Pat Travers

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Pat Travers bigraphy, stories - Singer and guitarist

Pat Travers : biography

April 12, 1954 –

Patrick Henry "Pat" Travers (born April 12, 1954) is a Canadian 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, Carmine Appice and Micheal Shrieve 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.

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 Summerdaze (John Kay & Steppenwolf, Blue Öyster 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)
  • 2012 Antiseptic Bloodbath (Tourniquet)

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)

Discography

  • 1976 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! Go for What You Know (live 1978)
  • 1980 Crash and Burn
  • 1981 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)
  • 1992 Blues Tracks
  • 1993 Just A Touch
  • 1994 Blues Magnet
  • 1995 Halfway To Somewhere
  • 1996 Lookin’ Up
  • 1997 King Biscuit Flower Hour (live 1984)
  • 1998 Blues Tracks 2
  • 2000 Don’t Feed The Alligators
  • 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
  • 2012 Blues On Fire
  • 2013 Can Do

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 on their Drive til You Die tour in support of A Farewell to Kings. The band’s next release was a live album entitled Live! Go for What You Know, which charted in the Top 40 in the United States and included the tune "Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)" (composition of the song credited to Stan Lewis), which climbed even higher on the charts, entering the Top 20. "Snortin’ Whiskey" was a major American radio hit from 1980’s Crash and Burn and Travers began the 1980s as a hot item in the hard rock music scene.