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{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians -->
| name = Trooper
| image =
| caption = Trooper performing at Vancouver 2010 Olympic Victory Ceremonies. From L-R: [[Brian Smith (Canadian musician)|Brian Smith]], [[Scott Brown (bassist)|Scott Brown]], [[Gogo (Canadian musician)|Gogo]], [[Ra McGuire]], [[Clayton Hill (drummer)|Clayton Hill]].
| image_size =
| background = group_or_band
| alias =
| origin = [[Vancouver, British Columbia|Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]], [[Canada]]
| genre = [[Rock music]], Pop
| years_active = 1975&ndash;present
| label = [[MCA Records|MCA]], Great Pacific Records
| associated_acts =
| website = http://www.trooper.com
| current_members = [[Ra McGuire]]<br/>[[Brian Smith (Canadian musician)|Brian Smith]]<br/>[[Gogo (Canadian musician)|Gogo]]<br/>[[Scott Brown (bassist)|Scott Brown]]<br/>[[Clayton Hill (drummer)|Clayton Hill]]
| past_members = [[#Members|Former members]]
| notable_instruments =
}}

'''Trooper''' is a [[Juno Award]] winning<ref>{{cite web | title= Juno award winners| work=junoawards.ca|url=http://www.junoawards.ca/archive_past.php}}</ref> [[Canada|Canadian]] [[rock music|rock]] band that developed from a group formed by vocalist [[Ra McGuire|Ramon McGuire]] and guitarist [[Brian Smith (Canadian musician)|Brian Smith]] in 1975. The group is best known for its Canadian hits: "[[Raise a Little Hell]]", "We're Here for a Good Time (Not a Long Time)", "The Boys in the Bright White Sports Car", "General Hand Grenade", "3 Dressed Up as a 9", "Janine", "Two for the Show", "Oh, Pretty Lady", and "Santa Maria".

==History==
===Winter's Green, Applejack, and the 1970s===
1967 saw McGuire and Smith playing in a band named '''Winter's Green''', which recorded two songs, "Are You a Monkey" and "Jump in the River Blues", on the Rumble Records Label. "Are You a Monkey" later appeared on a rock collection: 1983's "The History of Vancouver Rock and Roll, Vol. 3".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.answers.com/topic/the-history-of-vancouver-rock-and-roll-vol-3 |title=The History of Vancouver Rock and Roll, Vol. 3 1983: Album review and songs from |publisher=Answers.com |date= |accessdate=2010-06-30}}</ref>

In the early seventies Winter's Green changed their name to '''Applejack''' and added [[drummer]] Tommy Stewart and [[bassist]] Harry Kalensky to their lineup. Applejack became a very popular band in the [[Vancouver]] area, and began touring extensively in [[British Columbia]]. The band played a few original tunes such as ''Raise a Little Hell'', and ''Oh, Pretty Lady'', as well as Top 40 songs by artists such as [[Neil Young]], and [[Chicago (band)|Chicago]].

After hearing Applejack perform, [[Randy Bachman]] of [[Bachman–Turner Overdrive]] and [[The Guess Who]] signed the band to his "Legend" label. The band changed their name to '''Trooper''', and Bachman produced the band's self-titled debut album, ''[[Trooper (album)|Trooper]]'', which contained the [[Canadian]] hits "Baby Woncha Please Come Home" and "General Hand Grenade". Managed by Sam Feldman, Trooper began touring extensively in both [[Canada]] and the [[United States]].

[[File:TrooperLiveIn75.jpg|thumb|alt=|Trooper performing live in 1976.
L-R: Tommy Stewart (view blocked), [[Brian Smith (Canadian musician)|Brian Smith]], [[Ra McGuire]], Doni Underhill, Frank Ludwig]]

After moving from Legend Records to [[MCA Records]], Trooper added Frank Ludwig on [[Keyboard instrument|keyboards]]. Their 1975 debut album was followed by ''[[Two for the Show Trooper (album)|Two for the Show]]'' in 1976, which was certified Gold in Canada. The album contained the hits "Two for the Show", and "Santa Maria". The latter of the two hits was inspired from a trip by boat to Tugwell Island, near [[Prince Rupert, BC]].

