Brian Howe (singer)
Encyclopedia
Brian Anthony Howe is an English
rock
singer and songwriter
, best known for replacing Paul Rodgers
as the lead vocalist of Bad Company
. Howe's career was jump-started in 1983 when Ted Nugent
recruited him to handle lead vocals for his Penetrator
album and front its subsequent world tour.
, England
. In the early eighties, Howe had a brief stint with the NWOBHM
group White Spirit
, having replaced their recently-departed singer Bruce Ruff. However, the group quickly collapsed, and Howe never even recorded an album with the group. A sole cut, "Watch Out", surfaced on Neat Records
' 60 Minutes Plus cassette compilation in 1982, also issued on vinyl as All Hell Let Loose by Neat in conjunction with Italy's Base Records label in 1983. The song was also released on CD by US-based label Prism Entertainment on their Metal Minded compilation in 1987.
musicians Mick Ralphs
and Simon Kirke
re-formed their band, Bad Company
after a four-year hiatus, but original frontman Paul Rodgers
was engaged with a new supergroup called The Firm, so the remaining two members hired Howe as the new lead singer, along with Greg Dechert on keyboards
and Steve Price on bass
. Howe’s vocal style brought more of a pop-rock sound to the band, as opposed to Rodgers’ bluesier approach. The band hired Foreigner
producer Keith Olsen
to produce the new lineup’s initial album, 1986’s Fame and Fortune
. The band also switched labels to Atco Records
.
The next Howe-era album, 1988’s Dangerous Age
was produced by Terry Thomas, who returned the band to a guitar-driven sound. This album fared better than its predecessor, spawning three songs that made the top 10 on Billboards rock chart: "No Smoke Without A Fire," (#4), "One Night" (#9), and "Shake It Up" (#9). The last two were written by Howe and Thomas.
The band's next album, 1990’s Holy Water
, also produced by Thomas, was a major commercial success, attaining platinum status in the U.S. by selling more than one million copies. It produced five singles that went top-15 on Billboards rock chart, including the #1 hit "Holy Water" which was followed by "Boys Cry Tough" (#3), "If You Needed Somebody" (#2) and "Walk Through Fire" (#15). Ralphs sat out for most of the Holy Water tour, although he did perform on the album.
The final studio album of the Howe era, 1992’s Here Comes Trouble featured the Billboard #1 rock hit "How About That." Before touring in support of the album, the band expanded to a quintet, adding ex-Foreigner bassist Rick Wills and rhythm guitarist Dave "Bucket" Colwell, a protégé of Ralphs. During the tour, the band recorded a live album, What You Hear Is What You Get: The Best of Bad Company
which featured hit songs from both the Rodgers and Howe eras of the band. Howe left the band in 1994.
Howe played a 5 show Iraq and Kuwait tour to entertain the troops overseas in March 2010, one of which was the "Change of Command ceremony" in Baghdad on March 12, 2010. The mini-tour was funded (and supported by) the U.S. Forces Iraq/Entertainment Branch.
In late February 2010, Howe's second solo album, The Circus Bar
, was released in United Kingdom to mostly positive reviews and after its subsequent North American release, has become, according to one American review, "one of the best solo albums of the past 25 years." The album is now available on iTunes
in most countries.
The line-up of his current band is:
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, best known for replacing Paul Rodgers
Paul Rodgers
Paul Bernard Rodgers is an English rock singer-songwriter, best known for his success in the 1970s as a member of Free and Bad Company. After stints in two less successful bands in the 1980s and early 1990s, The Firm and The Law, he became a solo artist. He has recently toured and recorded with...
as the lead vocalist of Bad Company
Bad Company
Bad Company were an English rock supergroup founded in 1973, consisting of two former Free band members — singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke — as well as Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell. Peter Grant, who, in years prior, was a key component of...
. Howe's career was jump-started in 1983 when Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
recruited him to handle lead vocals for his Penetrator
Penetrator
Penetrator is a studio album released by Ted Nugent in 1984 on the Atlantic Records label."Tied Up In Love" was made into a promo clip to support the album...
album and front its subsequent world tour.
