second one is from his senior yearbook that you mentioned (Royal Oaks High School '66). I bought this one off of ebay a few years back.

http://www.glennfreyonline.com/images/GFreyYoung04.jpg

http://www.glennfreyonline.com/images/GFreySenior.jpg

Prettymaid
10-23-2010, 11:35 AM
Also, the older brother of a friend talked about Glenn's quitting the band as an opportunity to move up a "chair" in their section-though I don't recall the section (a grouping of instruments). I rediscovered all this years later when, somewhere along the line, I heard that Glenn Frey of the Eagles was from Royal Oak and realized that I knew "that guy".

Although I was never in band (I was more of a chorus girl, myself!) I've heard people talk about 'first chair' and 'second chair' so I found this part amusing, that some kid was excited about Glenn quitting the band because it gave him an opportunity to try out for Glenn's chair.

Also, the fact that it was years later that you figured out that Glenn Frey of the Eagles was "that guy" that you knew of from high school had me cracking up! I would have thought that he has a street named after him up there and stuff like that.

sodascouts
10-23-2010, 05:25 PM
I was in orchestra myself. I remember how proud I was to be first chair, first violin in the regional Southeast Texas Youth Symphony back then, aka the "concertmaster" (or concertmistress in my case, lol). It was indeed considered a big deal, at least by the more competitive folks, because the concertmaster got to be featured any time there was a violin solo in a piece. (You also get the less impressive task of leading everyone in tuning their instruments.)

Maybe Glenn's tenure in marching band, as well as his Detroit-area roots, has influenced the way he incorporates so many horns and especially sax into his music.

Glennsallnighter
10-23-2010, 06:12 PM
Wow! Nancy! Your levels of accomplishment never fail to amaze me! I played in orchestra as well but was just one of the crowd, on recorder. Still it was fun!

I love the way Glenn :heart: incorporates the horns into so many of the lads work. They really add a richness to the music IMHO.

sodascouts
10-23-2010, 07:28 PM
Well thanks GA, but since it was for one year when I was like 13, it's perhaps not too much of a bragging point. ;)

And I agree about the horns - people criticize the guys sometimes for hauling around so many backup musicians, but hey, if it sounds good....

Prettymaid
10-25-2010, 09:57 PM
LOVE the horns!!!

Brooke
10-26-2010, 09:51 AM
Well, I hate to be a spoil sport, but I've never liked the addition of the horns into the Eagles band. To me, horns just don't go with their songs. I liked them the way they were without.

I know we've talked this to death before, so I hate to bring it up, but since you all have........:shrug:

Prettymaid
10-26-2010, 10:41 AM
What can I say Brooke? I'm just a horny kind of gal! :nahnah:

Brooke
10-26-2010, 02:05 PM
:hilarious: Pm!

TimothyBFan
10-26-2010, 02:17 PM
What can I say Brooke? I'm just a horny kind of gal! :nahnah:


You actually went there!!!! http://bestsmileys.com/doh/2.gif

UndertheWire
11-01-2013, 06:25 AM
Here's a tiny bit more about the marching band from the Royal Oak High School Hall of Fame (http://www.rohshalloffame.com/class-of/1966/frey-glenn.html)


Glenn Frey graduated from Dondero High School in 1966. While at Dondero he played trumpet in the Dondero Marching Band and studied keyboard with concert pianist John Harrison.

Trumpet?

Houston Baby
11-01-2013, 08:49 AM
I think this confirms what we all knew - Glenn is a multi talented musician and it has been that way for many many years!
No way I could do all that!

sodascouts
11-01-2013, 08:36 PM
No wonder he likes horn so much! He probably had sax envy the whole time he was blowing away at that trumpet. ;)

sad-cafe
11-01-2013, 10:01 PM
I was First Chair Clarinet

Freypower
11-01-2013, 10:14 PM
I was just thinking about this & it reminds me of what Glenn said when promoting AH, that he wanted to sing like various instruments. I can't remember if he said that on TLOL he wanted to sound like a trumpet, but he does on this song with its relatively short phrases, as opposed to TSOYS where the longer phrases are more like a saxophone.

Glennsallnighter
11-06-2013, 06:49 PM
Trivia!

Adolph sax who invented the saxophone was born on 6 November too! but the year was 1814!

Houston Baby
11-06-2013, 07:06 PM
Pretty cool GA!

yrsago
11-25-2013, 02:38 PM
Well, it's been about a year since I checked in here and noticed this thread is still going. I just wanted to say that I played trumpet in that band and remember some of the kids in my section, i.e. the 1st chair coronet was a guy name of Gordie Simmons and he was very good. I think most kids in that section played coronet, not trumpet because that's what the Band Director preferred. They are pretty much the same-the coronet is shorter than a trumpet. I wish that we could ask Glenn what instrument he played. I think that I would have remembered if he was in my section, but not necessarily. Can someone ask him?

Ive always been a dreamer
11-25-2013, 04:22 PM
Welcome back yrsago. The next time Glenn calls me, I'll be glad to ask him! :lol: Joking, of course, because, unfortunately, none of us here have a direct line to him ... at least that I know of. :thumbsup:

Anyway, when I saw you posted again, I went back and reread this thread. I loved reading about your 'close encounters' with Glenn back in Royal Oaks. Seems like Glenn's risk-taking and willingness to go against the grain worked out pretty well for him in the end, huh!

yrsago
11-25-2013, 04:48 PM
I would imagine that a fan club web site like this would have some way of contacting someone-a publicist or agent in his business who would look out for his interests with his fans?

Ive always been a dreamer
11-25-2013, 08:35 PM
Sorry yrsago - Even though some of us have met various band members and other road crew, we don't have any special inside track. I do know that Glenn does receive his fan mail, but I guess the volume is too high for him to respond to it all. However, as a former Dondero alumnus, you may have as good a chance as any in getting a response if you want to give it a try. The contact information I can give you is ...

Eagles Touring Company
1100 Glendon Avenue
Suite 2000
Los Angeles, CA 90024