Pat Travers

  • Toronto, Canada
    hometown
  • Rock
    genre
  • 1976
    started
  • Bio
    full story
  • Share
  • Similar
Close

About Pat Travers


While most bluesy hard rock acts of the '70s and '80s hailed from the United States (the South, to be exact), there were several exceptions to the rule, such as Canadian singer/guitarist Pat Travers. Born in Toronto on April 12, 1954, Travers first picked up the guitar just prior to entering his teens, after witnessing a local performance by the great Jimi Hendrix. It wasn't long before Travers was studying the other top rock guitarists of the day (Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, etc.), and paying his dues by playing in bar bands in Quebec. His first true touring gig came his way when he hooked up with '50s rock & roll vet Ronnie Hawkins (best known for performing with a backing cast that would eventually transform into the Band).

But Travers' main love was hard rock, so after a year, he packed up his belongings and headed to London. Shortly after touchdown in the U.K., Travers recorded a demo that would land him a recording deal with Polydor and result in the release of his debut, Pat Travers, during the spring of 1976. A performance at England's annual Reading Festival the same year only piqued further interest, which resulted in two more releases in 1977, Makin' Magic and Putting It Straight (both of which followed a pre-Iron Maiden Nicko McBrain on drums), before Travers returned to North America and set his sights on the U.S. rock market.

Featuring drummer Tommy Aldridge, guitarist Pat Thrall, and bassist Mars Cowling, the new Travers band lineup premiered on 1979's Heat in the Street. This led to Travers' most commercially successful period, resulting in a pair of Top 30 releases, 1979's Live! Go for What You Know (considered by many Travers fans to be his finest hour) and 1980's Crash and Burn. But soon after the dawn of the '80s, bluesy hard rock seemed to quickly fall out of favor among the U.S. record buying public, in favor of slickly produced arena rock, and later, MTV-approved bands.

As a result, each subsequent Travers release sold less, as his last albums to appear on the U.S. album charts included 1981's Radio Active, 1982's Black Pearl, and 1984's Hot Shot. Unhappy with Polydor, Travers opted to take a break from releasing albums for the remainder of the decade, but continued to tour. Travers' 1990 comeback album, School of Hard Knocks, failed to re-spark interest on the charts, although he continued to issue new studio albums (Blues Tracks, Just a Touch, Blues Magnet, etc.) and archival live sets (King Biscuit Flower Hour, BBC Radio One Live in Concert) throughout the decade.

Travers continues to tour and record regularly (playing alongside the likes of Night Ranger's Jeff Watson, Cinderella's Tom Keifer, and Rick Derringer), and in 2001, performed as part of the Voices of Classic Rock tour. Travers emerged from the recording studio once more in 2003, with P.T. Power Trio, a recording that featured covers of songs by the likes of Cream ("White Room"), Robin Trower ("Day of the Eagle"), and ZZ Top ("Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings"), among others. ~ Greg Prato, Rovi

Scroll up Scroll down

Photos

From position 0, showing 1 items, asking 10
See All
  • CMC International
    Pat Travers
    CMC International
    Jimm Roberts

Tour Dates

From position 0, showing 16 items, asking 50
See All
  • Jun 30 Sunday
    Etobicoke, ON, Canada The Rockpile
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 3 Wednesday
    Lisle, IL, US Lisle Eyes to the Skies Carnival & Festival
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 13 Saturday
    Winchester, VA, US Winchester Blues House Festival
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 21 Sunday
    Hood River, OR, US Columbia Gorge Hotel Amphitheater
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 27 Saturday
    North Las Vegas, NV, US Cannery Casino Hotel
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 30 Tuesday
    San Diego, CA, US Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay
    Buy Ticket
  • Aug 2 Friday
    Anaheim, CA, US City National Grove of Anaheim
    Buy Ticket
  • Aug 4 Sunday
    Tucson, AZ, US Fox Tucson Theatre
    Buy Ticket
  • Aug 7 Wednesday
    Apple Valley, MN, US Weesner Amphitheater, Minnesota Zoo
    Buy Ticket
  • Aug 14 Wednesday
    Glenside, PA, US Keswick Theatre
    Buy Ticket
  • Aug 16 Friday
    Englewood, NJ, US Bergen Performing Arts Center
    Buy Ticket
  • Oct 11 Friday
    London, UK O2 Academy Islington
    Buy Ticket
  • Oct 23 Wednesday
    Zoetermeer, Netherlands De Boerderij
    Buy Ticket
  • Oct 24 Thursday
    Amstelveen, Netherlands P60
    Buy Ticket
  • Oct 25 Friday
    Drachten, Netherlands Poppodium Iduna
    Buy Ticket
  • Oct 26 Saturday
    Zeist, Netherlands Pop- En Cultuurpodium De Peppel
    Buy Ticket

Discography

From position 0, showing 10 items, asking 10
See All
Next Page
  • Keep Calm And Carry On (2013)
    Pat Travers
    Keep Calm And Carry On (2013)
    Frontiers Records
  • Live at the Bamboo Room (2013)
    Pat Travers
    Live at the Bamboo Room (2013)
  • Birth Of The Blues: The 1920s (2012)
    Pat Travers
    Birth Of The Blues: The 1920s (2012)
    Cleopatra
  • Blues On Fire (2012)
    Pat Travers
    Blues On Fire (2012)
    Cleopatra
  • Boom Boom at the House of Blues [CD/DVD] (2012)
    Pat Travers
    Boom Boom at the House of Blues [CD/DVD] (2012)
  • Travelin' Blues (2009)
    Pat Travers
    Travelin' Blues (2009)
    Blues Bureau International
  • Black Betty (2007)
    Pat Travers
    Black Betty (2007)
    Cleopatra
  • Stick with What You Know: Live in Europe (2007)
    Pat Travers
    Stick with What You Know: Live in Europe (2007)
    Provogue
  • Hooked on Music (2006)
    Pat Travers
    Hooked on Music (2006)
    Music Video Distribution
  • P.T. Power Trio, Vol. 2 (2006)
    Pat Travers
    P.T. Power Trio, Vol. 2 (2006)
    Provogue Music Productions
Are You Pat Travers? Claim this page | Learn more about Artists.MTV | FAQ for Artists
Pat Travers Bio | Pat Travers Tour Dates | Pat Travers Discography |
MTV | MTV Jobs | Privacy Policy | User Content Agreement | Copyright | Artist Index | Social Projects Agreements | Ad Choices |
Portions of this page powered by
This site contains content from artists, fans, and writers from around the internet in it's natural form. Such content is not representative of Viacom Media Networks.

©2012 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. MTV and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

  • Explore
    • Popular
    • Emerging
    • Genres
      • Rock
      • Hip Hop
      • Indie
      • Electronic/EDM
      • Country
      • Pop
    • Collections
    • Artist To Watch
  • Search
  • Are you an artist?
    • Claim Your Page
    • Learn More
    • FAQ
    • Opportunities