Red Rider
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(August 2008) |
Red Rider | |
|---|---|
 Tom Cochrane & Red Rider perform inHalifaxAugust 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Tom Cochrane & Red Rider |
| Origin | Toronto,Ontario,Canada |
| Genres | Rock,hard rock |
| Years active | 1975–1990 2002–present |
| Labels | Capitol,RCA |
| Members | Ken Greer Tom Cochrane Jeff Jones Davide Direnzo Gary Craig |
| Past members | Rob Baker Peter Boynton Jon Checkowski Arvo Lepp Steve Sexton John Webster Ken "Spider" Sinnaeve Randall Coryell Peter Mueller Jamie Oakes Randall "Mongo" Stoll Troy Feener Bill Bell Gary Craig |
Red Rider,later known asTom Cochrane & Red Rider,is aCanadianrockband popular in the 1980s. While they achieved significant success in Canada, the band never had a song in thetop 40in theUnited States,although "Lunatic Fringe"from their second album, 1981'sAs Far as Siam,became popular on USalbum-oriented rockradio. They also charted on theBillboardHot 100with "White Hot" from their debut albumDon't Fight It(1979) and "Young Thing, Wild Dreams (Rock Me)"fromBreaking Curfew(1984), and charted comparably to "Lunatic Fringe" on Mainstream Rock (AOR) with "Big League","Human Race ", and" Power ", the latter two tracks off 1983'sNeruda.
Band history
[edit]As Red Rider
[edit]Red Rider was formed inTorontoin 1975 when Peter Boynton (keyboards, synthesizers, vocals),Ken Greer(guitars, keyboards, backing vocals) and Rob Baker (drums) joined up with Arvo Lepp (guitar) and Jon Checkowski (bass) and began playing around Toronto, performing both original and cover music.
In 1978, their manager at that time was contacted byCapitol Recordsabout adding singer/guitarist/composerTom Cochraneto the group. Cochrane was invited to one of the band's gigs inLondon, Ontarioto rehearse with them. Boynton, Greer and Baker were impressed with his playing and songwriting but Lepp and Checkowski were not as enthused and decided to leave the band.Jeff Jones(formerly withOceanand who briefly played forRush) was then brought in on bass, and it was the lineup of Cochrane, Boynton, Greer, Baker and Jones that were signed to Capitol and released their first albumDon't Fight Itin October 1979. With the singles "White Hot" and "Don't Fight It", the album quickly reached gold status.
Their second album,As Far as Siam,was released in June 1981 and featured the hit "Lunatic Fringe", which featured steel guitarist Greer. The song was used in the 1985 movieVision Quest,appeared in theMiami Viceepisode "Smuggler's Blues" and saw high rotation on the United States cable networkMTV.It is now a mainstay on Americanclassic rockradio.
Peter Boynton was replaced by keyboardistSteve Sextonon Red Rider's third albumNeruda,released in March 1983, and the track "Napoleon Sheds His Skin" would become one of the more popular songs from the album, while "Human Race" picked up considerable FM radio airplay in the US, becoming their second best known song there after "Lunatic Fringe". Moreover, the song "Can't Turn Back" was used in theMiami Viceepisode "Tale of the Goat".
For their next release,Breaking Curfew(September 1984),John Webster(formerly with Canadian soft rockersStonebolt) replaced Sexton on keyboards. The album did not sell as well asNerudaand a dispute withBruce Allen,the band's manager, over the future direction of the band resulted in Red Rider's departure from the Bruce Allen camp and a change in band members, as Jeff Jones and Rob Baker left. The album did contain the band's top-charting single in the US, "Young Thing, Wild Dreams (Rock Me)",which reached number 71 on theBillboardHot 100.
As Tom Cochrane & Red Rider
[edit]In what became a strong signal regarding the future of the band, they officially became known as Tom Cochrane & Red Rider. The line-up consisted of Cochrane, Greer and Webster with new memberKen "Spider" Sinnaeveon bass. For the first album under this revised name (their fifth overall), the group issued the self-titledTom Cochrane and Red RiderLP in May 1986. SessioneerGraham Broad(Go WestandRoger Waters' band) played drums on the album, recorded inWalesatRockfield StudiosandMetalworks StudiosinMississauga,Ontarioover the early months of 1985, produced by Patrick Moran. After the release of the album, Randall Coryell was added to the official lineup for live dates, as was guitarist Peter Mueller; this six-piece version of the band would last through early 1990.
In 1987 Capitol released a compilation CD titledOver 60 Minutes with Red Rider,covering the band's first four albums. Also in 1987, the band, who had been nominated 11 times forJuno Awards,finally was awarded one for Group of the Year.
In the fall of 1988, the band (now a sextet) released their sixth album,Victory Day,which contained the track "Big League", about the death of a young hockey player. The young man's father approached Cochrane on the day of a concert, mentioning that his son was a big fan of Red Rider's song "Boy Inside The Man". Cochrane asked the man if his son was going to be attending the concert and the man responded that his son had recently died in a car accident.[1]Cochrane wrote the song as a memorial, and it became a big hit in Canada (reaching #4), as well as a top 10 hit on US rock radio.