Bassist Harry Kalensky was replaced by Doni Underhill before the recording of Trooper's third studio album. ''[[Knock 'Em Dead Kid]]'', was released in 1977 and became the group's first Canadian Platinum record. This album contained the hits "We're Here For a Good Time (Not a Long Time)", and "Oh, Pretty Lady".

In 1978 ''[[Thick as Thieves (Trooper album)|Thick As Thieves]]'' went double-platinum and featured the group's only successful U.S. single,<ref>{{cite web | title= Billboard chart rankings| work=billboard.com|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/yearend_chart_index.jsp}}</ref> "Raise A Little Hell". This album also contained the hits "Round, Round We Go" and "The Moment That It Takes", both of which were sung by keyboardist Frank Ludwig.

Trooper's fifth studio album, ''[[Flying Colors (Trooper album)|Flying Colors]]'', was released in 1979, and contained the hits "Three Dressed Up as a Nine", and the band's highest-charting single to date, "Janine", which pushed the album to attain Double-Platinum status.

The band's 1979 album, ''[[Hot Shots (album)|Hot Shots]]'', broke all records for Canadian sales of a Canadian album, reaching Quadruple-Platinum status. ''Hot Shots'' was a greatest hits album containing remixes of all of the most popular songs from Trooper's first five studio albums.<ref>{{cite web | title=Ra McGuire's Site | work=ramcguire.com |url=http://ramcguire.com}}</ref> "The Boys in the Bright White Sports Car" (originally released on ''[[Two for the Show Trooper (album)|Two for the Show]]'' in 1976), became a hit single upon the release of ''Hot Shots''.

===1980s===

In June 1979, Trooper was honoured with a [[Juno Awards of 1980|Juno Award]] for "[[Juno Award for Group of the Year|Group of the Year]]".<ref>{{cite web | title= Juno award winners| work=junoawards.ca|url=http://www.junoawards.ca/archive_past.php}}</ref> Two of their albums (''[[Hot Shots (album)|Hot Shots]]'' and ''[[Flying Colors (Trooper album)|Flying Colors]]'', both released in 1979) were also nominated that year for "[[Juno Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]]".

Also in 1980, Trooper severed their artist/producer relationship with [[Randy Bachman]] and Frank Ludwig was replaced by Rob Deans, who performed on the next two albums: Trooper's self-produced seventh album ''[[Untitled Trooper(album)|Untitled]]'', released in October 1980, and ''[[Money Talks Trooper (album)|Money Talks]]'' which was released in 1982 and produced by [[Heart (band)|Heart]] producer Mike Flicker and released on the [[RCA]] Label.<ref>{{cite web | title=Bio at CanadianBands | work=CanadianBands.com |url=http://www.canadianbands.com/Trooper.html}}</ref>

In 1986, Trooper was without a permanent keyboardist, and Frank Ludwig re-joined the band as a temporary replacement on their summer tour.

''[[The Last of the Gypsies Trooper (album)|The Last of the Gypsies]]'' was released in 1989 on the band's self-owned ''Great Pacific Records'' label and distributed by [[Warner Music Canada]]. This was Trooper's first studio album in six years, and was certified Canadian Gold. It contained the hits "Boy With the Beat", and "The Best Way (to Hold A Man)".

===1990s===

''[[Ten Trooper (album)|Ten]]'', released in 1991, contained the regional hit "American Dream", and was the group's tenth studio album.
Drummer John Stolz played with the band from 1990 to 1995, when Lance Chalmers took his place and played with the band for eight years. In 1996, [[Gogo (Canadian musician)|Gogo]] replaced Blaine Smith, becoming Trooper's keyboardist<ref>[http://www.trooper.com/index.php?page=gogo]</ref> and in 1997, bassist Scott Brown joined the band.<ref>[http://www.trooper.com/index.php?page=scottbrown]</ref> Both Gogo and Brown continue to tour and perform with Trooper today.

