Bad Company were an English hard rock band from London. Formed in 1973, the group originally featured vocalist and rhythm guitarist Paul Rodgers, lead guitarist Mick Ralphs, bassist Boz Burrell and drummer / percussionist Simon Kirke. The band's final lineup featured constant member Kirke, Rodgers (absent between 1986 and 1998), guitarist Howard Leese (joined 2008), and bassist Todd Ronning (joined 2012).
Bad Company were formed in late 1973 by former Free vocalist Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke, alongside former Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and former King Crimson bassist Raymond "Boz" Burrell. [1] The band were active with their initial lineup until 1982, during which time they released six studio albums that brought them critical and commercial success. [2] After recording sessions for Rough Diamonds led to arguments and confrontations between band members, particularly Rodgers and Burrell, the vocalist left Bad Company and the group disbanded. [3]
In 1986, Ralphs and Kirke began working together on a new project with former Ted Nugent band vocalist Brian Howe. [4] The group was later branded Bad Company at the request of their label Atlantic Records, with Steve Price performing on Fame and Fortune before Burrell returned for the European tour. [5] Gregg Dechert was also added to the touring lineup on keyboards and rhythm guitar. [6] Burrell left after the European tour, with Price returning for the American tour. [7] Price played bass on the album 'Dangerous Age' and completed the American tour before leaving the band in 1990. in 1988, Dechert was replaced on tour by Larry Oakes. [8] Paul Cullen joined on bass after the release of Holy Water in 1990, [9] while Dave "Bucket" Colwell joined on second guitar. [10] Geoff Whitehorn substituted for Ralphs during the tour. [11]
Colwell remained part of the touring lineup in 1992 alongside new bassist Rick Wills, [10] with both featured on the live release What You Hear Is What You Get . [12] In the summer of 1994, Howe left Bad Company and was replaced by Robert Hart. [13] The group released Company of Strangers the following year, on which Colwell and Wills were credited as full band members. [14] In late 1998, Rodgers and Burrell returned for a reunion of the original lineup of Bad Company, recording four new tracks and touring throughout 1999. [1] [15] After the tour, the group disbanded again. [16]
A third reformation of Bad Company took place in the spring of 2001, with Rodgers and Kirke joined by Colwell and Wills. [17] Jaz Lochrie replaced Wills in 2002. [18] In 2008, Ralphs joined the pair for a one-off show at Hard Rock Live. [19] Rhythm guitarist Howard Leese and bassist Lynn Sorensen, both members of Rodgers's solo band, completed the lineup. [20] The same lineup returned for a North American tour the following year, [21] followed by UK and US shows in 2010. [22] Another member of the vocalist's touring band, Todd Ronning, replaced Sorensen in 2012. [23]
For a US tour in mid-2016, Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes substituted for Ralphs, who was "not feeling up for" the shows. [24] He later returned, but was forced to leave later in the year after suffering a stroke. [25]
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Kirke |
|
| all Bad Company releases | |
| Paul Rodgers |
|
| all releases from Bad Company (1974) to Rough Diamonds (1982), and from Merchants of Cool (2002) onwards | |
| Mick Ralphs |
|
| all releases from Bad Company (1974) to Live in Concert 1977 & 1979 (2016), except Merchants of Cool (2002) | |
| Raymond "Boz" Burrell |
|
|
| |
| Brian Howe | 1986–1994 (died 2020) |
| all releases from Fame and Fortune (1986) to What You Hear Is What You Get (1993) | |
Steve Price |
|
| Fame and Fortune (1986) to Dangerous Age (1988) | |
| Dave "Bucket" Colwell |
|
|
| |
| Rick Wills |
|
|
| |
| Robert Hart | 1994–1998 | lead vocals |
| |
| Jaz Lochrie | 2002 |
| Merchants of Cool (2002) | |
| Howard Leese | 2008–2019 |
|
| |
| Todd Ronning | 2012–2019 |
| none |
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gregg Dechert | 1986–1987 |
| Dechert performed on Fame and Fortune and the subsequent touring cycle, ending in late 1987. [6] | |
