Pablo Cruise is an American pop/rock band from San Francisco currently composed of David Jenkins (guitar and vocals), Cory Lerios (keyboards and vocals), Sergio Gonzalez (drums), Larry Antonino (bass and vocals) and Robbie Wyckoff (vocals and percussion). Formed in 1973, the band released eight studio albums over the next decade, during which time five singles reached the top 25 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The group underwent several personnel changes and split up in 1986. The original lineup—Jenkins, Lerios, Price and Bud Cockrell—reunited briefly in 2004, and the group continues to tour today with two out of the original four members present.[1]
Initially, many fans assumed that Pablo Cruise was the name of one of the members of the band. When asked the question, the band, which is a quartet, would answer, "He's the guy in the middle." When asked what Pablo Cruise meant, the band would say that "Pablo represents an honest, real, down- to-earth individual; and Cruise depicts his fun-loving and easygoing attitude towards life."[3]
With the help of their new manager, Bob Brown (who would later steer Huey Lewis and the News to stardom), the band signed to A&M Records and released its first album in May 1975, a minor success self-titled Pablo Cruise,[4] and their second album in March 1976, titled Lifeline.[5] Their second album achieved slightly greater success than their first, but still only managed to chart at No. 139 in the United States. The instrumental "Zero to Sixty in Five" from Lifeline was used as theme music for various sports television shows. That success encouraged the band to try their hand at more film and TV scoring.[6]
In the middle of 1977, Bud Cockrell left to form a duo with his wife and former It's a Beautiful Day bandmate, Pattie Santos, and was replaced by Bruce Day (who had played in a band with Carlos Santana before his Santana days).[5]
Day's first album with the band was the RIAA platinum-selling 1978 album Worlds Away, which spawned the hits "Love Will Find a Way" and "Don't Want to Live Without It".[5][8] It also featured a cover of Australian singer-songwriter Peter Allen's hit single "I Go to Rio" and the follow-up album was 1979's Part of the Game that spawned the hit "I Want You Tonight".[8] Also that year, Pablo Cruise contributed the song "Reach For The Top" to the movie Dreamer and the following year, they placed "What've You Got To Lose" with the film Inside Moves.
Day's tenure was short-lived and after he left the band in 1980, he was replaced by the session bassist John Pierce who, alongside newly added second guitarist Angelo Rossi, debuted on the 1981 album Reflector,[5] and it spawned the band's last Top 40 hit "Cool Love".[8]
In mid-1981, Price left suddenly and was initially succeeded by Donny Baldwin, who had played with Elvin Bishop and would move on to Jefferson Starship by the summer of 1982. David Perper was next to take over the drum throne and Angelo Rossi was replaced by Stef Birnbaum (aka Stef Burns) after just one album.
In 1983 the group released Out of Our Hands,[5] which featured a change of sound to a more "'80s pop keyboard direction", with Lerios bringing in more synthesizers and downplaying the piano, which had until then been a characteristic of the group's sound, and Price played drums on two songs. The band then toured again that year with another new member, Jorge Bermudez, on vocals and percussion. Mostly due to the rising popularity of new wave, the album struggled with sales. By the end of 1984, Pierce, Birnbaum and Bermudez had left and the group's contract with A&M had come to an end.
1985 attempted reunion and hiatus
In 1985 the four original members, Jenkins, Lerios, Price and Cockrell, reunited hoping to score a new record deal.[5] It was not to be, however, and the group called it quits in 1986.[9]
Jenkins moved on to join country rockers Southern Pacific in 1987, alongside former Doobie Brothers members Keith Knudsen and John McFee and Creedence Clearwater Revival bass player Stu Cook. After leaving Southern Pacific in 1989, Jenkins relocated to Hawaii where he was introduced to Hawaiian artist Kapono Beamer and began writing music with him. This eventually led to their album Cruisin' On Hawaiian Time (2006), a collection of songs dedicated to the Hawaiian Islands.
In the meantime, Cory Lerios worked on movie and television scores, providing the music for the popular 1990s series Baywatch, among many others.