In 1998, Trooper guest starred on ''[[This Hour Has 22 Minutes]]'' ''[[This Hour Has 22 Minutes: News Year '98|New Year's Special]]''. Their songs were also played in numerous episodes of ''22 Minutes'' throughout the 8th season (2000–01).

===2000s===
In 2001, "Shot Spots", a [[Punk rock|Punk]] tribute to Trooper, was released on Visionary Records. It contained 30 Trooper songs performed by 30 Canadian punk bands ([[D.O.A. (band)|D.O.A.]], [[SNFU]], Dirty Bird, [[Dayglo Abortions]] and others) and an introduction by Canadian comedian [[Rick Mercer]]. As detailed in a four-page 2004 photo essay by Todd Korol in [[Macleans]] Magazine and a two-page 2005 [[Globe and Mail]] story by [[Peter Cheney]], Trooper is still very active and popular as a touring band, performing as many as 100 shows a year across Canada.

In April 2006, Trooper singer and songwriter, Ra McGuire released his first book, published by [[Insomniac Press]], ''Here For a Good Time – On the Road With Trooper, Canada's Legendary Rock Band''.

In Fall 2006, drummer [[Clayton Hill (drummer)|Clayton Hill]] joined the band, and continues to tour and perform with Trooper today.<ref>[http://www.trooper.com/index.php?page=claytonhill]</ref>

===2010 onwards===
===2010 onwards===
2010 saw Trooper celebrating their 35th Anniversary - starting with their performance at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Victory Ceremony on February 21, which was broadcast across Canada and the world on networks such as [[CTV Television Network|CTV]] and [[MuchMusic]], and ending with their performance on November 28 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton for the 98th [[Grey Cup]], with shows throughout the year and coast to coast, many of which broke attendance records.<ref>[http://www.trooper.com/index.php?page=shows]</ref>
2010 saw Trooper celebrating their 35th Anniversary - starting with their performance at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Victory Ceremony on February 21, which was broadcast across Canada and the world on networks such as [[CTV Television Network|CTV]] and [[MuchMusic]], and ending with their performance on November 28 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton for the 98th [[Grey Cup]], with shows throughout the year and coast to coast, many which broke attendance records.<ref>[http://www.trooper.com/index.php?page=shows]</ref>


Trooper's first official compilation album ''[[Hits From 10 Albums]]'' was released on July 1, 2010, celebrating the band's 35th anniversary. The totally updated and re-mastered collection featured songs spanning the entirety of their recording career. John Kereiff of Gonzo Magazine called it "THE summer album of 2010." <ref>http://www.gonzomagazine.ca/rockdoc.html</ref> [[Universal Music Canada|Universal Music]]'s official Press Release named Trooper as "one of Canada's top five selling bands of all time".
Trooper's first official compilation album ''[[Hits From 10 Albums]]'' was released on July 1, 2010, celebrating the band's 35th anniversary. The totally updated and re-mastered collection featured songs spanning the entirety of their recording career. John Kereiff of Gonzo Magazine called it "THE summer album of 2010." <ref>http://www.gonzomagazine.ca/rockdoc.html</ref> [[Universal Music Canada|Universal Music]]'s official Press Release named Trooper as "one of Canada's top five selling bands of all time".
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Trooper's visit to the archive was covered by almost every major newspaper in Canada.<ref name="archives"/><ref>http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/toronto/Canadian+band+joins+Lord+Elgin+Glenn+Gould+Constitution/3397841/story.html</ref><ref>http://www.leaderpost.com/news/todays-paper/Trooper+donates+papers+library+archives/3398909/story.html</ref><ref>http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/artslife/Trooper+band+artifacts+will+here+good+long+time+National+Archives/3396076/story.html</ref>
Trooper's visit to the archive was covered by almost every major newspaper in Canada.<ref name="archives"/><ref>http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/toronto/Canadian+band+joins+Lord+Elgin+Glenn+Gould+Constitution/3397841/story.html</ref><ref>http://www.leaderpost.com/news/todays-paper/Trooper+donates+papers+library+archives/3398909/story.html</ref><ref>http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/artslife/Trooper+band+artifacts+will+here+good+long+time+National+Archives/3396076/story.html</ref>

