Ironhorse
Ironhorse was a Canadian rock band from Vancouver, formed by Randy Bachman, the former The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive guitarist and singer. The initial incarnation of the band also included Tom Sparks (vocals, guitars), John Pierce (bass) and Mike Baird (drums). [1]
This line-up of Ironhorse released 1979's Ironhorse album on the Scotti Brothers label, and had a minor U.S. hit single in April 1979 with "Sweet Lui-Louise", which peaked at #36 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In Canada, the song peaked slightly higher at #26. The same track reached #60 in the UK Singles Chart.[2]
Ironhorse then had an almost complete line-up change, retaining only Bachman. The second incarnation of Ironhorse consisted of Frank Ludwig (lead vocals, guitars); Bachman (guitars, vocals); Ron Foos (bass) and Chris Leighton (drums). This line-up issued 1980's Everything is Grey, also on Scotti Brothers Records.[1] One of its singles, "What's Your Hurry Darlin'," peaked at #84 in Canada. In the U.S., the song peaked at #89 in May 1980.[3]
Foos then left the group to rejoin Paul Revere and the Raiders. In 1980, Ironhorse disbanded, with the remaining members (Bachman/Leighton/Ludwig) forming Union with Bachman's former Bachman-Turner Overdrive band-mate Fred Turner. Union put out one album On Strike on the CBS subsidiary Portrait Records, and had a minor hit with the track "Mainstreet U.S.A."
As of May, 2013, Randy Bachman has been able to secure the rights to the two Ironhorse albums.
Discography
Ironhorse - Scotti Brothers (1979)
Track listing
- "One and Only" (Randy Bachman) - 3:32
- "Sweet Lui-Louise" (Randy Bachman) - 3:11
- "Jump Back In The Light" (Randy Bachman) - 3:11
- "You Gotta Let Go" (Randy Bachman) - 4:00
- "Tumbleweed" (Randy Bachman) - 3:19
- "Stateline Blues" (Tom Sparks) - 3:47
- "Watch Me Fly" (Tom Sparks) - 3:41
- "Old Fashioned" (Randy Bachman) - dedicated to Slowhand - 3:10
- "She's Got It" (Tom Sparks) - 3:12
- "There Ain't No Cure" (Randy Bachman) - 3:57
Personnel
- Randy Bachman - vocals, guitars
- Tom Sparks - vocals, guitars
- John Pierce - bass
- Mike Baird - drums
Everything is Grey - Scotti Brothers (1980)
Track listing
- "What's Your Hurry Darlin'" (Randy Bachman, Carl Wilson) - 4:28
- "Everything Is Grey" (Randy Bachman) - 4:09
- "Symphony" (Randy Bachman, Tom Sparks) - 3:24
- "Only Way To Fly" (Frank Ludwig) - 3:56
- "Try A Little Harder" (Randy Bachman, Frank Ludwig) - 3:30
- "I'm Hurtin' Inside" (Randy Bachman) - 3:59
- "Playin' That Same Old Song" (Randy Bachman, Frank Ludwig) - 3:50
- "Railroad Love" (Randy Bachman) - 3:40
- "Somewhere, Sometime" (Randy Bachman, Frank Ludwig) - 3:55
- "Keep Your Motor Running" (Randy Bachman) - 3:44
Personnel
- Frank Ludwig - lead vocals, keyboards
- Randy Bachman - vocals, guitars
- Ron Foos - bass
- Chris Leighton - drums
with:
- Tom Sparks - backup vocals and guitar
See also
- List of bands from Canada
- List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States
References
- Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who’s Who of Heavy Metal (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 180. ISBN 0-85112-656-1.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 271. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- "The Hot 100: Week of May 31, 1980". Billboard.com. Retrieved 15 May 2015.