Fran Sheehan | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Fran Sheehan |
Genres | Rock |
Occupation(s) | Bassist |
Years active | 1963–present |
Labels | Epic Records |
Fran Sheehan is an American rock musician best known for being the bass player in the original incarnation of the rock band Boston.
Sheehan was perhaps the most experienced musician in the original lineup of Boston.
Sheehan's father Skip Sheehan was a vaudeville performer, and Fran began performing at the age of five. He studied music at North Shore Community College and the New England Conservatory of Music. He dropped out of school to pursue a professional musical career. [1]
Sheehan was one of three musicians added to the Boston lineup shortly after band leader Tom Scholz and vocalist Brad Delp signed a recording contract with Epic Records in 1976. Sheehan, drummer Sib Hashian and guitarist Barry Goudreau were all long-time friends of Delp's who had worked with the singer in various other bands over the previous few years. The band was an overnight success, but relations between Scholz and the other four band members were strained from the beginning.
Following Goudreau's and Hashian's departure, Sheehan was fired from the band midway through the sessions for Boston's Third Stage album in the early '80s. He received a songwriting credit for "Cool the Engines," however. After leaving Boston, Sheehan (along with two other ex-band members) sued Tom Scholz, before settling out of court. [2]
After leaving Boston, Sheehan formed Fran Sheehan and the All-Star Band, who gigged extensively but never released an album. In 1985, he produced a 4-track demo tape for a then unknown local band called Extreme.
Sheehan stopped playing the bass during the 1990s for several years after he injured his arm and hand in a biking accident. However, he eventually recovered and still appears on stage from time to time. In the meantime, he sang with various bands. [1]
He has made several guest appearances over the years, including Hallelujah with Sammy Hagar and The Waboritas.
In August 2007, Sheehan, along with other previous and current Boston band members, appeared on stage at the Brad Delp Tribute Show held at the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston. [3]
On February 25, 2012, Sheehan played with Boston bandmate Barry Goudreau on stage outdoors for a three-hour benefit concert in Florida at the "All Star Jam for the Sydney and Berne Davis Art Center in Fort Myers, Florida. [4]
Boston is an American rock band formed in 1975 by Tom Scholz in Boston, Massachusetts, that experienced significant commercial success during the 1970s and 1980s. The band's core members include multi-instrumentalist, founder and leader Scholz, who played the majority of instruments on the band's 1976 self-titled debut album, and former lead vocalist Brad Delp, among a number of other musicians who varied from album to album.
Boston is the debut studio album by American rock band Boston, released on August 25, 1976, by Epic Records. It was produced by band guitarist Tom Scholz and John Boylan. A multi-instrumentalist and engineer who had been involved in the Boston music scene since the late 1960s, Scholz started to write and record demos in his apartment basement with singer Brad Delp, but received numerous rejections from major record labels. The demo tape fell into the hands of CBS-owned Epic, who signed the band in 1975.
Don't Look Back is the second studio album by American rock band Boston, released in 1978 by Epic Records. The album reached No. 1 in both the US and Canada, and No. 9 in the UK. The title track helped with the album's success, reaching No. 4 in 1978 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and remains one of the band's biggest hits. The album sold over one million copies in the ten days following its release and was certified 7× platinum by the RIAA in the US on April 11, 1996.
Third Stage is the third studio album by the American rock band Boston, released on September 26, 1986, on MCA Records. It was recorded at Boston co-founder Tom Scholz's Hideaway Studio over a long, strained, six-year period "between floods and power failures". Scholz and vocalist Brad Delp were the only original members. The lyrics invoke themes of aging and working through stages in life. The first track and lead single, "Amanda", became a number one hit and one of the group's best known songs. The album itself was eventually certified 4× platinum by the RIAA.
Walk On is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Boston, released on June 7, 1994, by MCA Records. It is the band’s only album to date not to feature vocalist Brad Delp, though he did assist as a songwriter. Vocal duties were handled by Fran Cosmo, making this his first appearance on a Boston album. Delp and Cosmo shared leads during the album's supporting tour and the album’s follow-up Corporate America.
Corporate America is the fifth studio album by American hard rock band Boston, released in 2002. Most editions feature a live version of "Livin' for You". The original version of "Livin' for You" is from Boston's previous full-length album Walk On (1994).