==Members==
;Current members
* [[Ra McGuire]] - [[Singing|vocals]], [[harmonica]]
* [[Brian Smith (Canadian musician)|Brian Smith]] - [[guitar]]
* [[Gogo (Canadian musician)|Gogo]] - [[Keyboard instrument|keyboards]] <!-- Artist goes by last name only -->
* [[Scott Brown (bassist)|Scott Brown]] - [[Bass guitar|bass]]
* [[Clayton Hill (drummer)|Clayton Hill]] - [[Drum kit|drums]]

;Former members
* Tommy Stewart - drums<ref name=JamBio>{{cite web | url=http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Pop_Encyclopedia/T/Trooper.html | title=Trooper | publisher=Jam!/The Canadian Pop Encyclopedia | accessdate=2007-12-04 }}</ref>
* Harry Kalensky - bass<ref name=JamBio />
* Frank Ludwig - keyboards<ref name=JamBio />
* Doni Underhill - bass<ref name=JamBio />
* Rob Deans - keyboards<ref name=JamBio />
* Marc LaFrance - drums
* Ronnie Baran - drums
* John Dryden - bass
* Richard Sera - keyboards
* Aaron Anderson - drums
* Blaine Smith - keyboards<ref name=JamBio />
* Larry Church - bass<ref name=JamBio />
* Mike Schmidt - drums<ref name=JamBio />
* John Stoltz - drums
* Tony Ferraro - drums
* Timothy B. Hewitt - bass
* Lance Chalmers - drums<ref name=JamBio />
* Frankie Baker - drums<ref name=JamBio />

==Discography==
===Studio albums===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"| Title
! rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"| Details
! colspan="1"| Peak chart<br>positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2" width="160"| [[Music recording sales certification|Certifications]]
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="45"| [[RPM (magazine)|CAN]]
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Trooper (album)|Trooper]]''
|
* Release date: July 1, 1975
* Label: [[MCA Records|MCA]]
| 60
|
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Two for the Show (Trooper album)|Two for the Show]]''
|
* Release date: June 26, 1976
* Label: MCA
| 80
|
*CAN: Gold <ref name="musicanada">{{cite web|url=http://www.musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=&ica=False&sa=Trooper&sl=&smt=0&sat=-1&ssb=Artist|title=Gold and Platinum|work=''Musiccanada.com''|publisher=Music Canada|accessdate=July 11, 2011}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Knock 'Em Dead Kid]]''
|
* Release date: June 8, 1977
* Label: MCA
| 42
|
*CAN: Platinum <ref name="musicanada"/>
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Thick as Thieves (Trooper album)|Thick as Thieves]]''
|
* Release date: June 19, 1978
* Label: MCA
| 17
|
*CAN: 2× Platinum <ref name="musicanada"/>
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Flying Colors (Trooper album)|Flying Colors]]''
|
* Release date: September 4, 1979
* Label: MCA
| 7
|
*CAN: 2× Platinum <ref name="musicanada"/>
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Untitled Trooper album|Untitled]]''
|
* Release date: October 4, 1980
* Label: MCA
| 63
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Money Talks (Trooper album)|Money Talks]]''
|
* Release date: April 1, 1982
* Label: [[RCA Records|RCA]]
| 39
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[The Last of the Gypsies (Trooper album)|The Last of the Gypsies]]''
|
* Release date: May 29, 1989
* Label: Great Pacific Records
| 43
|
*CAN: Gold <ref name="musicanada"/>
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Ten (Trooper album)|Ten]]''
|
* Release date: June 5, 1991
* Label: Great Pacific Records
| 52
|-
|}

===Compilation albums===

At least one unauthorised compilation album has been released featuring Trooper's hits. Trooper's second official compilation album was released on July 1, 2010, celebrating the band's 35th anniversary.

