One of those random questions rolling about my brain--what is his background? The surname "Frey" sounds Scottish to me (as does Glenn), though I thought I read from one of you fine posters that he (also) has German heritage...?
One of those random questions rolling about my brain--what is his background? The surname "Frey" sounds Scottish to me (as does Glenn), though I thought I read from one of you fine posters that he (also) has German heritage...?
Glenn does say in the Strange Weather video filmed in Dublin that he of Irish decent through one of his grandmothers. In one of the After Hours interviews he said that he was of Irish, English, Scottish (I believe) & one other which I can't recall. It might have been German.
Me, too! Along with a little Welsh. OK...I'm a mutt.
VK
You can't change the world but you can change yourself.
Knew you Glenn experts would have an idea--thanks!
I'm from an Irish and German background as well - don't think I have any English or Scottish in the bloodline, but you never know. Hey maybe, we're all Glenn's kissing cousins!
"People don't run out of dreams: People just run out of time ..."
Glenn Frey 11/06/1948 - 01/18/2016
If his (step)father's family roots are in Pennsylvania, I'm guessing Frey is of German descent--such a strong Germanic culture in that region. As for his biological father--if he was never a real presence in his life, it might mean he doesn't know and/or acknowledge the ancestry from that side of his lineage. From all the interviews I've read, the impression is that he sees Ed to be be his "Dad," no qualifiers added to the word...
Must be Scottish in that man somewhere though--it was either on this board or the tour thread that someone shared a story that when the Eagles played Glasgow, his people called ahead and wanted the historical society to poke around for him. Unless he was doing it for Cindy's side of the family...?
ETA: Here's the original post. . So Frey must be a familiar surname in Scotland--must be all those pesky Germanic invading forces over the early years that brought it there. Wonder if the pronunciation difference comes from the Pennsylvania-Duetsch (German) influence.
Last edited by AEW21; 04-07-2013 at 04:58 PM.
I don't know that there is necessarily a pronunciation difference. It seems to me the guy in Scotland for some reason was subscribing to the common misconception that the name is pronounced 'Fray'. Either that or he was trying to make a joke. Glenn endured that in Australia for years. In 1988 he was asked directly how it is pronounced.
There is a surname spelt 'Fray'. I don't know if it is Scottish or not. I found this:
http://www.houseofnames.com/Fray-history?A=54323-292
http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/fray
These suggest this version of the name is English, not Scottish.
I don’t know if this a variation of the story that AEW21 quoted, but I remember reading a story about Glenn calling up a man named Frey, when he was in England (I thought) with the Eagles, to ask about his ancestry. The man told Glenn that he (Glenn) pronounced his name incorrectly. Glenn gave the man tickets to the Eagles concert that night.