Early career
Howe was born in PortsmouthPortsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In the early eighties, Howe had a brief stint with the NWOBHM
New Wave of British Heavy Metal
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was a heavy metal movement that started in the late 1970s, in Britain, and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. The movement developed as a reaction in part to the decline of early heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Black...
group White Spirit
White spirit
White spirit [CAS 64475-85-0], also known as Stoddard solvent [CAS 8052-41-3] or mineral spirits, is a paraffin-derived clear, transparent liquid which is a common organic solvent used in painting and decorating. In 1924, an Atlanta dry cleaner named W. J. Stoddard worked with Lloyd E...
, having replaced their recently-departed singer Bruce Ruff. However, the group quickly collapsed, and Howe never even recorded an album with the group. A sole cut, "Watch Out", surfaced on Neat Records
Neat Records
Neat Records was a record label based near Newcastle, England. The label was established in 1979 by David Wood, who was the owner of Impulse Studios in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England. The establishment of Neat coincided with the arrival at Impulse of Songwriter/Producer Steve Thompson who guided...
' 60 Minutes Plus cassette compilation in 1982, also issued on vinyl as All Hell Let Loose by Neat in conjunction with Italy's Base Records label in 1983. The song was also released on CD by US-based label Prism Entertainment on their Metal Minded compilation in 1987.
With Bad Company
In 1986, fellow BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
musicians Mick Ralphs
Mick Ralphs
Michael Geoffrey "Mick" Ralphs is an English guitarist and songwriter, who was a founding member of rock bands Mott the Hoople and Bad Company.-Career:...
and Simon Kirke
Simon Kirke
Simon Kirke is an English rock drummer best known as a member of Free and Bad Company.-Biography:...
re-formed their band, Bad Company
Bad Company
Bad Company were an English rock supergroup founded in 1973, consisting of two former Free band members — singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke — as well as Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell. Peter Grant, who, in years prior, was a key component of...
after a four-year hiatus, but original frontman Paul Rodgers
Paul Rodgers
Paul Bernard Rodgers is an English rock singer-songwriter, best known for his success in the 1970s as a member of Free and Bad Company. After stints in two less successful bands in the 1980s and early 1990s, The Firm and The Law, he became a solo artist. He has recently toured and recorded with...
was engaged with a new supergroup called The Firm, so the remaining two members hired Howe as the new lead singer, along with Greg Dechert on keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
and Steve Price on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. Howe’s vocal style brought more of a pop-rock sound to the band, as opposed to Rodgers’ bluesier approach. The band hired Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
producer Keith Olsen
Keith Olsen
Keith Olsen is one of the most prolific and successful music producers in the industry.-Career:With over 120 albums produced netting a 1 in 4 Gold or better ratio, of which more than 24 are Platinum or better, and more than 14 are multi-Platinum, sales from Keith Olsen’s work exceeds 110 million...
to produce the new lineup’s initial album, 1986’s Fame and Fortune
Fame and Fortune
Fame And Fortune is the seventh album by Bad Company, released in 1986.The first Bad Company album released by the reformed Bad Company. Released in 1986, the album features original members Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirke , with the addition of new frontman Brian Howe substituting for original...
. The band also switched labels to Atco Records
Atco Records
ATCO Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, currently operating through WMG's Rhino Entertainment.-Beginnings:Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who...
.
The next Howe-era album, 1988’s Dangerous Age
Dangerous Age
Dangerous Age is the eighth album by hard rock band Bad Company, and their second album with Brian Howe in place of Paul Rodgers as lead vocalist and Steve Price in place of Boz Burrell as bass guitarist, released in 1988...
was produced by Terry Thomas, who returned the band to a guitar-driven sound. This album fared better than its predecessor, spawning three songs that made the top 10 on Billboards rock chart: "No Smoke Without A Fire," (#4), "One Night" (#9), and "Shake It Up" (#9). The last two were written by Howe and Thomas.
The band's next album, 1990’s Holy Water
Holy Water
Holy Water is the ninth studio album by hard rock band Bad Company, and their third with Brian Howe in place of Paul Rodgers as lead vocalist, released in June 1990. The singles on the album all received moderate radio airplay. These included "Holy Water", "Boys Cry Tough", "Walk Through Fire", and...
