The A's were an American

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 ...

consisting of Richard Bush (lead vocals), Rick DiFonzo (guitar), Rocco Notte (keyboards), Terry Bortman (bass), and Michael Snyder (drums). Formed in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in 1978, the band released two albums on

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...

: ''The A's'' (1979) and ''A Woman's Got the Power'' (1981).

History

After building a loyal following in the Philadelphia area as a result of their energetic live shows, the A's signed a contract with Arista Records. The band's self-titled debut album was produced by

Rick Chertoff Richard E. Chertoff (born March 29, 1950 in New York, NY) is an American five-time Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize ...

and released in 1979. ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...

'' likened the album to

The Boomtown Rats The Boomtown Rats are an Irish rock band originally formed in Dublin in 1975. Between 1977 and 1985, they had a series of Irish and UK hits including "Like Clockwork", "Rat Trap", "I Don't Like Mondays" and "Banana Republic". The original line ...

' ''

A Tonic for the Troops ''A Tonic for the Troops'' is the second album by Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats, released in June 1978. ''A Tonic for the Troops'' peaked at No. 8 on the UK Albums Chart in 1978. The album included the singles " She's So Modern", "Like Clock ...

'' in terms of combining "wit, street savvy and relatively intricate hard-pop arrangements." Gary Hill of

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 ...

similarly noted the band's fusion of punk "irreverence" with humor. Two singles - "After Last Night" and "Parasite" - were released, but neither they nor the album found commercial success. The A's released their second album, ''A Woman's Got the Power'', in 1981. Also produced by Chertoff, the album entered the U.S. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' charts, while the title track peaked at number 18 on the

Top Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in ...

chart and number 26 in Canada. "A Woman's Got the Power" was

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

by Clarence Clemons & the Red Bank Rockers on the 1983 album ''Rescue''. In 2004, ''

Philadelphia Weekly ''Philadelphia Weekly'' (''PW'') is a website based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a newspaper in 1971 as ''The Welcomat'', a sister publication to the ''South Philadelphia Press''. In 1995, the paper became ''Philadelphia Weekl ...

'' ranked the album on its list of the "100 Best Philly Albums of all Time". The A's, despite adopting a more commercial sound on their second album, were dropped by Arista. The band self-released an

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP), ''Four Dances'', in 1982 before breaking up. In the subsequent years, singer Richard Bush continued to perform with other bands and eventually formed The Peace Creeps. Guitarist Rick DiFonzo became a session musician for such artists as

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

Roger Waters George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. In 1965, he co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. Waters initially served as the bassist, but following the departure of singer-so ...

, and

Joan Osborne Joan Elizabeth Osborne (born July 8, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and interpreter of music, having recorded and performed in various popular American musical genres including rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, and country. She is best kn ...

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

References

External links

* *
Official YouTube album playlist for "The A's"
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

Official YouTube album playlist for "A Woman's Got The Power"
on

{{DEFAULTSORT:A's American new wave musical groups American pop rock music groups American power pop groups Arista Records artists Musical groups established in 1978 Musical groups disestablished in 1982 Musical groups from Philadelphia 1978 establishments in Pennsylvania