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Biography
BLP sources|date=August 2009Infobox musical artist | name = Pat Travers| image = 9b.jpg| alt =| caption = Travers (3rd from left), with the group Azmyth, 2009| image_size =| background = solo_singer| birth_name = Patrick Henry Travers| alias =| birth_date = Birth date and age|1954|4|12| death_date =| origin = Toronto , Ontario , Canada | instrument = Guitar , Keyboard instrument|keyboards , vocals | genre = Hard rock , blues rock , Heavy metal music|heavy metal | occupation = Singer-songwriter , musician | years_active = 1976present| label = Polydor Records | associated_acts =| website =| notable_instruments = 1956 Gibson Les Paul Jr. Double Cutaway Patrick Henry "Pat" Travers (born April 12, 1954) is a Canada|Canadian Rock music|rock guitarist, keyboardist and singer who began his recording career with Polydor Records in the mid-1970s. Pat Thrall , Nicko McBrain , Mick Dyche , Tommy Aldridge , Peter "Mars" Cowling , Barry Dunaway , Jerry Riggs , and Carmine Appice are some of the noted musicians who have been members of the Pat Travers Band through the years. Kirk Hammett of Metallica has cited him as one of his favorite guitar players. http://www.metallicaworld.co.uk/Interviews/2001_kirk_qanda.htm
Early years
Pat Travers was born and raised in Toronto , Ontario . Soon after picking up the guitar at age 12, he saw Jimi Hendrix perform in Ottawa . Inspired by Hendrix, as well as other artists including Jeff Beck , Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page , Travers began playing in bands early in his teens; his first bands were the Music Machine (not to be confused with The Music Machine|the Californian psychedelic/garage band of the same name ), Red Hot, and Merge, which played in Quebec -area clubs.
While performing with Merge, he was noticed by rock artist Ronnie Hawkins , who invited Travers to perform with him. Next, the young guitarist moved to London and landed a deal with the Polydor label in his early 20's. His self-titled debut album was released in 1976, and featured bassist Peter "Mars" Cowling , who would become a mainstay in Travers' band for several years. An appearance on the German TV show Rockpalast in November 1976 was later released on DVD under the title Hooked On Music . This performance showcases an early version of Travers' band featuring Cowling and drummer Nicko McBrain .
Rise to popularity
During 1977 Travers added a second guitarist to his band, changed drummers twice including using Clive Edwards , and by the time Heat In The Street was released in 1978 had put together the Pat Travers Band. This grouping featured Travers on vocals and guitar, Pat Thrall on guitar, Cowling on bass, and Tommy Aldridge on drums and percussion. The band toured heavily, also supporting Rush (band)|Rush on their Drive til You Die tour in support of A Farewell to Kings .cite book | last = Popoff | first = Martin | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home and Away | publisher = ECW | year = 2004 | location = | page = 62 | url = http://books.google.com/books? id=KS3hAWaAqkkC& pg=PA62 | doi = | id = | isbn = 978-1-55022-678-2 The band's next release was a live album entitled Live& #33; Go for What You Know , which charted in the Top 40 in the United States and included "Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)". This was followed by the 1980 release Crash and Burn (Pat Travers Band album)|Crash and Burn , which climbed even higher on the charts, entering the Top 20. '' Snortin' Whiskey was a major American radio hit from this album and Pat Travers began the 1980s as a hot item in the hard rock music scene.