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"| Title
! rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"| Details
! colspan="1"| Peak chart<br>positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2" width="160"| [[Music recording sales certification|Certifications]]
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="45"| [[RPM (magazine)|CAN]]
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Hot Shots (album)|Hot Shots]]''
|
* Release date: March 5, 1979
* Label: MCA
| 2
|
*CAN: 4× Platinum <ref name="musicanada"/>
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Hits from 10 Albums]]''
|
* Release date: July 1, 2010
* Label: [[Universal Music Canada]]
| *
|
|-
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Single
! colspan="2"| Peak chart positions
! rowspan="2"| Album
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="35"| [[RPM (magazine)|CAN]]
! width="35"| [[Billboard Hot 100|US]]
|-
| 1975
| align="left"| "Baby Woncha Please Come Home"
| 45
| —
| align="left" rowspan="2"| ''Trooper''
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1976
| align="left"| "General Hand Grenade"
| 14
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Two For the Show"
| 15
| —
| align="left" rowspan="2"| ''Two For the Show''
|-
| align="left"| "Santa Maria"
| 30
| —
|-
| 1977
| align="left"| "We're Here For A Good Time (Not a Long Time)"
| 12
| —
| align="left" rowspan="2"| ''Knock 'Em Dead Kid''
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1978
| align="left"| "Oh, Pretty Lady"
| 10
| —
|-
| align="left"| "[[Raise a Little Hell]]"
| 26
| 59
| align="left" rowspan="3"| ''Thick As Thieves''
|-
| align="left"| "Round Round We Go"
| 10
| —
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1979
| align="left"| "The Moment That it Takes"
| 14
| —
|-
| align="left"| "The Boys in the Bright White Sports Car"
| 25
| —
| align="left" | ''Hot Shots''
|-
| align="left"| "3 Dressed Up As 9"
| 24
| —
| align="left" rowspan="3"| ''Flying Colors''
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1980
| align="left"| "Janine"
| 7
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Good Clean Fun"
| 81
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Real Canadians"
| —
| —
| align="left" rowspan="3"| ''Untitled''
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1980
| align="left"| "Are You Still My Baby"
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Laura"
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="4"| 1982
| align="left"| "Only a Fool"
| 44
| —
| align="left" rowspan="4"| ''Money Talks''
|-
| align="left"| "Money Talks"
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Ready for the Nite"
| —
| —
|-
| align="left"| "Could've Been Me"
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1989
| align="left"| "Boy With A Beat"
| 33
| —
| align="left" rowspan="2"| ''The Last of the Gypsies''
|-
| align="left"| "The Best Way (to Hold A Man)"
| 70
| —
|-
| 1991
| align="left"| "American Dream"
| 26
| —
| align="left"| ''Ten''
|}

== See also ==
{{Portal box|Music|Rock music|Canada}}
* [[Canadian rock]]
* [[Music of Canada]]
* [[Music of Vancouver]]
* [[:Category:Canadian rock music groups]]
* [[List of Canadian musicians]]
* [[List of bands from Canada]]
* [[List of bands from British Columbia]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.trooper.com Official Site]
* [http://www.ramcguire.com Ra McGuire's Site]
* [http://www.canadianbands.com/Trooper.html Bio at CanadianBands.com]
* [http://myspace.com/claytonhillmusic Drummer Clayton Hill's Myspace page]
* [http://www.frankbakerdrums.com Frank Baker's official site]
* [http://www.sgeorgebrown.com Scott Brown's official site]
* [http://frankludwig.ca/ Frank Ludwig's official site]

{{Trooper}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trooper}}
[[Category:Juno Award winners]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1975]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Vancouver]]
[[Category:Canadian hard rock musical groups]]

