Debut: 1975, Vancouver
Years Most Active: 1975-1991
Primary Members:
- Ramon McGuire (lead vocals)
- Brian Smith (guitars)
- Doni Underhill (bass)
- Tommy Stewart (drums)
- Frank Ludwig (keyboards to 1980)
- Rob Deans (keyboards 1980 on)
(Unbolded were replaced in 1987 with new members)
Genre: Rock
Top 40 Hits:
- “General Hand Grenade“, 1976
- “Two For the Show“, 1976
- “Santa Maria“, 1976
- “The Boys in the Bright White Sports Car”, 1976
- “We’re Here for a Good Time“, 1977
- “Oh Pretty Lady“, 1978
- “Raise a Little Hell“, 1978
- “Round Round We Go“, 1978
- “The Moment That It Takes”, 1979
- “Three Dressed Up As a Nine”, 1979
- “Janine”, 1980
- “Boy with a Beat”, 1989
- “American Dream”, 1991
Achievements:
- 13 Top 40 Singles.
- 5 Platinum albums.
- Juno Award for Best Group in 1980.
- First Canadian album to go 4x Platinum in Canada (Hot Shots, 1979)
With a sound described as “cheerfully boisterous”, Vancouver-based Trooper enjoyed a string of hit singles in the 70s and 80s. It’s hard to pick the most successful of their 13 Top 40 hits, as some were more successful in Toronto, some in Vancouver, and some in the U.S. Their success remained almost exclusively in their home country.
In the late 60s, McGuire and Smith, under the name Winters Green, were specialists in Doors’ cover tunes and released one single called “Are You A Monkey?”. With new members, they evolved into Applejack in 1972. But it was Randy Bachman who, impressed with the group’s talents, produced their debut self-titled album in 1975, which spawned their first radio single, “Baby Woncha Please Come Home”.
The band’s big breakthrough came with their sophomore album, 1976′s Two for the Show which spawned four singles. Their third, fourth, and fifth studio albums, generated two hits apiece. The fourth album, Thick as Thieves went 2x Platinum and gave them their first and only U.S. hit: “Raise a Little Hell”. Prior to their fifth album, Flying Colours (also 2x Platinum), Trooper had released a Greatest Hits album, called Hot Shots which become the best-selling Canuck album of all-time in Canada: certified 4x Platinum. The band received the Group of the Year Juno Award in 1980.
In the early 80s, having severed working relations with Randy Bachman, the band released two albums and several singles, but all failed to chart. They took a hiatus concentrating on writing and released two albums in 1989 and 1991 respectively which managed a Top 40 hit each.
One would think that, with all their achievements, the band would have been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame by now but they have not.
