Ironhorse was a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
rock band
A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...
from
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, formed by
Randy Bachman, the former
The Guess Who and
Bachman-Turner Overdrive guitarist and singer. The initial incarnation of the band also included Tom Sparks (vocals, guitars),
John Pierce (bass) and
Mike Baird
Michael Bruce Baird (born 1 April 1968) is an Australian investment banker and former politician who was the 44th Premier of New South Wales, the Minister for Infrastructure, the Minister for Western Sydney, and the Leader of the New South W ...
(drums).
This line-up of Ironhorse released 1979's ''Ironhorse'' album on the
Scotti Brothers
Scotti Brothers Records (typically spelled Scotti Bros. Records) was a California-based record label founded by Tony and Ben Scotti in 1974. Their first success was releasing singles and albums from teen pop star Leif Garrett. They later helped ...
label, and had a minor
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
hit single
A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...
in April 1979 with "
Sweet Lui-Louise", which peaked at #36 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart
A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...
. In
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, the song peaked slightly higher at #26. The same track reached #60 in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.
Ironhorse then had an almost complete line-up change, retaining only Bachman. The second incarnation of Ironhorse consisted of Frank Ludwig (lead vocals, guitars); Bachman (guitars, vocals); Ron Foos (bass) and Chris Leighton (drums). This line-up issued 1980's ''Everything is Grey'', also on Scotti Brothers Records.
One of its singles, "What's Your Hurry Darlin'," peaked at #84 in Canada. In the U.S., the song peaked at #89 in May 1980.
Foos then left the group to rejoin
Paul Revere and the Raiders. In 1980, Ironhorse disbanded, with the remaining members (Bachman/Leighton/Ludwig) forming Union with Bachman's former
Bachman-Turner Overdrive band-mate
Fred Turner. Union put out one album ''On Strike'' on the
CBS subsidiary
Portrait Records
Portrait Records was a sister label of Epic Records and later of Columbia Records. Notable artists Cyndi Lauper and Sade signed with Portrait, but their contracts were absorbed by Epic after that incarnation of the label was shuttered.
History ...
, and had a minor hit with the track "Mainstreet U.S.A."
As of May 2013, Randy Bachman has been able to secure the rights to the two Ironhorse albums.
Discography
''Ironhorse'' - Scotti Brothers (1979)
Track listing
#"One and Only" (
Randy Bachman) - 3:32
#"
Sweet Lui-Louise" (
Randy Bachman) - 3:11
#"Jump Back In The Light" (
Randy Bachman) - 3:11
#"You Gotta Let Go" (
Randy Bachman) - 4:00
#"Tumbleweed" (
Randy Bachman) - 3:19
#"Stateline Blues" (Tom Sparks) - 3:47
#"Watch Me Fly" (Tom Sparks) - 3:41
#"Old Fashioned" (
Randy Bachman) - dedicated to Slowhand - 3:10
#"She's Got It" (Tom Sparks) - 3:12
#"There Ain't No Cure" (
Randy Bachman) - 3:57
Personnel
*
Randy Bachman - vocals, guitars
*Tom Sparks - vocals, guitars
*John Pierce - bass
*
Mike Baird
Michael Bruce Baird (born 1 April 1968) is an Australian investment banker and former politician who was the 44th Premier of New South Wales, the Minister for Infrastructure, the Minister for Western Sydney, and the Leader of the New South W ...
- drums
''Everything is Grey'' - Scotti Brothers (1980)
Track listing
#"What's Your Hurry Darlin'" (Randy Bachman, Carl Wilson) - 4:28
#"Everything Is Grey" (
Randy Bachman) - 4:09
#"Symphony" (Randy Bachman, Tom Sparks) - 3:24
#"Only Way To Fly" (
Frank Ludwig
Frank or Franks may refer to:
People
* Frank (given name)
* Frank (surname)
* Franks (surname)
* Franks, a medieval Germanic people
* Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang
Curre ...
) - 3:56
#"Try A Little Harder" (Randy Bachman, Frank Ludwig) - 3:30
#"I'm Hurtin' Inside" (
Randy Bachman) - 3:59
#"Playin' That Same Old Song" (Randy Bachman, Frank Ludwig) - 3:50
#"Railroad Love" (
Randy Bachman) - 3:40
#"Somewhere, Sometime" (Randy Bachman, Frank Ludwig) - 3:55
#"Keep Your Motor Running" (
Randy Bachman) - 3:44
Personnel
*Frank Ludwig - lead vocals, keyboards
*Randy Bachman - vocals, guitars
*Ron Foos - bass
*Chris Leighton - drums
with:
*Tom Sparks - backup vocals and guitar
See also
*
List of bands from Canada
This is a list of bands from Canada. Only bands appear here; individual musicians are listed at list of Canadian musicians.
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G
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J
K
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W
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See also
...
*
List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States
References
External links
*
Ironhorse
Ironhorse was a Canadian rock band from Vancouver, formed by Randy Bachman, the former The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive guitarist and singer. The initial incarnation of the band also included Tom Sparks (vocals, guitars),
John Pierc ...
at
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ironhorse
Musical groups established in 1979
Musical groups from Vancouver
Canadian rock music groups
1979 establishments in British Columbia