1996 partial reunion
Around 1996, Jenkins and Cockrell reunited once again as Pablo Cruise, but Lerios and Price were unable to rejoin at the time. Keyboardist Kincaid Miller and drummer Kevin Wells (ex-Clover) were brought in to replace them, and percussionist James Henry also appeared with the band as an occasional special guest from 1999 to 2008. Additionally, second guitarist Kenny Emerson and two additional backup singers, Regina Espinoza and Carolyn, were also recruited (from 1999 to 2002) for added stage attraction. Drummer Billy Johnson (ex-Santana) frequently sat in for Wells during this same time.
Former bassist Bruce Day died on June 30, 1999, in Windsor, California, from unknown causes at the age of 48.
2004 to present
In June 2004 all four original Pablo members were back together playing again at Steve Price's wedding. This led to three of the four—Jenkins, Lerios and Price—deciding to reconvene permanently. Cockrell was not involved this time and George Gabriel joined on bass and vocals. During his time away from Pablo Cruise, Price went on to become a leading figure in providing E-learning and also formed his own aerial photography company. Gabriel left Pablo Cruise in November 2009 and was replaced by veteran bassist Larry Antonino (who has worked with Air Supply, Jeff Beck, Ronnie Laws and many others) in 2010.
Bud Cockrell died on March 6, 2010, after complications from diabetes. He was 59.
On November 8, 2011 Pablo Cruise released their first live album, It's Good to Be Live, on the Red Recording label. The package included both a live CD and DVD. The live performances were taken from concerts performed at the Blue Goose in Loomis, CA on July 9 and 10, 2010. The CD also featured new versions of their songs "A Place in the Sun" (featuring fellow Red Recording artist Katrina) and "Love Will Find a Way" (with Ty Taylor of Vintage Trouble).
In 2015 Cory Lerios released an EP, If I Could Change Anything It Would Be You!, under the name Cory Charles.
In 2017 the band was joined by singer/percussionist Robbie Wyckoff who had appeared with Pink Floyd's Roger Waters on his The Wall Live tour.
In February 2020 the band finished the Rock and Romance Cruise, which turned out to be their final shows for 2020. During the COVID-19 lockdown, the band worked on a new single, "Breathe", via Skype, with new drummer Sergio Gonzalez in place of Steve Price, who had retired from the group due to health issues.[10]
The band resumed playing shows in the summer of 2021 and continues to tour, mainly in and around California.[citation needed]
Band members
Current members
David Jenkins – guitar, vocals (1973–1986, 1996–present)
The Mescaleros were the British backing band for British singer, musician and songwriter Joe Strummer, formed in 1999, which issued three albums prior to Strummer's death in 2002.
Reflector is the sixth studio album by the California soft rock group Pablo Cruise. The album charted slightly higher than its immediate predecessor, but still managed only to reach #34 in the US. Two singles were released from the album; "Cool Love" and "Slip Away", reaching #13 and #75 respectively in the US. Produced by established and well-known R&B producer Tom Dowd, fans remarked that the album had a different feel to it.
It's a Beautiful Day is an American band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1967, featuring vocalist Pattie Santos along with violinist David LaFlamme and his wife, Linda LaFlamme, on keyboards.
The Bleeding Heart Band was the name Roger Waters gave his backing band for a brief period of his post-Pink Floyd solo career.
Freedom is the fifteenth studio album by Santana. By this recording, Santana had nine members, some of whom had returned after being with the band in previous versions. Freedom moved away from the more poppy sound of the previous album, Beyond Appearances and back to the band's original Latin rock. It failed, however, to revive Santana's commercial fortunes, reaching only ninety-five on the album chart.
Pablo Cruise is the debut album by the California soft rock group Pablo Cruise, released in 1975.
Lifeline is the second album by the California soft rock group Pablo Cruise. Released in 1976, the album reached No. 139 on the Billboard Top LPs chart in the United States. In 1977, Barbra Streisand recorded "Don't Believe It" with mostly different lyrics for her album Superman.