| Larry Oakes | 1988–1989 |
| After the release of Dangerous Age, Oakes took over from Dechert as the touring keyboardist. [8] | |
| Paul Cullen | 1990–1992 | bass | Cullen joined the touring lineup of Bad Company following the release of Holy Water in 1990. [26] | |
| Geoff Whitehorn | 1990–1991 |
| Whitehorn substituted for Ralphs on the Holy Water tour between June 1990 and April 1991. [11] | |
| Rich Robinson | 2016 | Robinson substituted for Ralphs during a US tour between May and July 2016 due to illness. [24] |
| Period | Members | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Late 1973 – summer 1982 |
|
|
| Group inactive 1982–1986 | ||
| Mid – late 1986 |
|
|
| Late 1986 – early 1987 |
| none |
| Early 1987 – summer 1994 |
|
|
| Summer 1994 – late 1998 |
|
|
| Late 1998 – summer 1999 |
|
|
| Group inactive 1999–2001 | ||
| Early – late 2001 |
| none |
| Early – late 2002 |
| |
| Group inactive 2002–2008 | ||
| July 2008 – June 2012 |
|
|
| June 2012 – November 2016 |
| none |
| November 2016 – present |
| |
Bad Company were an English rock supergroup that was formed in London in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers, drummer Simon Kirke, guitarist Mick Ralphs and bassist Boz Burrell. Peter Grant, who managed the rock band Led Zeppelin, also managed Bad Company until 1982.
Paul Bernard Rodgers is an English-Canadian singer, songwriter and musician. He was the lead vocalist of numerous rock bands, including Free, Bad Company, the Firm and the Law. He has also performed as a solo artist, and collaborated with the remaining active members of Queen under the moniker Queen + Paul Rodgers, from 2004 until both parties parted ways in 2009. A poll in Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 55 on its list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". In 2011 Rodgers received the British Academy's Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.
Free were an English rock band formed in London in 1968 by Paul Rodgers (vocals), Paul Kossoff (guitar), Andy Fraser and Simon Kirke. They are best known for their hit songs "All Right Now" and "Wishing Well". Although renowned for their live performances and non-stop touring, their music did not sell well until their third studio album, Fire and Water (1970), which featured the hit "All Right Now". The song helped secure them a performance at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival, where they played to an audience of 600,000 people. In the early 1970s they became one of the best-selling British blues rock groups; by the time they disbanded, they had sold more than 20 million records worldwide and had played in more than 700 arenas and festival concerts. "All Right Now" remains a staple of R&B and rock, and has entered ASCAP's "One Million" airplay singles club.
Raymond "Boz" Burrell was an English musician. Originally a vocalist and guitarist, Burrell is best known for being the vocalist and bassist of King Crimson from 1971 to 1972 and the original bassist of Bad Company, formed in 1973, with whom he stayed until 1982 before re-joining for a reunion of the original line-up during 1998 to 1999. He died of a heart attack in Spain in 2006, aged 60.
Michael Geoffrey Ralphs is an English retired musician, vocalist and songwriter, who was a founding member of rock bands Mott the Hoople and Bad Company.
Desolation Angels is the fifth studio album by English rock supergroup Bad Company, released on March 7, 1979. Paul Rodgers revealed on In the Studio with Redbeard that the album's title came from the 1965 novel of the same name by Jack Kerouac. The title was almost used 10 years previous to name the second album from Rodgers' previous band, Free, which in the end was called simply Free.
Rough Diamonds is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Bad Company. The album was released in August 1982. Rough Diamonds, like its predecessor, Desolation Angels, was recorded at Ridge Farm Studio in Surrey, England, in March and April 1981 and engineered by Max Norman.
Simon Frederick St George Kirke is an English musician who was the co-founder, drummer, and only continuous member of the rock supergroup Bad Company. Prior to forming Bad Company he was the drummer and co-founder of Free.
