Pat Travers

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. Travers began playing in bands early in his teens; his
first bands were the Music Machine (not to be confused with the Californian
psychedelic/garage band of the same name), Red Hot, and Merge, which played in clubs in the
Quebec area.
While performing with Merge, he was noticed by rock artist Ronnie Hawkins, who invited
Travers to perform with him. In his early twenties Travers moved to London and signed a
recording contract with the Polydor label.[2] 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.[2] 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
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.[2] This grouping featured Travers on vocals and guitar, Pat Thrall on
guitar, Cowling on bass, and Tommy Aldridge on drums and percussion.[2] The band toured
heavily, also supporting Rush on their Drive til You Die tour in support of A Farewell to Kings.
The guitar Travers most often appeared with on stage and on album covers in the band’s early
years was a 1964/65 model double cutaway, double [humbucker] pickup Gibson Melody Maker.
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)”
(originally recorded by Little Walter, 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.
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.[2] Travers and
Cowling teamed up with drummer Sandy Gennaro and released Radio Active[2] that same year.
A co-headlining tour with 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, reaching only number 37.
It was much different than Travers’ previous work, with more emphasis on keyboards than
heavy guitars. Disappointed with the lack of sales, 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. 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.
After Hot Shot’s release in 1984, Polydor made plans to issue a greatest hits package, and then
ended their relationship with Travers.
By 1990, he had gained a deal with a small European label and released School of Hard Knocks.
The project was completely ignored by radio. 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,
working only on indie labels, as with Lemon Recordings.
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 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, despite a 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 called “Rock
Forever”. In 2004 he started a project with the veteran drummer Carmine Appice and started
touring the U.S.; as of now there are 3 albums released. Travers recorded cover tunes from
bands such as Led Zeppelin, Montrose, Queen, and 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, Mike Reeves Sensei in Apopka, Florida
From 2008-2016, was one of the longest/most consistent line ups for Pat Travers Band. Joining
Pat was Kirk McKim (2006-2015)(Guitar/Vocals), Sean Shannon (2008-2010)(Drums), followed
by Sandy Gennaro (2010-2016), and Rodney O’Quinn (2007-2016)(Bass/Vocals) Viewed as the
“Must See Line up” for all die hard PTB fans, they never disappointed! From the smoking
appearance on Bob Coburn’s Rockline Radio show, to the Moondance Jam show that aired on
Direct TV’s “Audience” channel. The Pat Travers Band put out the album “Fidelis” in late 2009.
In July 2013, The Pat Travers Band put out new album “CAN DO” released by Frontiers Records,
a major label based in Italy for numerous artists in the field of classic rock. The CAN DO album
was supported by PTB tours of the U.S., the U.K., and Europe during the later half of 2013. In
January 2015, Frontiers Records released Pat Travers Band Live at the Iridium NYC, recorded in
February 2012, which showed how deadly this line up was. Also featured Jon Paris playing blues
harp on “If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day” and “Spoonful”.
The Pat Travers Band (PTB) currently consists of Pat Travers (guitars, vocals, keyboards), Tommy
Craig (drums), and David Pastorius (bass/vocals).
Travers sang on Boston metal band Extreme’s “Get the Funk Out” on their 1990 album
Pornograffitti.
Paul Gilbert has referred to Travers as a “guitar god”[6], and Kirk Hammett of Metallica has
cited him as one of his favorite guitar players. Vito Bratta White Lion has stated Pat Travers is
an influence to his soloing.
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 at Opry House 1979)
• 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)
• 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 Live at the Bamboo Room (live CD & DVD)
• 2013 Can Do
• 2014 Snortin’ Whiskey at the Warfield (Official Bootleg)
• 2015 Live at the Iridium NYC
• 2015 Retro Rocket
• 2017 Live at Rockpalast (1976)
• 2019 Swing!
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