A Place in the Sun is the third album by the California soft rock group Pablo Cruise. The album marked an entrance into the mainstream for the band, and the first single from the album, "Whatcha Gonna Do?" reached number 6 on the Pop Singles charts. The title track, "A Place in the Sun" was the second and less successful single on the album, reaching number 42, but remains the favorite among many fans of the band today. The track "Raging Fire" was released as the B-side of "I Go to Rio" in 1978. This was the group's last album with original bassist Bud Cockrell, who left the band after its release.
Worlds Away is the fourth and most successful album by the California soft rock group Pablo Cruise. The album charted higher than any other of the band's albums, reaching #6 in the United States. Three singles were released from the album: "Love Will Find a Way", "Don't Want to Live Without It" and "I Go to Rio", reaching #6, #21, and #46 respectively. The title track, "Worlds Away" was not released as a single, but remains a favorite among many fans of the band today.
Part of the Game is the fifth album by the California soft rock group Pablo Cruise. The album marked a decline in the band's popularity, as it managed only to reach #39 in the United States. One single was released from the album: "I Want You Tonight", reaching #19 in the United States. The band called the album a transition into a blend of disco to take advantage of the extreme popularity of that type of music at the time.
David Michael Jenkins is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist for the California smooth rock band Pablo Cruise. Jenkins was a member of the band at its conception in 1973, and stayed until they disbanded in 1986. In 1996, Jenkins, Bud Cockrell and two new members reformed Pablo Cruise. He was also a member of the country rock band Southern Pacific between 1987 and 1989.
Cory Charles Lerios is an American pianist and vocalist. He is a founding member of the platinum-record-selling soft rock band Pablo Cruise, and since the mid-1980s he has scored music for film and television.
Stephen Martin "Steve" Price is an American drummer and percussionist, best known as a founding member of the California smooth rock band Pablo Cruise.
James Ray "Bud" Cockrell was an American musician and singer-songwriter, best known as the original bassist and one of the lead vocalists for the San Francisco-based California rock band Pablo Cruise. Cockrell was in the band at its inception in 1973, but left in 1977 before its most successful album, Worlds Away, to form a duo with his wife and former It's a Beautiful Day bandmate, Pattie Santos. He was replaced by bassist Bruce Day.
George Gabriel is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer. He has composed and scored music for television and film for 23 years.
"Teaser" is a single by American R&B singer George Benson, which entered the UK Singles Chart on 14 February 1987. It reached a peak position of number 45, and remained on the chart for 4 weeks.
Stoneground was an American rock band formed in 1970 in Concord, California. Originally a trio, Stoneground expanded to a 10-piece band by the time of their eponymous 1971 debut album. The group appeared in two films, Medicine Ball Caravan (1971) and Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972), and released three albums before singer Sal Valentino quit in 1973. Three other band members—Cory Lerios, Steve Price and David Jenkins—left to form pop group Pablo Cruise. Stoneground continued as an act through 1982, with only Tim Barnes and Annie Sampson remaining from the early incarnation of the band. Barnes and Price led a re-formed Stoneground in 2003 and released a studio album the following year.
Stoneground 3, sometimes stylized as Stoneground Three, is the third album by American rock band Stoneground, released in 1972 on Warner Bros. It was the final studio album to feature the band's original lineup, as eight of the ten members quit shortly after the album's release.
While the City Sleeps... is a 1986 studio album by American guitarist and singer George Benson, released on Warner Bros. Records. It features musicians like Paulinho da Costa, Preston Glass, Paul Jackson, Jr., Marcus Miller and Narada Michael Walden, alongside young talents of the time like Kenny G, Randy Jackson and Kashif. Although it does not have any instrumental tracks, Benson's guitar playing is somewhat in the headlight in songs like "Love Is Here Tonight", "Teaser" and "Too Many Times". The most successful single of the album, "Kisses in the Moonlight", is still frequently played by Benson at live performances and is present on many of his compilation albums On the B-side of the "Kisses in the Moonlight" single – alongside "Breezin'" on the 12" version – is the instrumental song "Open Your Eyes" which is not available elsewhere.
Hearts of Stone is the fifth studio album by American rock band Stoneground, released in 1978 on Warner Bros. Produced by Bob Gaudio, it marked Stoneground's return to a major label, having released their previous album, Flat Out (1976), on their own label. "Prove It" was released as the first single from Hearts of Stone.
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