, also produced by Thomas, was a major commercial success, attaining platinum status in the U.S. by selling more than one million copies. It produced five singles that went top-15 on Billboards rock chart, including the #1 hit "Holy Water" which was followed by "Boys Cry Tough" (#3), "If You Needed Somebody" (#2) and "Walk Through Fire" (#15). Ralphs sat out for most of the Holy Water tour, although he did perform on the album.
The final studio album of the Howe era, 1992’s Here Comes Trouble featured the Billboard #1 rock hit "How About That." Before touring in support of the album, the band expanded to a quintet, adding ex-Foreigner bassist Rick Wills and rhythm guitarist Dave "Bucket" Colwell, a protégé of Ralphs. During the tour, the band recorded a live album, What You Hear Is What You Get: The Best of Bad Company
What You Hear Is What You Get: The Best of Bad Company
What You Hear Is What You Get with subtitle The Best Of Bad Company is a live album by hard rock band Bad Company, with Brian Howe in place of Paul Rodgers as lead vocalist. Released in 1993, the album covers the 1992 U.S tour, with much of the recording done at various California dates...
which featured hit songs from both the Rodgers and Howe eras of the band. Howe left the band in 1994.
Solo
Howe released his first solo album, Tangled in Blue, in 1997 on Touchwood Records. It was re-released with one additional song under the name Touch in 2003 on MTM Music and Publishing. Howe currently tours as "Bad Company former lead singer Brian Howe."Howe played a 5 show Iraq and Kuwait tour to entertain the troops overseas in March 2010, one of which was the "Change of Command ceremony" in Baghdad on March 12, 2010. The mini-tour was funded (and supported by) the U.S. Forces Iraq/Entertainment Branch.
In late February 2010, Howe's second solo album, The Circus Bar
The Circus Bar
Circus Bar is the second solo album by former singer of Bad Company Brian Howe. Produced by Brooks Paschal and mixed by Rafe McKenna, the album includes two newly recorded remakes of the Bad Company hits "How About That" and "Holy Water"....
, was released in United Kingdom to mostly positive reviews and after its subsequent North American release, has become, according to one American review, "one of the best solo albums of the past 25 years." The album is now available on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
in most countries.
The line-up of his current band is:
- Brian Howe - Lead vocals
- Dean AicherDean AicherDean Aicher born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the guitarist for former Bad Company lead singer, Brian Howe.-Early career:Aicher started playing the guitar at the age of eleven, when he was given a twelve-string acoustic guitar by his father....
- Guitar / Backing vocals - Miguel Gonzalez - Bass / Backing vocals
- Matt Brown - Drums
Solo
- Tangled in Blue (1997)
- Touch (2003)
- Circus BarThe Circus BarCircus Bar is the second solo album by former singer of Bad Company Brian Howe. Produced by Brooks Paschal and mixed by Rafe McKenna, the album includes two newly recorded remakes of the Bad Company hits "How About That" and "Holy Water"....
(2010) - TBA (2011)
with Bad Company
- Fame and FortuneFame and FortuneFame And Fortune is the seventh album by Bad Company, released in 1986.The first Bad Company album released by the reformed Bad Company. Released in 1986, the album features original members Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirke , with the addition of new frontman Brian Howe substituting for original...
(1986) - Dangerous AgeDangerous AgeDangerous Age is the eighth album by hard rock band Bad Company, and their second album with Brian Howe in place of Paul Rodgers as lead vocalist and Steve Price in place of Boz Burrell as bass guitarist, released in 1988...
(1988) - Holy Water (1990)
- Here Comes Trouble (1992)
- What You Hear Is What You Get: The Best of Bad CompanyWhat You Hear Is What You Get: The Best of Bad CompanyWhat You Hear Is What You Get with subtitle The Best Of Bad Company is a live album by hard rock band Bad Company, with Brian Howe in place of Paul Rodgers as lead vocalist. Released in 1993, the album covers the 1992 U.S tour, with much of the recording done at various California dates...
(1993)