Things began to slide downward for Travers in August 1980. After an appearance before 35,000 people at the Reading Music Festival in England, both Thrall and Aldridge announced they were leaving the band to pursue other projects. Travers and Cowling forged on with drummer Sandy Gennaro and released Radio Active (Pat Travers album)|Radio Active in 1981. A co-headlining tour with Rainbow (band)|Rainbow followed, and the two bands performed in major arenas across North America. Although the tour was Travers' most successful road outing, the Radio Active album barely made it into the Top 40. It was much different than Travers' previous work, with more emphasis on keyboards than heavy guitars. Disappointed with the lack of sales, Polydor Records|Polydor dropped Travers from their roster, and he in turn sued the record company on grounds that he was under contract with them to record more material. He won the lawsuit, and was able to release Black Pearl in 1982. This release also featured more mainstream music rather than the hard-driving rock Travers had recorded earlier, and included the hit single "I La La La Love You", featured prominently on mainstream Top 40 and album oriented rock stations, and in the 1983 movie Valley Girl (film)|Valley Girl . Hot Shot was Travers' last major label release of original music, and was a return to a harder-edge style of rock than his previous two albums had been. One of Travers' best-recorded projects, it went basically unnoticed and is best remembered for the single "Killer". It was during this time that Travers also released Just Another Killer Day , a 30-minute home video featuring music from Hot Shot that was a sci-fi type short story about sexy alien women searching for information on music here on earth. In 1984, Travers was again supporting Rush-- Alex Lifeson is one of Travers' many admirers, and Neil Peart got along well with Tommy Aldridge .cite book | last = Popoff | first = Martin | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home and Away | publisher = ECW | year = 2004 | location = | page = 116 | url = http://books.google.com/books? id=KS3hAWaAqkkC& pg=PA116 | doi = | id = | isbn = 978-1-55022-678-2
Before the release of Hot Shot , longtime bassist Cowling left the band, and Travers would work with several different bassists until Cowling's return in 1989. Also at this time Jerry Riggs joined the Pat Travers Band, and he and Travers created a guitar team that fans considered difficult to rival. After Hot Shot s release in 1984, Polydor made plans to issue a greatest hits package, and then ended their relationship with Travers .
The latter half of the 1980s were quite grueling for Travers. Having entered the decade at the top of the music game, he found himself in 1986 without a record contract and being forced to earn a living once again playing nightclubs and touring constantly. By 1990, he had gained a deal with a small European label and released School Of Hard Knocks . Totally ignored by radio, the project was solid and contained some of Travers' best material. A full-length concert video Boom Boom Live At The Diamond Club 1990 was shot in Toronto to be released in audio version as CD Boom Boom next year, but Travers was still not able to return to the success he had ten years earlier.
1990s, return to form
Shortly after, Travers signed a deal with American-based Blues Bureau International Records, a company formed by noted producer Mike Varney . Travers' first recording for the label was Blues Tracks released in 1992. It earned positive reviews from critics. Several more releases on the BBI label followed during the 1990s. In 1993, Travers parted company with both Jerry Riggs and Peter "Mars" Cowling, and Riggs was briefly replaced by former Foghat guitarist Erik Cartwright . The relationship was very brief, and Travers has worked with a variety of musicians since that time.
Travers has not been able to regain the level of commercial success he once had, but he does have a very large and loyal fan base who call themselves "Hammer Heads". He tours regularly in the U.S. and has made several trips to Europe in the last decade as well. In 2001 he was part of the " Voices of Classic Rock " tour, and had a minor hit with Leslie West from the band Mountain (band)|Mountain called "Rock Forever". In 2004 he started a project with the drums veteran Carmine Appice and started touring the U.S.A.; as of now there are 3 albums released. Travers was still rocking in 2006 with the Power Trio playing cover tunes from bands such as Led Zeppelin , Montrose (band)|Montrose , Queen (band)|Queen , Trapeze (band)|Trapeze under the album name P.T. Power Trio 2 , and they toured Europe in November 2006. Travers has lived in central Florida for several years, and is now married with two children. Travers is also a Black Belt in the style of Isshin Ryu Karate, and currently trains with 10 time World Champion, sensei Mike Reeves in Apopka, FL
The Pat Travers Band currently consists of Pat Travers (guitars, vocals, keyboards), Kirk McKim (guitars, vocals), Sandy Gennaro (drums), and Rodney O'Quinn (bass).
Pat also sang on "Get the Funk Out" with Extreme. You can hear him on the vocal bridge leading into the chorus.
