Biography
Originally named 'Tokyo', the band produced several hit singles in Canada and placed two songs on
Billboard
magazine's top 10: "
Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" and "Someday," both of which came from their debut album,
The Thin Red Line
(1986), produced by
Jim Vallance.
Glass Tiger won three
Juno Awards in 1986 and two more in 1987. They were also nominated for a
Grammy Award in 1987. After their third album
Simple Mission
and a brief Canadian tour in early 1993, the band went on a lengthy hiatus. Lead singer Alan Frew released two solo albums before the band reformed and began touring again around 2003.
On 6 November 2004 Glass Tiger hosted a Saturday night retro show on
CIQB-FM in
Barrie, Ontario under the direction of station program director
Darren Stevens.
In 2005 the band released a new DVD collection
No Turning Back
. On 23 June 2005, they appeared on the
NBC television show
Hit Me Baby One More Time
, performing their classic hit "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" and
covering "Everything You Want" (originally
recorded by
Vertical Horizon). Although they lost the audience voting to
Thelma Houston, Glass Tiger were judged the winners by online voters.
In a mid-2006 interview on
Entertainment Tonight Canada, Glass Tiger hinted they were back in the studio to record new material. Meanwhile, the band continues to tour throughout Canada. A new DVD titled "Glass Tiger Live in Concert" featuring the band in concert from the 1980s was also released in 2006.
In March 2009, Glass Tiger and members of the
NHL alumni visited
Canadian Forces stationed in
Kandahar,
Afghanistan.
[1] [2] The visit included live performances and footage was shown on an episode of Entertainment Tonight Canada.
The lead singer, Alan Frew, has been romantically linked to CBC Thunder Bay newsreader Mary-Jean Cormier.
Members
- Alan Frew - (born 8 November 1956, in Scotland) — Vocals
- Sam Reid - (b. Samuel Reid, 1 December 1963, in Canada) — Keyboards
- Al Connelly - (b. 2 October 1960, in Montreal) — Guitars
- Wayne Parker - (b. 13 November 1960) — Electric Bass
- Michael Hanson - (b. 1 January 1963) — Original Drummer; left the band in 1988
- Chris McNeill — Drums from 2000
Facts and figures
- Their single "My Town" features Rod Stewart on lead vocals alongside Alan Frew.
- Their single "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" features Bryan Adams on background vocals. Adams is also featured on their song "I Will Be There." Jim Vallance, who produced the album The Thin Red Line
, was Adams' creative collaborator at the time.
- Glass Tiger played at the official opening of SkyDome in Toronto.
Discography
Albums
Year
| Album
|
1986
| The Thin Red Line
|
1988
| Diamond Sun
|
1991
| Simple Mission
|
1993
| Air Time: The Best of Glass Tiger
|
2005
| No Turning Back: 1985-2005
|
2006
| Glass Tiger: Live
(Online exclusive from band's official website)
|
Singles
Year
| Song
| CAN
| US
| US MSR
| UK [3]
| Album
|
1986
| "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)"
| 1
| 2
| 17
| 29
| The Thin Red Line
|
"Thin Red Line"
| 19
| —
| —
| —
|
"Someday"
| 14
| 7
| —
| 66
|
1987
| "You're What I Look For"
| 11
| —
| —
| —
|
"I Will Be There"
| 29
| 34
| 21
| —
|
1988
| "I'm Still Searching"
| 2
| 31
| 12
| —
| Diamond Sun
|
"Diamond Sun"
| 5
| —
| —
| —
|
"My Song" (featuring The Chieftains)
| 19
| —
| —
| —
|
1989
| "(Watching) Worlds Crumble"
| 27
| —
| —
| —
|
1991
| "Animal Heart"
| 4
| —
| —
| —
| Simple Mission
|
"Rhythm of Your Love"
| 8
| —
| —
| —
|
"My Town"
| 8
| —
| —
| 33
|
"Rescued (By the Arms of Love)"
| 8
| —
| —
| —
|
1993
| "Touch of Your Hand"
| 34
| —
| —
| —
| Air Time - The Best of
|
NOTE: "My Song" (1988) missed the Billboard Hot 100 but peaked at #71 on the
Cash Box Magazine Top 100 Singles chart (USA).
References
- Glass Tiger return from their musical mission to Afghanistan
- Glass Tiger boosts military spirits
- British Hit Singles & Albums