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 Glass Tiger is a Canadian rock band from Newmarket, Ontario that formed in 1983. The band has released five studio albums. Its 1986 debut album, '' The Thin Red Line'', went quadruple platinum in Canada and gold in the United States. Two single ...

. He has also released three solo albums.

Early life

Born 8 November 1956 in

Coatbridge Coatbridge (, ) is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. Along with neighbouring town Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Airdrie, Coatbridge forms the area known as the Monklands (popula ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, Frew moved to Newmarket, Ontario at age 16 with his family.

Musical career

In 1983, Frew and others formed Glass Tiger. In 1986, the band released its first album, '' The Thin Red Line''. Two of its songs, "

Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone) "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" is a song by Canadian rock band Glass Tiger. It was released in 1986 as the lead from their debut album, '' The Thin Red Line''. The song reached number 1 in Canada and number two in the United States. The song ...

" and "Someday", reached the Top 10 in the U.S. charts. ''The Thin Red Line'' went quadruple platinum in Canada and gold in the United States. Glass Tiger was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1987 and has won five Canadian

Juno Awards The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's music industry. The Grammy Awards are the United S ...

. Frew and

Stephan Moccio Stephan Moccio is a Canadian composer, producer, pianist, arranger, conductor and recording artist. He co-wrote and co-produced the two end credit songs for ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' and its soundtrack: " Earned It" (The Weeknd) and " I Know Yo ...

co-wrote " I Believe", which "became the theme song for Canada's Olympic Broadcast Consortium for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver" and "Free to Be", which is used by the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

as their theme song. Frew portrayed the character Ewan McCauley in the 2010 Canadian comedy film ''

GravyTrain ''GravyTrain'' is a 2010 Canadian comedy film directed by April Mullen who also produced the feature with Tim Doiron under the company name G-Train Productions. Plot Charles Gravytrain (Tim Doiron) is a policeman in the community of Gypsy Creek ...

''. In 2025, amid the controversy around

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

's trade war against Canada, Frew released the solo single "Canada's Song (Free to Be Strong and Free)". He performed the song at concerts on Glass Tiger's This Island Earth tour, and on the ''

This Hour Has 22 Minutes ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' (commonly shortened to ''22 Minutes'' since 2009) is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on CBC Television. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics wi ...

'' election special.

Personal life

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

Awards and recognition

Frew has received the

Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal may refer to: * Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Medal (1897) * Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal () or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal ...

"in recognition of his service to the Canadian arts, and for his dedication to helping poverty-stricken children". With co-writer Sharon Brennan, Frew wrote ''The Action Sandwich: A Six Step Recipe to Success by Doing What You're Already Doing'' (), a 2007 autobiography.

Discography

Solo albums

*''Hold On'' (1994) *''Wonderland'' (2000) *''80290 Rewind'' (2015)

with Glass Tiger

* '' The Thin Red Line'' (1986) * '' Diamond Sun'' (1988) * '' Simple Mission'' (1991) * ''31'' (2018) * ''33'' (2019)

Solo singles

*"Healing Hands" (1994) 8 CAN*"So Blind" (1995) *"Canada's Song (Free to Be Strong and Free)" (2025)

References

External links

Alan Frew official site
Retrieved 26 February 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Frew, Alan 1956 births Living people Canadian rock singers Canadian male singers Musicians from the Regional Municipality of York Canadian male film actors Glass Tiger members People from Coatbridge Scottish emigrants to Canada Scottish expatriates in Canada Male actors from North Lanarkshire Actors from Newmarket, Ontario Male actors from Ontario