Discography
1976 Pat Travers (album)|Pat Travers
1977 ''Makin' Magic
1977 Putting It Straight
1978 Heat In The Street
1978 The Pat Travers You Missed Mini-Album (EP)
1979 Live& #33; Go for What You Know (live 1978)
1980 Crash and Burn (Pat Travers Band album)|Crash and Burn
1981 Radio Active (Pat Travers album)|Radio Active
1982 Black Pearl
1984 Hot Shot
1990 School Of Hard Knocks
1991 Boom Boom (live 1990)
1992 BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert (live 1977 & 1980) (rereleased in 2000)
2000 Boom Boom Live At The Diamond Club 1990 (CD & DVD)
2003 Etched In Stone (2-CD live 2002)
2003 P.T. Power Trio (also called Power Trio )
2003 From The Front...Live! (DVD-Audio live 1984)
2005 PT=MC2
2006 P.T. Power Trio 2
2007 Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights) (live)
2008 Stick With What You Know Live In Europe (live 2007)
2009 ''Travelin' Blues
2010 Fidelis
Singles released during major label career
1976 "Makes No Difference" (promo single to debut album)
1976 "Stop And Smile"
1977 "Stevie"
1977 "Rock & Roll Susie"
1977 "Gettin' Betta"
1977 "Life In London"
1978 "Heat In The Street"
1978 "Go All Night"
1979 "Boom, Boom (Out Go The Lights) Live!" (UK single)
1980 "Is This Love" (US single)
1980 " Snortin' Whiskey " (US single)
1980 "Evie" ( Holland only single)
1980 "Crash And Burn"
1980 "(Your Love) Can't Be Right"
1981 "My Life Is On The Line"
1981 "New Age Music"
1982 "I La La La Love You"
1982 "Rockin'"
1982 "I'd Rather See You Dead"
1984 "Women On The Edge Of Love"
1984 "Killer"
Compilation albums
1985 Boom Boom: The Best Of Pat Travers
1990 An Anthology Vol.1
1990 An Anthology Vol.2
1991 The Best Of Pat Travers
1997 Best Of Blues + Live! (studio & 1997 live recordings)
2003 20th Century Masters: The Best Of Pat Travers
2004 Rock Solid: The Essential Collection (Germany)
2008 ''8+8: The Best Of '70'80 (live recordings) (Germany)
Travers & Appice albums
2004 It Takes A Lot Of Balls
2005 Live At The House Of Blues
2005 Bazooka
Pat Travers is credited on the following CDs
1977 Glenn Hughes Play Me Out
1983 Valley Girl (Soundtrack)
1993 L.A. Blues Authority, Vol.III: Hats Off To Stevie Ray (Various artists)
1993 L.A. Blues Authority, Vol.IV: Fit For A. King (Various artists)
1993 Songs From The Better Blues Bureau (Various artists)
1993 ''Masters Of Metal Live The 70's Ten Hits (Various artists)
1994 L.A. Blues Authority, Vol.V: Cream Of The Crop (Various artists)
1995 Animal Magnetism (Various artists)
1997 Summerhaze (John Kay & Steppenwolf, Blue Oyster Cult, Foghat, Pat Travers) (live)
2001 Voices Of Classic Rock: Voices For America (Various artists)
2001 Glenn Hughes Building The Machine
2004 Sideways (Soundtrack)
2010 The Circus Bar (Brian Howe)
References
Reflist
External links
http://www.pattravers.com/ Pat Travers Official Web Site
http://www.canadianbands.com/.html Bio at CanadianBands.com
http://guitarinternational.com/wpmu/2010/06/15/pattraverse/ Pat Travers: Groove and Tone GuitarInternational.com Interview
Persondata | NAME = Travers, Pat | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH = April 12, 1954 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Travers, Pat Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:Canadian rock singers Category:Canadian heavy metal singers Category:Canadian rock guitarists Category:Canadian male singers Category:Musicians from Toronto Category:Canadian expatriate musicians in the United States