Revision as of 15:35, 23 October 2012

Trooper
OriginVancouver, British Columbia, Canada
GenresRock music, Pop
Years active1975–present
LabelsMCA, Great Pacific Records
MembersRa McGuire
Brian Smith
Gogo
Scott Brown
Clayton Hill
Past membersFormer members
Websitehttp://www.trooper.com

Trooper is a Juno Award winning[1] Canadian rock band that developed from a group formed by vocalist Ramon McGuire and guitarist Brian Smith in 1975. The group is best known for its Canadian hits: "Raise a Little Hell", "We're Here for a Good Time (Not a Long Time)", "The Boys in the Bright White Sports Car", "General Hand Grenade", "3 Dressed Up as a 9", "Janine", "Two for the Show", "Oh, Pretty Lady", and "Santa Maria".

History

Winter's Green, Applejack, and the 1970s

1967 saw McGuire and Smith playing in a band named Winter's Green, which recorded two songs, "Are You a Monkey" and "Jump in the River Blues", on the Rumble Records Label. "Are You a Monkey" later appeared on a rock collection: 1983's "The History of Vancouver Rock and Roll, Vol. 3".[2]

In the early seventies Winter's Green changed their name to Applejack and added drummer Tommy Stewart and bassist Harry Kalensky to their lineup. Applejack became a very popular band in the Vancouver area, and began touring extensively in British Columbia. The band played a few original tunes such as Raise a Little Hell, and Oh, Pretty Lady, as well as Top 40 songs by artists such as Neil Young, and Chicago.

After hearing Applejack perform, Randy Bachman of Bachman–Turner Overdrive and The Guess Who signed the band to his "Legend" label. The band changed their name to Trooper, and Bachman produced the band's self-titled debut album, Trooper, which contained the Canadian hits "Baby Woncha Please Come Home" and "General Hand Grenade". Managed by Sam Feldman, Trooper began touring extensively in both Canada and the United States.

Trooper performing live in 1976. L-R: Tommy Stewart (view blocked), Brian Smith, Ra McGuire, Doni Underhill, Frank Ludwig

After moving from Legend Records to MCA Records, Trooper added Frank Ludwig on keyboards. Their 1975 debut album was followed by Two for the Show in 1976, which was certified Gold in Canada. The album contained the hits "Two for the Show", and "Santa Maria". The latter of the two hits was inspired from a trip by boat to Tugwell Island, near Prince Rupert, BC.

Bassist Harry Kalensky was replaced by Doni Underhill before the recording of Trooper's third studio album. Knock 'Em Dead Kid, was released in 1977 and became the group's first Canadian Platinum record. This album contained the hits "We're Here For a Good Time (Not a Long Time)", and "Oh, Pretty Lady".

In 1978 Thick As Thieves went double-platinum and featured the group's only successful U.S. single,[3] "Raise A Little Hell". This album also contained the hits "Round, Round We Go" and "The Moment That It Takes", both of which were sung by keyboardist Frank Ludwig.

Trooper's fifth studio album, Flying Colors, was released in 1979, and contained the hits "Three Dressed Up as a Nine", and the band's highest-charting single to date, "Janine", which pushed the album to attain Double-Platinum status.

The band's 1979 album, Hot Shots, broke all records for Canadian sales of a Canadian album, reaching Quadruple-Platinum status. Hot Shots was a greatest hits album containing remixes of all of the most popular songs from Trooper's first five studio albums.[4] "The Boys in the Bright White Sports Car" (originally released on Two for the Show in 1976), became a hit single upon the release of Hot Shots.

1980s

In June 1979, Trooper was honoured with a Juno Award for "Group of the Year".[5] Two of their albums (Hot Shots and Flying Colors, both released in 1979) were also nominated that year for "Album of the Year".

Also in 1980, Trooper severed their artist/producer relationship with Randy Bachman and Frank Ludwig was replaced by Rob Deans, who performed on the next two albums: Trooper's self-produced seventh album Untitled, released in October 1980, and Money Talks which was released in 1982 and produced by Heart producer Mike Flicker and released on the RCA Label.[6]

In 1986, Trooper was without a permanent keyboardist, and Frank Ludwig re-joined the band as a temporary replacement on their summer tour.

