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Biography
refimprove|date=March 2010Infobox musical artist | name = Tora Tora| image =| caption =| image_size =| background = group_or_band| origin = Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis , USA | genre = Hard rock ,cite web|url=Allmusic|class=artist|id=p5671|pure_url=yes|title=allmusic (((Tora Tora > Overview)))|last=Book|first=John|publisher= Allmusic |accessdate=April 4, 2010 glam metal , heavy metal music|heavy metal | years_active = 1985–1994, 2008-| label = A& M Records , FNA Records ,| associated_acts =| website =| current_members = Anthony Corder (vocals, guitar)< Keith Douglas (guitar) Patrick Francis (bass) John Patterson (drums)| notable_instruments = Tora Tora is a hard rock band formed in Memphis, TN in 1985. "Tora" means "tiger" in Japanese (not "bird", which is "tori" in Japanese). The name is a play on the code name for attack used by the Japanese Imperial Navy during their attack on Pearl Harbor , " Tora, Tora, Tora ". The actual origin of the band name was more likely a reference to the song of the same name recorded by Van Halen on their 1980 release Women and Children First (album)|Women and Children First .
Tora Tora started out as a local garage band then eventually got studio time when they won a local Battle of the Bands contest. Following this, the band recorded To Rock To Roll as an independent Extended play|EP . After its release the songs "Phantom Rider" and "Love's A Bitch" received extensive airplay on local radio station Rock 98. After signing with A& M Records , they recorded their debut album Surprise& #33; Attack in 1989. This album peaked on Billboard (magazine)|Billboard 's Top 200 at #47. The single " Dancing With A Gypsy " was on the soundtrack for the film '' Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure later that year.
In 1992, their second album, Wild America , was released. It only achieved #134 on the Billboard charts and it did not sell as well, but, it was a more mature step at songwriting.
A third album, Revolution Day , was recorded in 1994, but it was never released due to label restructuring. After missing the due date, the band folded.
Recently, in 2008 in music|2008 , all four original band members have reunited to do several performances. One was a sold out performance at Newby's, a local club in Memphis, TN to celebrate their 20th anniversary of receiving their record deal. After the show, a record was sold to fans which included songs from their first two albums and material slated for their unreleased "Revolution Day" album. The album was titled The Warehouse... 20 Years Later . The second occurred during Rocklahoma|Rocklahoma 2008 . The band is scheduled to play another reunion show at The New Daisy Theatre on March 7, 2009, in Memphis.
At the end of 2009 in music|2009 Tora Tora signed with the Nashville, Tennessee based FNA Records and released 3 albums. "Before & After", "Bombs Away: The Unreleased Surprise Attack Recordings", and "Miss B. Haven': The Unreleased Wild America Recordings".
On February 28, 2011 FNA Records in conjunction with the band decided after seventeen years since the completion of their 3rd album, which was shelved indefinitely at the time due to label complications, finally decided to release their "lost album" Revolution Day. A pressing decision since there were many bootlegged copies floating around on the internet and various file sharing websites...which those copies were only hard demos and not professionally mastered (because the copies out there were dubbed from an original source of a cassette tape). Anthony Corder on the Revolution Day Sessions:
cquote|The Revolution Day project was an interesting time for TORA TORA. It was the '93-'94 era, we were overlapping the last embers of our Wild America dates, rehearsing ideas for the new project, growing from our touring experiences, and experimenting with recording techniques. We relocated our rehearsal space to a warehouse over by the Memphis airport, and tried to stay focused on pre-production. We were pulling together ideas from handheld cassette recorders, scribbled napkins, & 8 track recordings we made on the bus or hotel rooms. I think we were more comfortable with our creative spirits, more confident in our ideas and our approach to songwriting. All of us contributed on the former projects, but everyone was struggling for the third project to keep the TORA identity, and go somewhere new at the same time. We definitelysic had moments of anxiety and frustrationsic but it was all well worth it once we locked down the tunes. We were joined by The Memphis Horns as well as Susan Marshall and Stacy Plunk adding back-up vocals on two tracks. The Revolution sessions were some of our most memorable escapades, and had us back at home in Ardent, hanging with Molly's LaCasita crew, and me personally closing down most Midtown establishments. http://fnarecords.net/roster? page=shop.product_details& flypage=flypage-albummp3.tpl& product_id=151& category_id=41
''Walkin' Shoes (single) (1990) #86 US Billboard Hot 100
Wild America (album)|Wild America (1992) #132 US Billboard 200
Revolution Day (1994/2011) (recorded in 1994 - released on February 28, 2011 by FNA Records)
The Warehouse... 20 Years Later (album)|The Warehouse... 20 Years Later (2008)
Before & After (2009)
Bombs Away: The Unreleased Surprise Attack Recordings (2009)
''Miss B. Haven': The Unreleased Wild America Recordings (2009)
References
reflist
External links
http://www.fnarecords.net FNA Records
http://www.myspace.com/toratoraband Official Tora Tora Myspace
http://www.famousinterview.ca/interviews/tora_tora.htm Interview with Keith Douglas
http://www.sleazeroxx.com/news08/0222tor.shtml SleazeRoxx article detailing the reunion
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jun/27/tora-tora-back-with-a-proper-celebration/ Article detailing performance at Newby's
Category:Heavy metal musical groups from Tennessee Category:American hard rock musical groups Category:American glam rock musical groups Category:Musical groups established in 1985 Category:A& M Records artists Category:Musical groups from Memphis, Tennessee
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