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Red Rider | |
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Background information | |
Also known as | Tom Cochrane & Red Rider |
Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Genres | Rock, hard rock |
Years active | 1975–1990 2002–present |
Labels | Capitol, RCA |
Members | Ken Greer Tom Cochrane Jeff Jones Davide Direnzo Gary Craig |
Past members | Rob Baker Peter Boynton Jon Checkowski Arvo Lepp Steve Sexton John Webster Ken "Spider" Sinnaeve Randall Coryell Peter Mueller Jamie Oakes Randall "Mongo" Stoll Troy Feener Bill Bell Gary Craig |
Red Rider, later known as Tom Cochrane & Red Rider, is a Canadian rock band popular in the 1980s. While they achieved significant success in Canada, the band never had a song in the top 40 in the United States, although "Lunatic Fringe" from their second album, 1981's As Far as Siam , became popular on US album-oriented rock radio. They also charted on the Billboard Hot 100 with "White Hot" from their debut album Don't Fight It (1979) and "Young Thing, Wild Dreams (Rock Me)" from Breaking Curfew (1984), and charted comparably to "Lunatic Fringe" on Mainstream Rock (AOR) with "Big League", "Human Race", and "Power", the latter two tracks off 1983's Neruda .
Red Rider was formed in Toronto in 1975 when Peter Boynton (keyboards, synthesizers, vocals), Ken Greer (guitars, keyboards, backing vocals) and Rob Baker (drums) joined up with Arvo Lepp (guitar) and Jon Checkowski (bass) and began playing around Toronto, performing both original and cover music.
In 1978, their manager at that time was contacted by Capitol Records about adding singer/guitarist/composer Tom Cochrane to the group. Cochrane was invited to one of the band's gigs in London, Ontario to rehearse with them. Boynton, Greer and Baker were impressed with his playing and songwriting but Lepp and Checkowski were not as enthused and decided to leave the band. Jeff Jones (formerly with Ocean and who briefly played for Rush) was then brought in on bass, and it was the lineup of Cochrane, Boynton, Greer, Baker and Jones that were signed to Capitol and released their first album Don't Fight It in October 1979. With the singles "White Hot" and "Don't Fight It", the album quickly reached gold status.
Their second album, As Far as Siam , was released in June 1981 and featured the hit "Lunatic Fringe", which featured steel guitarist Greer. The song was used in the 1985 movie Vision Quest , appeared in the Miami Vice episode "Smuggler's Blues" and saw high rotation on the United States cable network MTV. It is now a mainstay on American classic rock radio.
Peter Boynton was replaced by keyboardist Steve Sexton on Red Rider's third album Neruda , released in March 1983, and the track "Napoleon Sheds His Skin" would become one of the more popular songs from the album, while "Human Race" picked up considerable FM radio airplay in the US, becoming their second best known song there after "Lunatic Fringe". Moreover, the song "Can't Turn Back" was used in the Miami Vice episode "Tale of the Goat".
For their next release, Breaking Curfew (September 1984), John Webster (formerly with Canadian soft rockers Stonebolt) replaced Sexton on keyboards. The album did not sell as well as Neruda and a dispute with Bruce Allen, the band's manager, over the future direction of the band resulted in Red Rider's departure from the Bruce Allen camp and a change in band members, as Jeff Jones and Rob Baker left. The album did contain the band's top-charting single in the US, "Young Thing, Wild Dreams (Rock Me)", which reached number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In what became a strong signal regarding the future of the band, they officially became known as Tom Cochrane & Red Rider. The line-up consisted of Cochrane, Greer and Webster with new member Ken "Spider" Sinnaeve on bass. For the first album under this revised name (their fifth overall), the group issued the self-titled Tom Cochrane and Red Rider LP in May 1986. Sessioneer Graham Broad (Go West and Roger Waters' band) played drums on the album, recorded in Wales at Rockfield Studios and Metalworks Studios in Mississauga, Ontario over the early months of 1985, produced by Patrick Moran. After the release of the album, Randall Coryell was added to the official lineup for live dates, as was guitarist Peter Mueller; this six-piece version of the band would last through early 1990.
In 1987 Capitol released a compilation CD titled Over 60 Minutes with Red Rider , covering the band's first four albums. Also in 1987, the band, who had been nominated 11 times for Juno Awards, finally was awarded one for Group of the Year.