The Last of the Gypsies was released in 1989 on the band's self-owned Great Pacific Records label and distributed by Warner Music Canada. This was Trooper's first studio album in six years, and was certified Canadian Gold. It contained the hits "Boy With the Beat", and "The Best Way (to Hold A Man)".

1990s

Ten, released in 1991, contained the regional hit "American Dream", and was the group's tenth studio album. Drummer John Stolz played with the band from 1990 to 1995, when Lance Chalmers took his place and played with the band for eight years. In 1996, Gogo replaced Blaine Smith, becoming Trooper's keyboardist[7] and in 1997, bassist Scott Brown joined the band.[8] Both Gogo and Brown continue to tour and perform with Trooper today.

In 1998, Trooper guest starred on This Hour Has 22 Minutes New Year's Special. Their songs were also played in numerous episodes of 22 Minutes throughout the 8th season (2000–01).

2000s

In 2001, "Shot Spots", a Punk tribute to Trooper, was released on Visionary Records. It contained 30 Trooper songs performed by 30 Canadian punk bands (D.O.A., SNFU, Dirty Bird, Dayglo Abortions and others) and an introduction by Canadian comedian Rick Mercer. As detailed in a four-page 2004 photo essay by Todd Korol in Macleans Magazine and a two-page 2005 Globe and Mail story by Peter Cheney, Trooper is still very active and popular as a touring band, performing as many as 100 shows a year across Canada.

In April 2006, Trooper singer and songwriter, Ra McGuire released his first book, published by Insomniac Press, Here For a Good Time – On the Road With Trooper, Canada's Legendary Rock Band.

In Fall 2006, drummer Clayton Hill joined the band, and continues to tour and perform with Trooper today.[9]

2010 onwards

2010 saw Trooper celebrating their 35th Anniversary - starting with their performance at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Victory Ceremony on February 21, which was broadcast across Canada and the world on networks such as CTV and MuchMusic, and ending with their performance on November 28 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton for the 98th Grey Cup, with shows throughout the year and coast to coast, many which broke attendance records.[10]

Trooper's first official compilation album Hits From 10 Albums was released on July 1, 2010, celebrating the band's 35th anniversary. The totally updated and re-mastered collection featured songs spanning the entirety of their recording career. John Kereiff of Gonzo Magazine called it "THE summer album of 2010." [11] Universal Music's official Press Release named Trooper as "one of Canada's top five selling bands of all time".

On August 11, 2010, the members of Trooper enjoyed a private tour of the Gatineau Preservation Centre to see where Library and Archives Canada houses its collected Trooper archives. The Trooper archives consist of 401 photographs and a stack of textual records such as financial records, which McGuire and Smith donated in 2004, hoping to provide some insight to the Canadian music industry of the '70s and '80s. McGuire, "now 60, bald, and bespectacled" had a chance to laugh when he read aloud from an old Toronto Sun clipping among the collection which described McGuire as "a new teen idol." The band is now preparing to make another donation to the archive, including some of their early demo recordings, lyrics sheets, and master tapes.[12]

The band has also donated the massive 32-foot sign[13] bearing Trooper's logo, complete with strobe-lit stars once used to illuminate their shows, to the Canadian Museum of Civilization.[12]

Trooper's visit to the archive was covered by almost every major newspaper in Canada.[12][14][15][16]

Members

Current members
Former members
  • Tommy Stewart - drums[17]
  • Harry Kalensky - bass[17]
  • Frank Ludwig - keyboards[17]
  • Doni Underhill - bass[17]
  • Rob Deans - keyboards[17]
  • Marc LaFrance - drums
  • Ronnie Baran - drums
  • John Dryden - bass
  • Richard Sera - keyboards
  • Aaron Anderson - drums
  • Blaine Smith - keyboards[17]
  • Larry Church - bass[17]
  • Mike Schmidt - drums[17]
  • John Stoltz - drums
  • Tony Ferraro - drums
  • Timothy B. Hewitt - bass
  • Lance Chalmers - drums[17]
  • Frankie Baker - drums[17]