"More Than a Feeling" is a song by the American rock band Boston, released as the lead single and the opening track from the band's 1976 debut album by Epic Records in September 1976, with "Smokin'" as the B-side. Tom Scholz wrote the whole song. The single entered the US Billboard Hot 100 on September 18 and peaked at number five. The track is now a staple of classic rock radio, and in 2008, it was named the 39th-best hard rock song of all time by VH1. It was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame list of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll" and is ranked number 212 on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time", updated from its previous position of number 500 on the 2004 version.
RTZ was an American rock band that featured Boston band members Brad Delp and Barry Goudreau. The band was formed in the early 1990s.
Bradley Edward Delp was an American musician who was the original lead singer and frontman of the rock band Boston. He joined the band in 1970 and appeared on every album with the exception of Walk On (1994) and also participated in every tour prior to his death in 2007. Delp was known for his "unique and soulful singing and the vocal range of his 'golden' voice". ILoveClassicRock.com ranked Delp third on its list of the top 10 male classic rock vocalists; it described Delp's tenor voice as "flawless" and "effortless".
Greatest Hits is the only compilation album by American rock band Boston. Released on June 3, 1997, the album features songs originally released on both the Epic and MCA record labels, as well as three previously unreleased recordings. Tom Scholz, the band's leader, felt that the album's audio quality was not up to his standards, so a remastered version of the album was released in 2009 with a slightly different track listing. Boston embarked on a tour for this album both times it was released.
"Foreplay/Long Time" is a song by American rock band Boston, written by Tom Scholz. It appears on their 1976 self-titled debut album and is their second single for Epic Records. The song combines an instrumental introduction, "Foreplay", with the main song "Long Time", generally played as one on the radio and listed as one track on the album. "Long Time" peaked at No. 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100 the week ending March 5, 1977. It reached the Top 10 in Canada, peaking at No. 9. The standalone "Foreplay" was released as the B-side of Boston's next single "Peace of Mind", which was released in April.
"Don't Look Back" is a song by American rock band Boston, written by main songwriter, guitarist and bandleader Tom Scholz. It was released as the title track and first single from their second studio album, Don't Look Back (1978). It reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it one of the band's biggest hits.
"Smokin'" is a song by American rock band Boston, released from the band's debut album Boston (1976) as the B-side to the band's first single, "More Than a Feeling". "Smokin'" was written by the band leader, guitarist and main songwriter Tom Scholz and lead vocalist Brad Delp.
Barry Goudreau is an American musician. He was one of two original guitarists for the rock band Boston alongside founder Tom Scholz; both Scholz and Goudreau shared lead and rhythm guitar parts.
Orion the Hunter was a 1980s rock band and offshoot of the popular band Boston. It featured former Boston members Barry Goudreau on guitars and Brad Delp on backing vocals, as well as future Boston lead vocalist Fran Cosmo.
Donald Thomas Scholz is an American musician and recording engineer. He is the founder, main songwriter, primary guitarist, keyboardist and only remaining original member of the rock band Boston. He has appeared on every Boston release. Scholz, a multi-instrumentalist, plays guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums.
John Thomas "Sib" Hashian was an American musician, best known as a drummer for the rock band Boston.
Barry Goudreau is the only studio album by American guitarist and former Boston member Barry Goudreau. The album features Goudreau's bandmates with Boston Brad Delp on lead vocals, Sib Hashian on drums and Fran Cosmo, the album displays a sound very similar to that of Boston's first two releases, Boston (1976) and Don't Look Back (1978). However, neither this album nor any of Goudreau's subsequent releases with other acts proved to be as commercially successful as his work with Boston. The album was released in 1980 and is Goudreau's only solo album. The song "Dreams" was released as a single in 1980, nearly cracking the USBillboard Hot 100. It still receives airplay on classic rock radio stations, as does "Mean Woman Blues".
Orion the Hunter is the only album from the band Orion the Hunter, which was an offshoot of the band Boston. Guitarist Barry Goudreau and backing vocalist Brad Delp were members of Boston, and guitarist/vocalist Fran Cosmo would join a later incarnation of the band. The group also included Michael DeRosier on drums and percussion, and Bruce Smith on bass.
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