Blair Montgomery Thornton (born July 23, 1950) is a Canadian guitarist and songwriter most widely known for his work with the rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO). He also played in the Vancouver-based band Crosstown Bus prior to joining BTO.

Biography

Thornton joined the group in early 1974 during the supporting tour for the '' Bachman-Turner Overdrive II'' album, replacing

Tim Bachman Timothy Gregg Bachman (born August 1, 1951) is a Canadian guitarist and vocalist best known for his work with rock bands Brave Belt and Bachman–Turner Overdrive (BTO). Bachman was one of the four founding members of BTO, a group that have sol ...

shortly after that album was released. Thornton made his live debut with BTO at a March 1974 televised event for

Don Kirshner Donald Kirshner (April 17, 1934 – January 17, 2011) was an American music publisher, music consultant, rock music record producer, producer, talent manager, and songwriter. Dubbed "the Man with the Golden Ear" by Time (magazine), ''Time' ...

's '' In Concert'' program hosted by Don E. Branker. Thornton's first album with BTO was the highly successful ''

Not Fragile ''Not Fragile'' is the third studio album by Canadian rock band Bachman–Turner Overdrive (BTO), released in 1974. It proved to be the group's most popular album (not counting compilations), and is the only BTO album to have reached No. 1 on the ...

'' LP, released in the fall of 1974. With Thornton's arrival, BTO began incorporating "dual-lead" guitar solos in many new songs, with Thornton playing the lead guitar parts along with primary lead guitarist

Randy Bachman Randolph Charles Bachman (; born September 27, 1943) is a Canadian guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was a founding member of the bands The Guess Who and Bachman–Turner Overdrive. Bachman recorded as a solo artist and was part of a num ...

. Such solos were not a major feature on the band's first two albums. In interviews years later, Randy noted that Blair Thornton was a welcome addition:

He was known for playing in the
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
/Bluesbreakers style. ewas more advanced on the guitar than my brother Tim, who was basically a rhythm player who left all the lead to me. I'm not that good. I would repeat myself, my vocabulary is limited and I didn't have time to go out and learn. So Blair brought in a new style. We now had twin lead guitars, and that made my job a lot easier; it gave us more versatility.

As a songwriter, Thornton contributed two compositions to the ''Not Fragile'' album: "Givin' It All Away" and an instrumental called "Freewheelin'" that also wound up as the B-side of the No. 1 hit " You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet". He also co-wrote three songs for the follow-up 1975 album, ''

Four Wheel Drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

'', including the title track (with Randy Bachman),Liner notes on ''Four-Wheel Drive'' album, 1975 BTO release and co-wrote the Top 40 hit " Take It Like a Man" (with Fred Turner) for the late 1975 album '' Head On''. Two other songs on ''Head On'', "It's Over" and "Wild Spirit", also credit Thornton as a co-writer. Following Randy Bachman's departure from the group in 1977, Thornton took over as primary lead guitarist on their next two albums: '' Street Action'' (1978) and ''

Rock n' Roll Nights ''Rock n' Roll Nights'' is the eighth studio album by Canadian rock band BTO, released in 1979. This record was one of three BTO albums that did not feature co-founder Randy Bachman. ''Rock n' Roll Nights'' is also one of the two albums from thi ...

'' (1979), also contributing several compositions. Thornton rejoined the "classic" ''

'' line-up (Randy Bachman, Rob Bachman, and Fred Turner) in 1988 for a reunion tour. In 1991, Randy Bachman left the group again and this time was replaced by Vancouver guitarist-singer

Randy Murray Charles Randall "Randy" Murray is a Canadian guitarist, and was a long-serving member of Bachman–Turner Overdrive. From 1989 to 1992 he taught music, did custom recordings and held a talk radio, radio talk show in Prince George, British Columbia ...

. This version of BTO proved to be the most enduring, as they toured together until the latter part of 2004. In 2014 Thornton along with original band members Fred Turner, Rob and Randy Bachman were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Thornton currently enjoys a quiet semi-retirement with his wife, Shane.

Awards and Recognitions

Juno Awards

References

External links

Website for current version of BTO
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thornton, Blair 1950 births Living people Bachman–Turner Overdrive members Canadian male guitarists Canadian male singer-songwriters Canadian singer-songwriters Canadian male singers Canadian rock guitarists Canadian rock singers Lead guitarists Musicians from Vancouver