Brian Howe (singer): Difference between revisions
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Howe played a 5 show Iraq and Kuwait tour to entertain the troops overseas in March 2010, one of which was the "Change of Command ceremony" in Baghdad on March 12th 2010. The mini-tour was funded (and supported by) the U.S. Forces Iraq/Entertainment Branch. |
Howe played a 5 show Iraq and Kuwait tour to entertain the troops overseas in March 2010, one of which was the "Change of Command ceremony" in Baghdad on March 12th 2010. The mini-tour was funded (and supported by) the U.S. Forces Iraq/Entertainment Branch. |
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In late February 2010, Howe's second solo album, [[The Circus Bar]], was released in United Kingdom to mostly positive reviews and after its subsequent North American release, has become "one of the best solo albums of the past 25 years" |
In late February 2010, Howe's second solo album, [[The Circus Bar]], was released in United Kingdom to mostly positive reviews and after its subsequent North American release, has become, according to one American review, "one of the best solo albums of the past 25 years." The album is now available on [[iTunes]] in most countries. |
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The line-up of his current band is: |
The line-up of his current band is: |
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Revision as of 04:06, 25 March 2010
Brian Howe |
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Brian Anthony Howe (born 22 July 1953) is a English rock singer and songwriter, best known for replacing Paul Rodgers as the lead vocalist of Bad Company. Howe's career was jump-started in 1983, when Ted Nugent recruited him to handle lead vocals for his Penetrator album, and front its subsequent world tour.
Early career
Howe was born in Portsmouth, England. Brought up as a poor child, he discovered music as a three-year old, just after his father punched him in the ear. It was singing for about a week, and thus was his first introduction to the world of music. Life was very hard in those dark days in England, after his family had moved without him. This prompted him to join another bunch of homeless people and form a band.[1]In the early eighties, Howe had a brief stint with the NWOBHM group White Spirit, having replaced their recently-departed singer Bruce Ruff. However, the group quickly collapsed, and Howe never even recorded an album with the group.
With Bad Company
In 1986, fellow British musicians Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirke re-formed their band, Bad Company after a four-year hiatus, but original frontman Paul Rodgers was engaged with a new supergroup called The Firm, so the remaining two members hired Howe as the new lead singer, along with Greg Dechert on keyboards and Steve Price on bass. Howe’s vocal style brought more of a pop-rock sound to the band, as opposed to Rodgers’ bluesier approach. The band hired Foreigner producer Keith Olsen to produce the new lineup’s initial album, 1986’s Fame and Fortune. The band also switched labels to Atco Records.
The next Howe-era album, 1988’s Dangerous Age was produced by Terry Thomas, who returned the band to a guitar-driven sound. This album fared better than its predecessor, spawning three songs that made the top 10 on Billboard's rock chart: "No Smoke Without A Fire," (#4), "One Night" (#9), and "Shake It Up" (#9). The last two were written by Howe and Thomas.
The band's next album, 1990’s Holy Water, also produced by Thomas, was a major commercial success, attaining platinum status in the U.S. by selling more than one million copies. It produced five singles that went top-15 on Billboard's rock chart, including the #1 hit "Holy Water" which was followed by "Boys Cry Tough" (#3), "If You Needed Somebody" (#2) and "Walk Through Fire" (#15). Ralphs sat out for most of the Holy Water tour, although he did perform on the album.
The final studio album of the Howe era, 1992’s Here Comes Trouble featured the Billboard #1 rock hit "How About That." Before touring in support of the album, the band expanded to a quintet, adding ex-Foreigner bassist Rick Wills and rhythm guitarist Dave "Bucket" Colwell, a protégé of Ralphs. During the tour, the band recorded a live album, What You Hear Is What You Get: The Best of Bad Company which featured hit songs from both the Rodgers and Howe eras of the band. According to Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke, Howe was fired for professional and personal reasons.
Solo
Howe released his first solo album, Tangled in Blue, in 1997 on Touchwood Records. It was re-released with one additional song under the name Touch in 2003 on MTM Music and Publishing. Howe currently tours as "Bad Company former lead singer Brian Howe."
Howe played a 5 show Iraq and Kuwait tour to entertain the troops overseas in March 2010, one of which was the "Change of Command ceremony" in Baghdad on March 12th 2010. The mini-tour was funded (and supported by) the U.S. Forces Iraq/Entertainment Branch.
In late February 2010, Howe's second solo album, The Circus Bar, was released in United Kingdom to mostly positive reviews and after its subsequent North American release, has become, according to one American review, "one of the best solo albums of the past 25 years." The album is now available on iTunes in most countries.
The line-up of his current band is:
- Brian Howe - Lead vocals
- Dean Aicher - Guitar / Backing vocals
- Miguel Gonzalez - Bass / Backing vocals
- Matt Brown - Drums
Discography
Solo
- Tangled in Blue (1997)
- Touch (2003)
- The Circus Bar (2010)
with Ted Nugent
- Penetrator (1984)
with Bad Company
- Fame and Fortune (1986)
- Dangerous Age (1988)
- Holy Water (1990)
- Here Comes Trouble (1992)
- What You Hear Is What You Get: The Best of Bad Company (1993)
References
- ^ Brian Howe - Touch, at NHRecords