Glass Tiger is a Canadian rock band from Newmarket, Ontario that formed in 1981. 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 singles from that album, "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" and "Someday", reached the U.S. Top 10. Glass Tiger has won five Juno Awards and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1987. In 2025, the band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
History
In Newmarket, Ontario, a band called Tokyo formed in 1981. The band's members were vocalist Alan Frew and bassist Wayne Parker (both from local band Onyx), along with keyboardist Sam Reid (from River Drive Park band The End) and drummer Michael Hanson. Guitarist Al Connelly joined the band in 1983. The band later changed its name to Glass Tiger. it was produced by Jim Vallance (who co-wrote two songs) and Bryan Adams made a memorable vocal cameo on the lead single "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)". This album went quadruple platinum in Canada and gold in the United States. Two of its songs, "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" and "Someday", reached the Top 10 in the U.S. charts. Glass Tiger won three 1986 Juno Awards: and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist. and featured the single "I'm Still Searching", which peaked at #2 in Canada. Hanson left the band in 1988 following the release of Diamond Sun.
Glass Tiger's third album, Simple Mission, was released in 1991 by Capitol Records. The album received radio play in Canada and Europe. It was certified platinum in Canada.
In March 2009, Glass Tiger and members of the NHL alumni visited Canadian Forces stationed in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The visit included live performances, and footage was shown on an episode of Entertainment Tonight Canada. The band returned to Afghanistan for a second performance in 2010.
In 2012, Glass Tiger toured across Canada with the band Roxette, and performed as part of Penticton, British Columbia's "Rock The Peach Music Fest" On July 1, 2013, Glass Tiger performed a free concert in Leduc, Alberta, as part of a Canada Day Celebration. Glass Tiger performed at a number of festivals in the summer of 2017. On September 23, 2017, Glass Tiger performed at Canada Games Plaza in Prince George, British Columbia. The free concert was held to thank the city for receiving over 11,000 evacuees from the southern interior who had been displaced by various wildfires.
In February 2018, to celebrate 31 years of making music together, the band released an album entitled 31. Produced by Scottish/Canadian country artist Johnny Reid, the album includes special guest contributions from Julian Lennon ("Thin Red Line"), Alan Doyle ("My Song"), Véronic DiCaire ("Someday") and Susan Aglukark and David R. Maracle ("Diamond Sun").
In May 2019, Glass Tiger released their fifth studio album, 33. Following the release of 33, the band joined Corey Hart on his Never Surrender cross-Canada tour in June 2019. The band continued to perform a number of headlining shows throughout the summer and performed as part of the Sopot International Song Festival in Poland.
On May 15, 2025, Glass Tiger was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Band members
Current
- Al Connelly – guitar, backing vocals <small>(1983–present)</small>
- Alan Frew – vocals, guitar, tambourine <small>(1983–present)</small>
- Wayne Parker – bass, backing vocals <small>(1983–present)</small>
- Sam Reid – keyboards, piano, backing vocals <small>(1983–present)</small>
- Chris McNeill – drums <small>(2003–present)</small>
Former
- Michael Hanson – drums, guitar, backing vocals <small>(1983–1988)</small>
Timeline
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id:lines value:black legend:Studio_albums
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</timeline>
Discography
Studio albums
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"| Title
! rowspan="2" style="width:20em;"| Album details
! colspan="3"| Peak chart positions
! rowspan="2" style="width:12em;"| Certifications<br>
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="40"| CAN<br>
! width="40"| AUS
! width="40"| US<br>
|-
! scope="row"| The Thin Red Line
|
- Release date: 11 June 1986
- Label: Capitol
- Formats: CD, cassette
| 3
| 77
| 27
| align="left"|
- RIAA: Gold
- MC: 4× Platinum
|-
! scope="row"| Diamond Sun
|
- Release date: 13 April 1988
- Label: EMI Manhattan
- Formats: CD, cassette
| 6
| —
| 82
| align="left"|
- MC: 3× Platinum
|-
! scope="row"| Simple Mission
|
- Release date: 22 March 1991
- Label: Capitol
- Formats: CD, cassette
| 11
| —
| —
| align="left"|
- MC: Platinum
|-
! scope="row"| 31
|
- Release date: 16 February 2018
