Biography
Guitarist, vocalist, and tunesmith Alan Frew earned his widest recognition fronting the prize-collecting rock ensemble Glass Tiger. He also put out a handful of independent discs and launched a separate path in the 1990s while his group was on hiatus.
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Frew spent most of his childhood in that city before relocating with his relatives to Canada at age sixteen. Early vocal performances for relatives and acquaintances prompted him to take the stage in neighborhood taverns, after which he picked up guitar practice and started composing original material in hopes of turning music into a livelihood.
In 1980 he became the frontman for an alternative pop-rock outfit called Tokyo, based in Newmarket, Ontario. Fellow members included guitarist Al Connelly, keyboardist and singer Sam Reid, drummer and singer Michael Hanson, bassist Wayne Parker, and, later, drummer Randall Coryell. The sextet spent four years working Toronto clubs to cultivate an audience until manager Derek Sutton discovered them, leading to a contract with Capitol Records, the switch from Tokyo to Glass Tiger, and the 1986 release of their first album, The Thin Red Line.
During the subsequent three years Frew tracked numerous singles and multiple albums inside Glass Tiger. The band collected three Juno Awards and earned a pair of Grammy nominations for its output, while extensive touring across Canada, the United States, and Europe gave both the group and its singer substantial visibility.
Once Glass Tiger issued its 1991 long-player Simple Mission, Frew stepped out alone and finished two EMI projects: Hold On in 1994 and Wonderland in 2000. The ensemble resumed activity in 2003 and delivered two studio albums during the late 2010s.
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Frew spent most of his childhood in that city before relocating with his relatives to Canada at age sixteen. Early vocal performances for relatives and acquaintances prompted him to take the stage in neighborhood taverns, after which he picked up guitar practice and started composing original material in hopes of turning music into a livelihood.
In 1980 he became the frontman for an alternative pop-rock outfit called Tokyo, based in Newmarket, Ontario. Fellow members included guitarist Al Connelly, keyboardist and singer Sam Reid, drummer and singer Michael Hanson, bassist Wayne Parker, and, later, drummer Randall Coryell. The sextet spent four years working Toronto clubs to cultivate an audience until manager Derek Sutton discovered them, leading to a contract with Capitol Records, the switch from Tokyo to Glass Tiger, and the 1986 release of their first album, The Thin Red Line.
During the subsequent three years Frew tracked numerous singles and multiple albums inside Glass Tiger. The band collected three Juno Awards and earned a pair of Grammy nominations for its output, while extensive touring across Canada, the United States, and Europe gave both the group and its singer substantial visibility.
Once Glass Tiger issued its 1991 long-player Simple Mission, Frew stepped out alone and finished two EMI projects: Hold On in 1994 and Wonderland in 2000. The ensemble resumed activity in 2003 and delivered two studio albums during the late 2010s.
Albums
