Trooper

Trooper

Trooper. Vancouver rock band. It was formed in 1972 as Applejack by songwriters Ra (Ramon) McGuire (vocals) and Brian Smith (guitar) and took the name Trooper in 1975, at which time the band was completed by Harry Kalensky (bass guitar) and Tommy Stewart (drums). In 1976 Kalensky was replaced by Doni Underhill, and Frank Ludwig (keyboards) was added; Ludwig was replaced by Rob Deans in 1979.

Trooper, whose style of mainstream rock tended to be cheerfully boisterous, released eight LPs 1975-82: Trooper (MCA-2149), Two for the Road (MCA-2214), Knock 'em Dead Kid (MCA-2275), Thick As Thieves (MCA-2377), Hot Shots (MCA 5101), Flying Colors (MCA-3173), Trooper (MCA 5151) and Money Talks (RCA AFL1-4318). Domestic sales of Hot Shots, a 'greatest-hits' collection, exceeded 500,000, and those of several other albums topped 100,000, making Trooper the most popular Canadian rock band of the late 1970s. Among its singles were 'Two for the Show' and 'General Hand Grenade' (1976), 'Santa Maria' (1977), 'Raise a Little Hell' and 'Round Round We Go' (1978), 'The Moment That It Takes,' 'The Boys in the Bright White Sports Car,' and '3 Dressed up as 9' (1979) and 'Janine' (1980).

Although Trooper toured in the USA (with BTO) as early as 1975, its success was almost entirely Canadian-based, peaking with a national tour of arenas and stadiums in 1979. Trooper received the 1980 Juno Award as group of the year. After a hiatus 1983-4, McGuire, Smith, and others re-established Trooper and continued to tour nationally at the nightclub level. The band resumed its recording activity with The Last of the Gypsies (WEA 25-64431, CD and cass), issued in 1989, and Ten (WEA 74703, CD and cass), released in 1991. The albums included the minor hits 'Boy with the Beat' and 'American Dream' respectively.