Discography

Studio albums

Title Details Peak chart
positions 		Certifications
CAN
Trooper
  • Release date: July 1, 1975
  • Label: MCA
 60
Two for the Show
  • Release date: June 26, 1976
  • Label: MCA
 80
Knock 'Em Dead Kid
  • Release date: June 8, 1977
  • Label: MCA
 42
Thick as Thieves
  • Release date: June 19, 1978
  • Label: MCA
 17
  • CAN: 2× Platinum [18]
Flying Colors
  • Release date: September 4, 1979
  • Label: MCA
 7
  • CAN: 2× Platinum [18]
Untitled
  • Release date: October 4, 1980
  • Label: MCA
 63
Money Talks
  • Release date: April 1, 1982
  • Label: RCA
 39
The Last of the Gypsies
  • Release date: May 29, 1989
  • Label: Great Pacific Records
 43
Ten
  • Release date: June 5, 1991
  • Label: Great Pacific Records
 52

Compilation albums

At least one unauthorised compilation album has been released featuring Trooper's hits. Trooper's second official compilation album was released on July 1, 2010, celebrating the band's 35th anniversary.

Title Details Peak chart
positions 		Certifications
CAN
Hot Shots
  • Release date: March 5, 1979
  • Label: MCA
 2
  • CAN: 4× Platinum [18]
Hits from 10 Albums *

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Album
CAN US
1975 "Baby Woncha Please Come Home" 45 — Trooper
1976 "General Hand Grenade" 14 —
"Two For the Show" 15 — Two For the Show
"Santa Maria" 30 —
1977 "We're Here For A Good Time (Not a Long Time)" 12 — Knock 'Em Dead Kid
1978 "Oh, Pretty Lady" 10 —
"Raise a Little Hell" 26 59 Thick As Thieves
"Round Round We Go" 10 —
1979 "The Moment That it Takes" 14 —
"The Boys in the Bright White Sports Car" 25 — Hot Shots
"3 Dressed Up As 9" 24 — Flying Colors
1980 "Janine" 7 —
"Good Clean Fun" 81 —
"Real Canadians" — — Untitled
1980 "Are You Still My Baby" — —
"Laura" — —
1982 "Only a Fool" 44 — Money Talks
"Money Talks" — —
"Ready for the Nite" — —
"Could've Been Me" — —
1989 "Boy With A Beat" 33 — The Last of the Gypsies
"The Best Way (to Hold A Man)" 70 —
1991 "American Dream" 26 — Ten

See also

References

  1. ^ "Juno award winners". junoawards.ca.
  2. ^ "The History of Vancouver Rock and Roll, Vol. 3 1983: Album review and songs from". Answers.com. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  3. ^ "Billboard chart rankings". billboard.com.
  4. ^ "Ra McGuire's Site". ramcguire.com.
  5. ^ "Juno award winners". junoawards.ca.
  6. ^ "Bio at CanadianBands". CanadianBands.com.
  7. ^ [1]
  8. ^ [2]
  9. ^ [3]
  10. ^ [4]
  11. ^ http://www.gonzomagazine.ca/rockdoc.html
  12. ^ a b c http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Trooper+records+here+long+time/3392942/story.html
  13. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU304Gs3r60
  14. ^ http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/toronto/Canadian+band+joins+Lord+Elgin+Glenn+Gould+Constitution/3397841/story.html
  15. ^ http://www.leaderpost.com/news/todays-paper/Trooper+donates+papers+library+archives/3398909/story.html
  16. ^ http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/artslife/Trooper+band+artifacts+will+here+good+long+time+National+Archives/3396076/story.html
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Trooper". Jam!/The Canadian Pop Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2007-12-04.
  18. ^ a b c d e f "Gold and Platinum". Musiccanada.com. Music Canada. Retrieved July 11, 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
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