Rail (band)

Last updated
Rail
Origin Bellevue, Washington, U.S.
Genres Hard rock, heavy metal
Years active1970-present
LabelsDynasty Records
EMI America Records
MembersTerry James Young
Andy Baldwin
Rick Knotts
Kelly Nobles
Past membersChris Kinkade
Randy Miller
Ronnie Montrose
Mark Welling Bryce Bishop
Website www.railonline.net

Rail is an American rock band that achieved national fame after winning the grand prize of MTV's Basement Tapes competition in 1983. [1] Before starting their recording career, the group was well known in the Seattle area under the names "Rail & Company" and "Rail & Co."

Contents

History

The band was formed by drummer Kelly Nobles, bassist/singer Terry James Young and guitarist Andy Baldwin at Highland Junior High School in Bellevue, Washington in 1970. Interlake High School mate Rick Knotts joined the band in 1973.

Rail won a best local band award from Seattle rock station KZOK-FM in 1978. The band entered the Billboard 200 albums chart with its self-titled EMI America Records release "Rail". The band toured with Van Halen, Heart, Ted Nugent, Blue Öyster Cult, Three Dog Night, The Beach Boys, Nazareth, and others.

Rail released three albums and one EP between 1980–1997 and remains a long-touring staple of the Washington local music scene. Although not officially recognized on any of their albums, during the early to mid-80s several well known local artists appeared as guest performers live and in the studio. In 1985 they were joined by guitarist Ronnie Montrose for several months. He was looking for a new band, and Rick Knotts had recently left. Billed as "Rail featuring Ronnie Montrose" or "Ronnie & Rail", they played a set of half Rail favorites and half Montrose songs ("Rock Candy", "Rock the Nation", "Matriarch", and Gamma's remake of Thunderclap Newman's "Something in the Air"). At the end of the tour, there was an amicable split.

The original four members continue to perform and record together.

Discography

Studio albums

TitleAlbum detailsChart
US
Arrival
  • Released: 1980
  • Label: Dynasty Records
Rail
  • Released: 1984
  • Label: EMI America
143 [2]
Rail Three
  • Released: 1985
  • Label: Dynasty Records
Big World
  • Released: 1997
  • Label: Art Records
"-" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Def Leppard</span> British rock band

Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1976 in Sheffield. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage, Joe Elliott, Rick Allen (drums), Phil Collen, and Vivian Campbell. They established themselves as part of the new wave of British heavy metal of the early 1980s. Their greatest commercial success came between the early 1980s and early 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bad Company</span> British rock band

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Rodgers</span> English musician (born 1949)

Paul Bernard Rodgers is an English 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Danko</span> Canadian singer, songwriter, and musician (1943–1999)

Richard Clare Danko was a Canadian musician, bassist, songwriter, and singer, best known as a founding member of the Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sammy Hagar</span> American rock singer (born 1947)

Sam Roy Hagar, also known as the Red Rocker, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose before launching a successful solo career, scoring a hit in 1984 with "I Can't Drive 55". He enjoyed further commercial success when he replaced David Lee Roth as the lead vocalist of Van Halen in 1985, but left in 1996. He returned to the band from 2003 to 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stone Gossard</span> American guitarist

Stone Carpenter Gossard is an American musician who serves as a guitarist for the rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O.A.R.</span> American rock band

O.A.R. is an American rock band, founded in 1996 in Rockville, Maryland. The band consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Marc Roberge, drummer Chris Culos, guitarist Richard On, bassist Benj Gershman, and saxophonist/guitarist Jerry DePizzo. Touring members include trumpet player Jon Lampley and keyboardist Mikel Paris. Together, the band has released ten studio albums. The band is well known for their live shows and extensive summer touring; they have released six live records, with the latest release, Live From Merriweather, in November 2019. Four of the band members grew up in Rockville, Maryland, and attended Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School. After graduating, they went on to study at Ohio State University, where they met the fifth member, saxophonist/guitarist Jerry DePizzo from Youngstown, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgar Winter</span> American musician (born 1946)

Edgar Holland Winter is an American multi-instrumentalist, working as a vocalist along with playing keyboards, saxophone, and percussion. His success peaked in the 1970s with his band the Edgar Winter Group and their popular songs "Frankenstein" and "Free Ride". He is the brother of late blues singer and guitarist Johnny Winter.