In the fall of 1988, the band (now a sextet) released their sixth album, Victory Day , which contained the track "Big League", about the death of a young hockey player. The young man's father approached Cochrane on the day of a concert, mentioning that his son was a big fan of Red Rider's song "Boy Inside The Man". Cochrane asked the man if his son was going to be attending the concert and the man responded that his son had recently died in a car accident. [1] Cochrane wrote the song as a memorial, and it became a big hit in Canada (reaching #4), as well as a top 10 hit on US rock radio.
Red Rider's final album, The Symphony Sessions , which was recorded on March 17 and 18, 1989, and released in December 1989, saw the band performing with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, as Procol Harum had done seventeen years before. The band broke up in early 1990, shortly after the album was released. Cochrane embarked on a successful solo career, employing Webster and Sinnaeve as part of his backing band.
The three-CD box set Ashes to Diamonds, which includes material by both Red Rider and Cochrane as a solo artist, was released in 1993.
Cochrane, Greer, and Jones reunited as Red Rider in 2002 to play a benefit show after their 1980s guitar tech, John Garrish, was mugged and stabbed to death in the Yorkville section of Toronto. Since that time, Tom Cochrane and Red Rider have continued to tour annually, with Cochrane, Greer, and Jones being the mainstays of this revived version of the group. Keyboardist Webster was involved for a time between 2003 and 2006; current members Davide Direnzo (drums) and Bill Bell (guitar) both joined in 2006, though Bell dropped out for several years (2012-2016) before rejoining.
Professional wrestler Kurt Angle used an instrumental version of "Lunatic Fringe" as his entrance music in TNA. UFC fighter and former Pride Champion Dan "Hendo" Henderson also uses "Lunatic Fringe" as his intro song.
Current members
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Timeline
Year | Title | Chart peak | Album | |||
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CAN [2] | AUS [3] | US [4] | US Main [4] [5] | |||
1980 | "White Hot" | 20 | — | 48 | — | Don't Fight It |
"Don't Fight It" | 75 | — | 103 | — | ||
1981 | "What Have You Got To Do" | 42 | — | — | — | As Far as Siam |
"Lunatic Fringe" | — | 52 | — | 11 | ||
1983 | "Human Race" | 29 | — | — | 11 | Neruda |
"Power (Strength in Numbers)" | — | — | — | 13 | ||
"Crack the Sky (Breakaway)" | — | — | — | 39 | ||
1984 | "Young Thing, Wild Dreams (Rock Me)" | 44 | — | 71 | 13 | Breaking Curfew |
"Breaking Curfew" | 93 | — | — | — | ||
1986 | "Boy Inside The Man" | 25 | — | — | 17 | Tom Cochrane and Red Rider |
"The Untouchable One" | 70 | — | — | 48 | ||
1987 | "One More Time (Some Old Habits)" | 85 | — | — | — | |
"Ocean Blues (Emotion Blue)" | 88 | — | — | — | ||
1988 | "Big League" | 4 | — | — | 9 | Victory Day |
1989 | "Calling America" | — | — | — | 42 | |
"Good Times" | 2 | — | — | — | ||
"Victory Day" | 32 | — | — | — | ||
"Different Drummer" | 67 | — | — | — | ||
"White Hot" (Live) | 50 | — | — | — | The Symphony Sessions |
Neruda is the third studio album by the Canadian rock band Red Rider, released in 1983. The album was recorded at Metalworks Studios in Toronto, Ontario. The figure on the album cover was inspired by Denise Sexton. The instrumental track "Light In the Tunnel" followed by "Power" have been used to open Red Rider's concerts on several tours. Neruda became Red Rider's third straight platinum album in Canada, selling more than 100,000 copies, and peaking at number 11 on the charts.
Thomas William Cochrane is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician best known as the frontman for the rock band Red Rider and for his work as a solo singer-songwriter. Cochrane has won eight Juno Awards. He is a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, an officer of the Order of Canada, and has an honorary doctorate from Brandon University. In September 2009, he was inducted onto the Canadian Walk of Fame.
