The Rainmakers are a
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...
-based original
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band,
fronted by
Bob Walkenhorst, which had a small string of
hits
Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block
* ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998
* ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...
in the late 1980s and early 1990s in the United States and Europe, especially
Norway.
Biography
The Rainmakers were formed in 1983 as a three-piece bar band called "Steve, Bob and Rich", which "quickly became popular throughout the Midwest," according to one
Amazon review.
[Amazon.com page on Bob Walkenhorst](_blank)
/ref> They released one album, ''Balls,'' under this name. The addition of drummer Pat Tomek allowed Walkenhorst to switch to guitar and assume the role of frontman. The band changed their name to The Rainmakers when they were signed to PolyGram
PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...
by A&R man Peter Lubin.
The band's self-titled 1986 debut album received good reviews in the U.S. entertainment media ('' Newsweek'' magazine dubbed it "the most auspicious debut album of the year") and reached No. 87 on 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 ...
'' album chart. The band made a fan of horror author Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
, who quoted the band's lyrics in his novels '' The Tommyknockers'' and '' Gerald's Game''. The album, however, achieved its greatest commercial success overseas. In the United Kingdom, the single "Let My People Go–Go", (a song based on the American Negro spiritual anthem " Go Down Moses"), broke into the Top 20 in the UK Singles Chart.Allmusic Guide biography
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...
of The Rainmakers
Their follow-up album, 1987's '' Tornado'', peaked at #116 on the U.S. chart.[ Allmusic Guide chart listingsfor The Rainmakers] The Rainmakers released one more studio album, 1989's ''The Good News and The Bad News'', and one live album, 1990's ''Oslo-Wichita Live'', which were successful in Europe, but did not chart in the U.S.. The band broke up after the release of the live album, which was only issued in Europe.
Scandinavian interest in their music remained high, and they reformed and released a new album, ''Flirting with the Universe,'' in 1994. The album achieved the equivalent of gold record status in Norway in one month. Ruth left the band and was replaced by new bassist Michael Bliss, and one more album, ''Skin,'' followed in 1996. The band issued one further track in 1998, a collaboration with Brewer & Shipley in a new version of "One Toke Over the Line
"One Toke Over the Line" is a song written and performed by American folk rock duo Brewer & Shipley. It is a track from their 1970 LP '' Tarkio'', and was released as their debut single in early 1971.
Background
Mike Brewer gives this account o ...
", before they broke up again.
In 2011, the Rainmakers reformed, with bassist Rich Ruth returning to the group in place of Bliss, while longtime guitarist Steve Phillips was replaced by Jeff Porter. On March 5, the band was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame, with a ceremony and concert at Liberty Hall in Lawrence, Kansas. The following week, the band's album, ''25 on'', was released on March 14. At the end of March, the band returned to Norway for a two-week tour. The band played two shows (May 14–15) at Knuckleheads Saloon in Kansas City.
In 2014, the Rainmakers released the album '' Monster Movie''. In June the same year, they performed at the Sweden Rock Festival
The Sweden Rock Festival is an annual rock/metal festival held in Sweden since 6 June 1992. While having a clear rock/metal focus, the festival is noted for its diversity across these genres, from southern rock bands such as Molly Hatchet to de ...
.
In 2015 they released the album ''Cover Band''.
Steve Phillips died in 2020 after contracting Covid-19.
Band members
* Bob Walkenhorst: guitar, vocals (1983-1990, 1994-1998, 2011-present)
* Jeff Porter: guitar, vocals (2011–present)
* Rich Ruth: bass, vocals 1983–1990, 1994–1995, 2011–present)
* Pat Tomek: drums (1986–1990, 1994–1998, 2011–present)
Former members
* Steve Phillips: guitar, vocals (1983–1990, 1994–1998)
* Michael Bliss: bass, vocals (1995–1998)
Timeline
Discography
The Rainmakers have released eight studio albums, two live albums and a compilation album.
References
External links
The Rainmakers official site
The Rainmakers Official Message Board
The Rainmakers collection
at the Internet Archive's live music archive
Bob Walkenhorst official site
Pat Tomek's blog
The Elders (Steve Phillips) official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rainmakers, The
Rock music groups from Missouri
Musical groups from Kansas City, Missouri
Musical groups established in 1983