Lone Justice is an American country rock band formed in 1982 by guitarist Ryan Hedgecock and singer Maria McKee in Los Angeles. The band released two albums, Lone Justice in 1985 and Shelter the following year, before disbanding in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Squier</span> American musician (born 1950)

William Haislip Squier is an American musician, singer, and songwriter who had a string of arena rock and crossover hits in the early 1980s. His best-known songs include "The Stroke", "Lonely Is the Night", "My Kinda Lover", "In the Dark", "Rock Me Tonite", "Everybody Wants You", "Emotions in Motion", "Love Is the Hero", and "Don't Say You Love Me". Squier's best-selling album, 1981's Don't Say No, is considered a landmark release of arena rock, bridging the gap between power pop and hard rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montrose (band)</span> American hard rock band

Montrose was an American hard rock band formed in 1973 and named after guitarist and founder Ronnie Montrose. The band's original lineup featured lead vocalist and frontman Sammy Hagar, who later found greater success as a solo artist and as a member of Van Halen. Rounding out the original foursome were bassist Bill Church and drummer Denny Carmassi. The band experienced moderate success before disbanding in early 1977. The 1973 debut album Montrose eventually proved to be an international sleeper hit, selling in excess of one million copies and attaining platinum status in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronnie Montrose</span> American guitarist (1947–2012)

Ronald Douglas Montrose was an American musician and guitarist who founded and led the rock bands Montrose and Gamma. He also performed and did session work with a variety of musicians, including Van Morrison, Herbie Hancock, Beaver & Krause, Boz Scaggs, Edgar Winter, Gary Wright, The Beau Brummels, Dan Hartman, Tony Williams, The Neville Brothers, Marc Bonilla and Sammy Hagar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black (Pearl Jam song)</span> Song by Pearl Jam

"Black" is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam. The song is the fifth track on their 1991 debut album, Ten, and features lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music written by guitarist Stone Gossard.

John Douglas Edwards is an American rock singer who sang for the bands Buster Brown, Montrose, King Kobra, Wild Horses, Northrup, Royal Jelly and is best known as the second lead singer of the rock band Foreigner.

<i>Queensrÿche</i> (EP) 1982 EP by Queensrÿche

Queensrÿche is the debut EP by American heavy metal band Queensrÿche, released independently in 1982 through 206 Records and reissued later that next year through EMI America Records. A remastered edition was reissued in 2003 through Capitol Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gamma (band)</span> American rock band

Gamma was an American hard rock band formed by guitarist Ronnie Montrose and singer Davey Pattison in San Francisco in 1979. They released four albums: Gamma 1 (1979), Gamma 2 (1980), Gamma 3 (1982) and Gamma 4 (2000). Their biggest hit was 1982's "Right the First Time", which was a minor chart entry in the US, but a top 40 hit in Canada. Some of their other best known songs include "Fight to the Finish" from their first album, and "Meanstreak" and "Voyager" from the second album.

<i>Montrose</i> (album) 1973 studio album by Montrose

Montrose is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Montrose, released in October 1973 by Warner Bros. It was produced by Ted Templeman. Montrose marks the career debut of singer-guitarist Sammy Hagar, who would later achieve significant success as a solo artist and as a member of Van Halen.

Bruce Turgon is an American bass guitarist, guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and producer. Bruce has played in several bands throughout his career including: Foreigner, The Lou Gramm Band, Shadow King, Steve Stevens, Warrior, Black Sheep and Showcase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brent Fitz</span> Musical artist (born 1970)

Brent Fitz is a Canadian-American musician and multi-instrumentalist. In his career, he has worked with Slash, Myles Kennedy, Theory of a Deadman, Alice Cooper, Vince Neil, Union, Gene Simmons, The Guess Who, Brad Whitford from Aerosmith, Derek St. Holmes, Ronnie Montrose, Indigenous, Lamya, Streetheart, Harlequin, and Econoline Crush.

Keith St. John is an American rock singer, songwriter, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his work as the frontman for the hard rock bands Montrose and Burning Rain.

References

  1. "Seattle hard rock band wins 'MTV Basement Tapes' finals". Newspapers.com. Longview News-Journal. October 9, 1983. Retrieved September 14, 2020. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  2. "TOP LPs & TAPE" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved March 23, 2018.