In
1980 LOVERBOY introduced themselves to the world with their self-titled
debut album. They quickly became one of America's and MTV's most popular
rock bands. From 1980 through 1987 LOVERBOY garnered four multi-Platinum
albums and numerous international Gold albums. Their tours sold out arenas
and stadiums nationwide. Their hit singles came one after another, and
went on to become the anthems and party songs of an entire generation
of rock concert going fans. LOVERBOY’s red leather pants, bandannas,
and big rock sound defined the band’s trademark image and high-energy
live show.

LOVERBOY, driven by
the powerful vocals of Mike Reno, the relentless rock groove of lead guitarist
Paul Dean, bassist Scott Smith, keyboardist Doug Johnson and drummer Matt
Frenette, built its reputation on-stage, bringing the energy from their
radio hits to coliseum rousing excitement.
LOVERBOY’s inception
began in Calgary, Canada, when Mike Reno was introduced to Paul Dean at
The Refinery Night Club. Dean was rehearsing a new band out back in a
warehouse with a friend of Reno’s and Mike stopped by to jam. Dean
heard him sing a couple of songs and that was that! Over the next few
weeks, Dean and Reno began writing songs on guitar and drums. Doug Johnson
who at the time was in another Canadian recording band began to hang out
and jam with Dean and Reno. It was during one of those jam sessions with
Reno on drums and Dean on bass that Turn Me Loose and LOVERBOY was born.

After
being rejected by all the major U.S. record companies LOVERBOY signed
with Columbia Records Canada. On March the 20th, 1980, LOVERBOY went into
the studio with producer Bruce Fairbairn and engineer Bob Rock to record
their self-titled debut album -- LOVERBOY. The summer of 1980 saw the
record fly out of the stores setting record sales for a debut album --
over 700,000 records in Canada. Columbia U.S. had no choice but recognize
that 700,000 people could not be wrong. The U.S. released the album in
November 1980 and by April 1981, it had gone GOLD. LOVERBOY’s debut
album went on to sell more than 2 million albums in the U.S. and 4 million
worldwide.
Soon the band found
themselves playing on mega tours with Journey, Bob Seger, Cheap Trick,
ZZ Top, Kansas and Def Leppard, to name a few; they quickly became MTV
darlings, being one of the first bands ever featured on the music channel.
Between dates,( over 200 shows in 1981) the band wrote and recorded their
second multi-platinum selling album. In 1981, GET LUCKY was released.
It featured Working For The Weekend, When It’s Over, Take Me To
The Top, Only The Lucky Ones, Jump, etc. GET LUCKY, and the band’s
enormous touring success, led LOVERBOY in 1982, to an unprecedented six
Juno Awards, Canada’s highest music award. This record still stands
today.

In 1983, LOVERBOY released
their third album KEEP IT UP, and launched another extensive eight-month
world tour. With Hot Girls In Love and Queen Of The Broken Hearts burning
up the airwaves they were soon recognized as one of the hardest working
bands with a must-see live show.
LOVIN’ EVERY MINUTE
OF IT, the band’s fourth album it hit the airwaves, and landed them
as one of the Top Five grossing touring acts, performing in over 100 cities
across the U.S. and Canada. Their success earned them the title of becoming
the first Canadian group to earn Columbia Records’ exclusive Crystal
Glove Award, celebrating the sale of over five million albums outside
their native country.
In 1986 LOVERBOY recorded
Heaven In Your Eyes, for the soon to be blockbuster movie – TOP
GUN. The single went Top 5 on Billboard’s chart. This was followed
by the 1987 release of WILDSIDE -- LOVERBOY’s last studio album
of the 1980’s.
After nine years of
being ruled by LOVERBOY’s agenda of recording, touring, television
appearances, videos, and hoards of interviews Paul, Mike, Matt, Doug and
Scott decided to take a rest from the band and each other. The year was
1989.
In
the late fall of 1992, LOVERBOY re-united to join Bryan Adams, Bon Jovi
and other stars to help raise money for cancer-stricken friend and fellow
recording artist Brian ‘Too Loud’ McLeod. Unrehearsed, and
three years since their last performance, the band hit the stage running.
The music industry-dominated crowd loved what they saw and were reminded
of why LOVERBOY was such a great live band. Mike, Matt, Doug, Scott and
Paul felt they this was the most fun they had had in years. They wanted
to do it again.
This time LOVERBOY decided to have some fun. They got into their own cars
and drove around Western Canada doing selected dates. They were back doing
what they loved -- performing live.

In
1993 the band decided to go back into the U.S. with some trepidation --
LOVERBOY did 64 concert dates. There was no reason to be nervous. The
fans came back out and brought new ones with them. Sony/Legacy released
a new greatest hits album entitled, LOVERBOY – CLASSICS. By now,
the band had been touring every year since 1993 doing shows with old friends
such as Foreigner, REO Speedwagon, Cheap Trick, Night Ranger, Eddie Money.
In 1998 they performed over 95 concerts in the U.S. alone. Old habits
die-hard -- still relentlessly touring. A direct result of touring was
that in the U.S. in 1998 LOVERBOY – CLASSICS went GOLD.
Buoyed by their new
GOLD record, LOVERBOY management and Sony/Legacy started to exchange ideas
on a live album. Having never released a live record it was decided it
was time. Live recordings had to be relocated. They had to be carefully
handled because most of the live concert recordings had being lying dormant
for over 15 years. Members of the band worked with Al Quaglieri [Sony
Producer] to refurbish the recordings. Finally, after two years of work,
in the summer of 2001, Sony/Legacy released the first ever live greatest
hit’s cd from
PAGE 3 / LOVERBOY
LOVERBOY’s iintense
touring years of 1982 – 1986 titled “ LIVE, LOUD & LOOSE”.
Joining Sony/Legacy’s best-selling “Live from the Vaults”
series that has unearthed live recordings by Janis Joplin, The Byrds,
Cheap Trick, Carole King, Ted Nugent, Santana and others, LOVERBOY’s
“LIVE, LOUD & LOOSE” is a collection of live recordings
captured on tape from some of their most exciting concerts. Recorded for
Westwood One’s syndicated radio series at concerts in Pittsburg,
La Crosse and their hometown of Vancouver, the cd contains 14 previously
unreleased live concert recordings featuring LOVERBOY’s mega hits
which include: Working For The Weekend, Lucky Ones, Lady Of The 80’s,
Take Me To The Top, Jump, This Could Be The Night, Dangerous, Lead A Double
Life, When It’s Over, Queen Of The Broken Hearts, Lovin’ Every
Minute Of It, Hot Girls In Love, Turn Me Loose and The Kid Is Hot Tonite.

In
conjunction with the release of “LIVE LOUD & LOOSE” LOVERBOY
toured the US and Canada in support of their latest collection. The tour
was dedicated to the memory of their friend and late bassist Scott Smith,
who was declared lost at sea on November 30th 2000. With the cd also dedicated
to Smith,” LIVE LOUD & LOOSE” serves as a special memory
for the band that has been together since 1980.
LOVERBOY celebrated 25 years
together in 2005 by performing in selected cities throughout the US and
Canada to mark this milestone.
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