Alan Frew

Last updated

Alan Frew
Alan Frew 2011.jpg
Alan Frew, 2011.
Background information
Born (1956-11-08) 8 November 1956 (age 68)
Coatbridge, Scotland
Origin Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer, musician, author, public speaker
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1983–present
Labels Capitol
Website alanfrewworld.com

Alan Graham Frew (born November 8, 1956) is a Scottish-Canadian singer, songwriter, actor, and author, who is the lead singer of the Canadian rock band Glass Tiger. [1] He has also released three solo albums. [2]

Contents

Early life

Born 8 November 1956 in Coatbridge, Scotland, [3] Frew moved to Newmarket, Ontario at age 16 with his family. [4]

Musical career

In 1983, Frew and others formed Glass Tiger. [5] In 1986, the band released its first album, The Thin Red Line . [6] Two of its songs, "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" and "Someday", reached the Top 10 in the U.S. charts. [7] The Thin Red Line went quadruple platinum in Canada and gold in the United States. [8] Glass Tiger was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1987 [9] and has won five Canadian Juno Awards. [4]

Frew and Stephan Moccio co-wrote "I Believe", which "became the theme song for Canada's Olympic Broadcast Consortium for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver" [2] and "Free to Be", which is used by the Toronto Maple Leafs as their theme song. [10]

Frew portrayed the character Ewan McCauley in the 2010 Canadian comedy film GravyTrain . [11] [12]

In 2025, amid the controversy around Donald Trump's trade war against Canada, Frew released the solo single "Canada's Song (Free to Be Strong and Free)". [13] He performed the song at concerts on Glass Tiger's This Island Earth tour, and on the This Hour Has 22 Minutes election special. [14]

Personal life

On 20 August 2015, Frew suffered a stroke causing trauma to his right side. [15] As of January 2018, Frew had made a full recovery. [16]

Awards and recognition

Frew has received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal "in recognition of his service to the Canadian arts, and for his dedication to helping poverty-stricken children". [8] With co-writer Sharon Brennan, Frew wrote The Action Sandwich: A Six Step Recipe to Success by Doing What You're Already Doing ( ISBN   978-0-9736863-9-5), a 2007 autobiography.[ citation needed ]

Discography

Solo albums

with Glass Tiger

Solo singles

References

  1. ↑ "Glass Tiger vocalist Alan Frew posts on social media that he suffered stroke – Globalnews.ca". globalnews.ca. 24 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 Barber, Jim (29 October 2017). "Healthy, Happy Alan Frew Talks 1980s Music, New Glass Tiger Album and More!".
  3. ↑ "IMDb database – accessed July 2008". Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  4. 1 2 Popson, Tom (12 August 1988). "LIFE, DEATH, LOVE, HATE AND THE GLASS TIGER GUYS". Chicago Tribune.
  5. ↑ "Glass Tiger Frontman Recovering After Stroke Paralyzes His Right Side". Billboard.
  6. ↑ "Glass Tiger, Johnny Reid team up" Archived 13 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine . Brian Kelly, Sault Star, 6 July 2017
  7. ↑ "Glass Tiger". Billboard.
  8. 1 2 Spitale-Leisk, Maria (9 November 2018). "Glass Tiger ready to roar in Centennial Theatre". North Shore News.
  9. ↑ "GRAMMY NOMINATIONS: HIGHS AND LOWS : Winwood, Gabriel and Simon Garner Most Nominations". Los Angeles Times. 9 January 1987.
  10. ↑ Toms, Colleen (26 June 2015). "CANADA DAY: Main stage lineup includes Alan Frew and Junkhouse". Toronto.com.
  11. ↑ Levack, Chandler (21 April 2010). "GravyTrain". Eye Weekly . Retrieved 27 April 2010.[ permanent dead link ]
  12. ↑ Griffen, John (7 May 2010). "Review: GravyTrain". The Gazette . Retrieved 18 July 2010.[ dead link ]
  13. ↑ Katie Kelly, "‘Canada’s Song’: Glass Tiger frontman Alan Frew to debut new tune to Maritime audiences". CP24, March 19, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Liberal Leader Mark Carney to sit down with Mark Critch on '22 Minutes' special". St. Albert Gazette , April 24, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Glass Tiger Singer Alan Frew Has Stroke" . Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  16. ↑ "Glass Tiger rocks the Okanagan". Vernon Morning Star. 24 April 2018.
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