The Fray's Isaac Slade reveals how Bruce Springsteen helped save his marriage

By Adrian Thrills

By looking at a photograph of The Fray, you'd be hard pushed to guess their occupation. They look more like the sort of nice but slightly geeky guys you'd find roaming the aisles at PC World than members of one of America's hottest bands.

Lead singer Isaac Slade does, it is true, resemble a musician, but that musician is Jimmy Somerville of The Communards.

And yet the Coldplay-style rockers from Denver, are, indeed, the real deal. Their debut album How To Save A Life, released two years ago, sold three million copies.


Key to success: Isaac Slade is lead singer of piano-based rockers The Fray

They've been nominated for a trio of Grammys and notched up a Top Five hit in the UK with the album's title track.

And more than that, they're the musicians' musicians. Justin Timberlake has covered one of their tunes, Over My Head, and Bruce Springsteen is a fan  -  he even gave Slade some marriage guidance.

The Boss was introduced to the group's music by his 17-year-old daughter, Jessica Rae, and the pair met the band backstage at a concert in New York.


Wise words: Bruce Springsteen, above, gave Slade some marriage guidance

Isaac, 27, and his wife, Anna, have been married for three years and the singer admits that his touring schedule often puts a strain on their relationship. His pep talk from Springsteen was illuminating.

'Bruce was nice enough to come over and chat, so I asked him for some marriage advice. I knew he'd been through a divorce, and also that he's been married to Patti Scialfa for years.

'He told me his life had fallen apart in the Eighties because he hadn't been able to separate his stage persona from his home life. He only got back on track once he realised that he was only The Boss while he was on stage. As soon as his boot hits the backstage floor, he goes back to being a normal guy.

'Bruce also told me to never leave my wife for more than three weeks. He said: "If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."'

The success of The Fray might be puzzling to some. A pianobased band who pitch themselves between the arena-rock of U2 and the softer thrust of Coldplay, they win few points for originality.


What they do have, though, is a knack of conveying simple, powerful emotions in song: How To Save A Life was, like REM's Everybody Hurts, a raw but melodic rock anthem that struck a universal chord. The Fray's new single, You Found Me, and their forthcoming second album stick firmly to the same format.

The band were formed in 2002 after Isaac met guitarist Joe King, now 28, in a music shop. The pair added drummer Ben Wysocki and additional guitarist Dave Welsh, both now 24.

Isaac's bass-playing brother Caleb was also a member during their early years. His rancorous departure  -  'musical differences', they claim  -  inspired the song Over My Head.

The Fray

Living the life: The Fray's debut album How To Save A Life sold 3million copies

Having cut their musical teeth playing church halls, The Fray were tagged as a Christian Rock act. But while all four members have strong religious beliefs, they moved away from the gospel circuit into Denver's rock clubs to avoid being labelled.

Says Ben: 'We learned how to play in church, but it's a delicate subject because there is so much baggage around anything-religious. We don't want to preach.'

Having had time to take in the unexpected success of their debut, The Fray are approaching their second coming with confidence.

As Ben says: 'This time, we know what to expect.'

If all else fails, Isaac might one day have another, more unusual refuge. Two years ago, he emerged as a front-runner to inherit Maunsel House, the £7.5million Somerset estate of eccentric English aristocrat Baronet Sir Benjamin Slade.

'Meeting Sir Benjamin was fantastic,' he says. 'He came to see us at the Shepherd's Bush Empire wearing a pink suit and red socks.

'He traced the line back and found out we were related. It is a good story, but I don't know what will happen in the long run. If I inherited the place, I'd have to build a recording studio.'

  • You Found Me is out on Epic on January 26. The album, The Fray, follows on February 2.