Point Blank (band)

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Point Blank
Richard A. Heaton.jpg
Circa 1974


Point Blank was an American rock band hailing from Irving, Texas, United States. The band formed in 1974 in Irving, Texas, and recorded six albums between 1974 and 1982. [1] Garnering occasional airplay on AOR radio stations, the band is best known for their only hit single, "Nicole", from 1981. Point Blank broke up in 1983.

Contents

History

The band was discovered and managed by Bill Ham's Lone Wolf Productions (ZZ Top, and Eric Johnson). The original six albums were recorded in Memphis with engineer/producer Terry Manning. Point Blank's sound is rooted in southern rock and boogie, but drifted towards hard rock and mainstream AOR by the early 1980s. [1] In 1981, they released their fifth album, American Exce$$, [1] which included the hit single "Nicole". With strong air-play on AOR radio stations the track reached #20 on Billboard Magazine's Rock Tracks. Subsequently, "Nicole" was also released as a 45 RPM single and peaked inside the Top 40, at #39 on Billboard's Hot 100, before quickly dropping off the charts. In their heyday they were known for playing more than 200 shows per year. In 1984, the band broke up. [2]

In late 2009, Point Blank released Fight On!, their first studio album in 27 years. Both the Reloaded and Fight On! albums were released on the Dixiefrog label. [3]

Guitarist Kim Davis died on October 18, 2010, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, aged 58. [4]

James Russell Burns, better known as Rusty Burns, died in Denver from lung cancer on February 19, 2016, aged 63. [5]

The singer and a founding member, John O'Daniel, died from cancer on November 17, 2018; he was 70. [6]

Discography

Members

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who's Who of Heavy Metal (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 278. ISBN   0-85112-656-1.
  2. Breznikar, Klemen (June 21, 2011). "Point Blank Interview with John O'Daniel & Rusty Burns". It's Psychedelic Baby! Magazine . Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  3. "Point Blank". Dixiefrog Records. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  4. "The Loss of Kim Davis – News from southeastern Connecticut" . The Day. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  5. Christian, McPhate (February 22, 2016). "Rusty Burns, ZZ Top and Stevie Ray Vaughan Collaborator, Has Died". Dallas Observer. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  6. "Tribute for John Edward O'Daniel". Wayne Boze Funeral Home. Retrieved February 26, 2021.