Ragged Ass Road is the third solo studio album by Red Rider frontman Tom Cochrane, released in October 1995. The album was named for Ragged Ass Road, a street in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Songs from the album include "I Wish You Well", which became the first Canadian song to debut at #1 on the RPM Canadian Singles Charts, as well as three other Top 20 hits in Canada: "Wildest Dreams", "Dreamer's Dream" and "Crawl". Ragged Ass Road earned two Juno award nominations and achieved Platinum sales status in Canada. The album was produced by Cochrane and John Webster at Metalworks Studios and Ragged Ass Road Studios.
Mad Mad World is the second studio album by Canadian rock singer Tom Cochrane, originally released in 1991 in Canada and in the United States on February 17, 1992. The first single from the album, "Life Is a Highway", became a hit in late 1991, reaching number one in Canada and number six on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.
Don't Fight It is the debut album by Canadian rock band Red Rider, released in 1979 in Canada. Don't Fight It sold more than 100,000 copies in Canada and earned Cochrane and Red Rider their first gold album certification award and was later certified platinum. A United States version with a modified track list, dropping "Talkin' to Myself" and reordering the other tracks, was released in 1980.
As Far as Siam is the second studio album by the Canadian rock band Red Rider. The majority of the album was recorded at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles and produced by Richard Landis; two tracks were produced in Toronto by Michael James Jackson. The album was released by Capitol Records on June 30, 1981.
Breaking Curfew is the fourth studio album by the Canadian rock band Red Rider, released in 1984. The album was recorded and mixed at Metalworks Studios and E.S.P. Studio in Toronto, Ontario and Startling Studios in England.
Manitoba has produced much Canadian music, especially since the early 1960s.
John Webster is a musician, engineer and producer who primarily plays keyboards. He began his musical career as a child, trained in classical piano until his early teens, and then moved on to playing in rock bands. One of his first bands, Stonebolt, landed a top 30 U.S. hit with its first release in 1978 and went on to record four successful albums.
Kenneth William Greer is a Canadian guitarist and keyboardist. He is one of the founding members of the Canadian rock band Red Rider.
Loverboy is a Canadian rock band formed in Calgary, Alberta in 1979. Loverboy's hit singles, particularly "Turn Me Loose" and "Working for the Weekend", have become arena rock staples and are still heard on many classic rock and classic hits radio stations across Canada and the United States.
The Symphony Sessions was a live album released in December 1989 by Tom Cochrane & Red Rider. It was the band's seventh and final album.
Tom Cochrane and Red Rider is the fifth studio album by the Canadian rock band Tom Cochrane & Red Rider, released in 1986 The album earned Cochrane two Juno Awards for Composer of the Year and Group of the Year. A remastered version was released by EMI in 2004.
Kenneth "Spider" Sinnaeve is a Canadian musician. He was a founding member of the popular Canadian band Streetheart, and since 2001 has been a member of Loverboy, replacing late bassist Scott Smith. Sinnaeve has also contributed to many albums and played live performances with George McCrae, Helix, Tom Cochrane & Red Rider, Kim Mitchell, The Partland Brothers, Lee Aaron, and The Guess Who. He is known for his extended solos, which often last 15–20 minutes.
"Life Is a Highway" is a song by Canadian musician Tom Cochrane from his second studio album, Mad Mad World (1991). The song became a number-one hit in Canada in late 1991. "Life Is a Highway" also peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in August 1992 and reached the top three in Australia and New Zealand the same year. The song was covered by Chris LeDoux for his 1998 album One Road Man and Rascal Flatts for the Cars soundtrack.
Victory Day is an sixth album by the Canadian rock band, Tom Cochrane & Red Rider, which was released in September 1988. Victory Day sold more than 200,000 copies in Canada and became Cochrane's first double platinum album with Red Rider. The album garnered Cochrane and Red Rider three Juno Award nominations. Victory Day was the third best-selling Cancon album in Canada of 1989.
Jeffrey Robin Jones is an American-Canadian bassist who was a member of Ocean and is a member of Red Rider.
"Lunatic Fringe" is a song by the Canadian rock band Red Rider from their 1981 album, As Far as Siam.
Steve Sexton is a Canadian composer, arranger, musical director, producer and keyboardist. He served as Canadian singer Anne Murray's Musical Director for 25 years with responsibilities as her pianist, conductor, arranger, and on occasion her producer.
"Young Thing, Wild Dreams " is a song by the band Red Rider, released in 1984 as a single and climbing to No. 71 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 13 on the Mainstream Rock chart, and No. 44 in Canada.