Red Rider's final album,The Symphony Sessions,which was recorded on March 17 and 18, 1989, and released in December 1989, saw the band performing with theEdmonton Symphony Orchestra,asProcol Harumhad done seventeen years before. The band broke up in early 1990, shortly after the album was released. Cochrane embarked on a successful solo career, employing Webster and Sinnaeve as part of his backing band.
The three-CDbox setAshes to Diamonds,which includes material by both Red Rider and Cochrane as a solo artist, was released in 1993.
Reformation (2002-present)
[edit]Cochrane, Greer, and Jones reunited as Red Rider in 2002 to play a benefit show after their 1980s guitar tech, John Garrish, was mugged and stabbed to death in the Yorkville section of Toronto. Since that time, Tom Cochrane and Red Rider have continued to tour annually, with Cochrane, Greer, and Jones being the mainstays of this revived version of the group. Keyboardist Webster was involved for a time between 2003 and 2006; current members Davide Direnzo (drums) and Bill Bell (guitar) both joined in 2006, though Bell dropped out for several years (2012-2016) before rejoining.
Professional wrestlerKurt Angleused an instrumental version of "Lunatic Fringe" as his entrance music inTNA.UFC fighter and former Pride Champion Dan "Hendo" Henderson also uses "Lunatic Fringe" as his intro song.
Members
[edit]|
Current members
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Former members
|
Timeline
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]As Red Rider
[edit]- Don't Fight It(1979)- Platinum in Canada
- As Far as Siam(1981)- Platinum in Canada
- Neruda(1983) Platinum in Canada
- Breaking Curfew(1984)
Tom Cochrane & Red Rider
[edit]- Tom Cochrane and Red Rider(1986) Platinum in Canada
- Victory Day(1988) Platinum in Canada
- The Symphony Sessions(1989) Platinum in Canada
Compilation albums
[edit]- Over 60 Minutes with Red Rider(1987)
- Ashes to Diamonds(1993)
- Trapeze: The Collection(2002)
Singles
[edit]| Year | Title | Chart peak | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN [2] |
AUS [3] |
US [4] |
US Main [4][5] | |||
| 1980 | "White Hot" | 20 | — | 48 | — | Don't Fight It |
| "Don't Fight It" | 75 | — | 103 | — | ||
| 1981 | "What Have You Got To Do" | 42 | — | — | — | As Far as Siam |
| "Lunatic Fringe" | — | 52 | — | 11 | ||
| 1983 | "Human Race" | 29 | — | — | 11 | Neruda |
| "Power (Strength in Numbers)" | — | — | — | 13 | ||
| "Crack the Sky (Breakaway)" | — | — | — | 39 | ||
| 1984 | "Young Thing, Wild Dreams (Rock Me)" | 44 | — | 71 | 13 | Breaking Curfew |
| "Breaking Curfew" | 93 | — | — | — | ||
| 1986 | "Boy Inside The Man" | 25 | — | — | 17 | Tom Cochrane and Red Rider |
| "The Untouchable One" | 70 | — | — | 48 | ||
| 1987 | "One More Time (Some Old Habits)" | 85 | — | — | — | |
| "Ocean Blues (Emotion Blue)" | 88 | — | — | — | ||
| 1988 | "Big League" | 4 | — | — | 9 | Victory Day |
| 1989 | "Calling America" | — | — | — | 42 | |
| "Good Times" | 2 | — | — | — | ||
| "Victory Day" | 32 | — | — | — | ||
| "Different Drummer" | 67 | — | — | — | ||
| "White Hot" (Live) | 50 | — | — | — | The Symphony Sessions | |
References
[edit]- ^MelodicRock.com interview with Tom Cochrane.Archived2008-05-11 at theWayback MachineAccessed September 27, 2008.
- ^"Results - RPM - Library and Archives Canada - Top Singles".RPM.RetrievedDecember 17,2011.
- ^Kent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992(illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 248.ISBN0-646-11917-6.
- ^ab"Red Rider Album & Song Chart History - Billboard Hot 100 & Mainstream Rock".Billboard.Prometheus Global Media.RetrievedDecember 11,2010.
- ^Whitburn, Joel.Joel Whitburn Presents Rock Tracks 1981-2008.p. 55.
External links
[edit]- CanConRox bio
- Red Riderdiscography atDiscogs
- Red RideratIMDb
- Official Ken Greer website
- Official Jeff Jones website
- Original Keyboardist Peter Boynton's website
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- Musical groups established in 1979
- Musical groups disestablished in 1989
- Musical groups reestablished in 2002
- Musical groups from Toronto
- Canadian country rock groups
- Canadian progressive rock groups
- 1979 establishments in Ontario
- 1989 disestablishments in Ontario
- 2002 establishments in Ontario
- Capitol Records artists
- RCA Records artists
- Juno Award for Group of the Year winners