- Label: Halo Entertainment Group
- Formats: CD
| —
| —
| —
| align="left"|
|-
! scope="row"| 33
|
- Release date: 17 May 2019
- Label: Willow Music
- Formats: CD - EP on Vinyl
| —
| —
| —
| align="left"|
|-
! scope="row"| Songs for a Winter's Night
|
- Release date: 30 October 2020
- Label: Willow Music
- Formats: CD - Vinyl
| —
| —
| —
| align="left"|
|-
| colspan="6" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
|-
|}
Live albums
- Live (2006)
Compilation albums
- Air Time: The Best of Glass Tiger (1993)
- No Turning Back: 1985–2005 (2005)
- Then, Now, Next (2012)
Singles
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:20em;"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:0.5em;"| Release
! colspan="5" scope="col" | Peak chart positions
! rowspan="2" style="width:10em;"| Certifications<br />
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:15em;"| Album
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="35"|CAN<br>
! width="35"|US<br>
! width="35"|US<br>Rock<br>
! width="35"|UK<br>
! width="35"|AUS<br>
| style="text-align:center;"| 5
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| 78
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|
|-
! scope="row"| "My Song" <small>(featuring The Chieftains)</small>
| style="text-align:center;"| 19
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|
|-
! scope="row"| "Far Away From Here"
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|
|-
! scope="row"| "Send Your Love"
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|
|-
! scope="row"| "(Watching) Worlds Crumble"
| 1989
| style="text-align:center;"| 27
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|
|-
! scope="row"| "Blinded"
|rowspan="5"| 1991
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|
|rowspan="5"| Simple Mission
|-
! scope="row"| "Animal Heart"
| style="text-align:center;"| 4
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|
|-
! scope="row"| "Rhythm of Your Love"
| style="text-align:center;"| 8
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|
|-
! scope="row"| "My Town" <small>(featuring Rod Stewart)</small>
| style="text-align:center;"| 8
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| 33
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|
|-
! scope="row"| "Rescued (By the Arms of Love)"
| style="text-align:center;"| 8
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|
|-
! scope="row"| "Touch of Your Hand"
| 1993
| style="text-align:center;"| 34
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
| style="text-align:center;"| —
|
| Air Time: The Best of Glass Tiger
|-
| colspan="9" align="center" style="font-size:90%" | "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
|}
NB: "My Song" (1988) missed the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 71 on the Cash Box Top 100 Singles chart.
NB: "Don't Forget Me" and "Someday" both reached the Billboard AC chart, peaking at #30 and #4 respectively.
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col" | Award
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Recipient(s) and nominee(s)
! scope="col" | Category
! scope="col" | Result
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|
|-
! rowspan="4" scope="row" | Juno Awards
| rowspan="4" | 1986
| The Thin Red Line
| Album of the Year
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Glass Tiger
| Most Promising Group of the Year
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| rowspan=2| "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)"
| Best Selling Single
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Best Video
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" |Grammy Award
|1987
| Glass Tiger
|Best New Artist
|
| style="text-align:center;" |
|-
! rowspan="8" scope="row" | Juno Awards
| rowspan="2" | 1987
| "Someday"
| Single of the Year
|
| style="text-align:center;" |
|-
| rowspan="3" | Glass Tiger
|Canadian Entertainer of the Year
|
| style="text-align:center;" |
|-
| rowspan="4" |1989
| Canadian Entertainer of the Year
|
| style="text-align:center;" |
|-
| Best Group
|
| style="text-align:center;" |
|-
|"Diamond Sun"
| Single of the Year
|
| style="text-align:center;" |
|-
|Diamond Sun
| Album of the Year
|
| style="text-align:center;" |
|-
| rowspan="2" |1992
| "Animal Heart"
|Single of the Year
|
| style="text-align:center;" |
|-
| Glass Tiger
| Group of the Year
|
| style="text-align:center;" |
|-
|}
Notes
References
External links
- Glass Tiger homepage
- Bio at CanadianBands.com
- Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia entry
- Glass Tiger in The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Photos from Glass Tiger's performance in Vancouver, 2008