Robert Hart is an English vocalist and songwriter. He is currently the lead singer of Manfred Mann's Earth Band and the band Diesel. He has performed as a solo artist, and with The Distance and also with former Whitesnake members in the band called Company of Snakes and with Bad Company. He also fronted The Jones Gang, a rock group formed by Hart, Rick Wills and Kenney Jones. He was the first English writer to be signed to Disney owned Hollywood Records.
Fame and Fortune is the seventh studio album by British rock band Bad Company, released in 1986. It was the first album released by the reformed group, featuring original members Mick Ralphs (guitar) and Simon Kirke (drums), with the addition of new frontman Brian Howe substituting for original singer Paul Rodgers. While original bassist Boz Burrell appears credited as part of the line-up, the liner notes reveal that session player Steve Price played on the album.
Company of Strangers is the eleventh studio album by the English blues rock band Bad Company, and their first with lead singer Robert Hart. The album was released in June 1995, and was their last album of original material.
What You Hear Is What You Get is a live album by hard rock band Bad Company, with Brian Howe in place of Paul Rodgers as lead vocalist. Released in 1993, the album covers the 1992 U.S tour, with much of the recording done at various California dates. The band's introduction was done by Ralphs' guitar technician, Gary Gilmore.
In Concert: Merchants of Cool is a live album and DVD by English hard rock band Bad Company. It was recorded principally at The Paramount Theater, Denver, Colorado and The Grove of Anaheim, Anaheim, California, in January 2002. It features hits from both Bad Company and precursor band Free as well as two new studio tracks, "Joe Fabulous" and "Saving Grace". It is their only album not to feature guitarist Mick Ralphs; longtime session guitarist Dave “Bucket” Colwell, who had previously appeared on the Here Comes Trouble album, plays in Mick’s place. Additionally, Jaz Lochrie plays bass instead of Boz Burrell. The band covers two songs from the Beatles, "Ticket to Ride" and "I Feel Fine" in a medley with "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy", as well as one from Paul Rodgers' and Simon Kirke's former band Free, "All Right Now".
Live in Albuquerque 1976 is a live album by the English hard rock band Bad Company featuring all four original members. The recordings were made by Mick Ralphs, who regularly taped the group's shows in the 1970s, so the band could use them to finely tune their set and performances. The album was released on Angel Air Records in 2006, 30 years after it was recorded. The band did not release an official live album in the 1970s. Mick Ralphs also supplied photos from the 1970s and 1980s for the booklet, taken from his personal archive. It would be the last Bad Company release to feature original bassist Boz Burrell, who died from a heart attack on 21 September 2006 in Spain.
Brian Anthony Howe was an English rock singer, best known for replacing Paul Rodgers as the lead vocalist of Bad Company. Howe's career was jump-started in 1983 when Ted Nugent recruited him to handle lead vocals for his Penetrator album and front its subsequent world tour.
"Gone, Gone, Gone" is a song by English rock band Bad Company. The song was released as the second and final single from the band's fifth studio album Desolation Angels. The song peaked at #56 on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 25, 1979.
"Electricland" is a song by English hard rock supergroup Bad Company. The song was released as the only single from the band's sixth studio album Rough Diamonds. It is the last single released by the band to feature their original line-up, as well as being the last to feature lead singer Paul Rodgers until 1999's "Hey Hey".
Live in Concert 1977 & 1979 is a double live album by the English hard rock band Bad Company, released on CD and as an mp3 download in 2016. It is an archival album with recordings taken from two concerts from their tours in 1977 and 1979. Disc one contains material from a concert at The Summit in Houston, Texas on May 23, 1977. Disc 2 contains material from a concert at Wembley Arena in London on March 9, 1979.
Hard Rock Live is a live album and video by the English hard rock band Bad Company released in 2010. It was recorded at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida on August 8, 2008, and marked the first time original members Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirke had performed together, since their brief reunion in 1999.
Live at Wembley is a live album by the rock band Bad Company released in 2011. It was recorded on April 11, 2010 from a concert at the Wembley Arena in London, England.
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