Bad Company Bad Company were an English rock supergroup formed in London in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke (both ex- Free), guitarist Mick Ralphs (ex- Mott the Hoople) and bassist Boz Burrell (ex-King Crimson). Kirke was the only m ...

were an English

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

band from

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Formed in 1973, the group originally featured vocalist, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist

Paul Rodgers Paul Bernard Rodgers (born 17 December 1949) is an English-Canadian singer. He was the lead vocalist of numerous successful rock bands, including Free (band), Free, Bad Company, The Firm (rock band), the Firm and The Law (English band), the L ...

, lead guitarist

Mick Ralphs Michael Geoffrey Ralphs (born 31 March 1944) is an English retired guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, who was a founding member of rock bands Mott the Hoople and Bad Company. Though not a constant member, he appeared on every studio album b ...

, bassist

Boz Burrell Raymond "Boz" Burrell (1 August 1946 – 21 September 2006) was an English musician. Originally a vocalist and guitarist, Burrell is best known for being the vocalist and bassist of King Crimson from 1971 to 1972 and the original bassist of B ...

and drummer

Simon Kirke Simon Frederick St George Kirke (born 28 July 1949) is an English musician who was the co-founder, drummer, and only continuous member of the rock Supergroup (music), supergroup Bad Company. Prior to forming Bad Company he was the drummer and ...

. The band's final lineup featured constant member Kirke, Rodgers (absent between 1986 and 1998), guitarist

Howard Leese Howard M. Leese (June 13, 1951) is an American guitarist, record producer, and musical director who played with Heart as guitarist and keyboardist for 23 years (1975 through 1998). He continues to record and tour as a solo artist, and as guitar ...

(who joined 2008), and bassist Todd Ronning (who joined 2012). Mick Ralphs died on June 23rd, 2025. He was given a tribute onstage at the Walmart Ampitheater in Rogers, Arkansas by Joe Elliott of Def Leppard (opening the show was the Bret Michaels Band).

History

1973–1999

Bad Company were formed in late 1973 by former Free vocalist

and drummer

, alongside former Mott the Hoople guitarist

and former

King Crimson King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...

bassist Raymond "Boz" Burrell. The band were active with their initial lineup until 1982, during which time they released six studio albums that brought them critical and commercial success. After recording sessions for '' Rough Diamonds'' led to arguments and confrontations between band members, particularly Rodgers and Burrell, the vocalist left Bad Company and the group disbanded. In 1986, Ralphs and Kirke began working together on a new project with former

Ted Nugent Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He goes by several nicknames, including Uncle Ted, the Nuge, and Motor City Madman. Nugent initially gained fame as the le ...

band vocalist Brian Howe. The group was later branded Bad Company at the request of their label

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

, with Steve Price performing on '' Fame and Fortune'' before Burrell returned for the European tour. Gregg Dechert was also added to the touring lineup on keyboards and rhythm guitar. Burrell left after the European tour, with Price returning for the American tour. Price played bass on the album 'Dangerous Age' and completed the American tour before leaving the band in 1990. in 1988, Dechert was replaced on tour by Larry Oakes. Paul Cullen joined on bass after the release of ''

Holy Water Holy water is water that has been blessed by a member of the clergy or a religious figure, or derived from a well or spring considered holy. The use for cleansing prior to a baptism and spiritual cleansing is common in several religions, from ...

'' in 1990, while Dave "Bucket" Colwell joined on second guitar.

Geoff Whitehorn Geoffrey Charles Whitehorn (born 29 August 1951) is a guitarist and singer-songwriter, who has played as a member of If, Crawler and Procol Harum. History In August 1973, Whitehorn joined the pioneering British jazz-rock band, If, in what ...

substituted for Ralphs during the tour. Colwell remained part of the touring lineup in 1992 alongside new bassist

Rick Wills Richard William Wills (born 5 December 1947) is an English bass guitarist. He is best known for his work with the rock band Foreigner and his associations with the Small Faces, Roxy Music, Peter Frampton, Spooky Tooth, David Gilmour, Bad Compa ...

, with both featured on the live release '' What You Hear Is What You Get''. In the summer of 1994, Howe left Bad Company and was replaced by Robert Hart. The group released '' Company of Strangers'' the following year, on which Colwell and Wills were credited as full band members. In late 1998, Rodgers and Burrell returned for a reunion of the original lineup of Bad Company, recording four new tracks and touring throughout 1999. After the tour, the group disbanded again.

Since 2001

A third reformation of Bad Company took place in the spring of 2001, with Rodgers and Kirke joined by Colwell and Wills.

Jaz Lochrie Jaz Lochrie (born 18 April 1970) is a Scottish bass guitarist born in Paisley. Career Lochrie has played variously in his career live or recording with Pete Townshend, Bad Company, Slash, Paul Rodgers, Roger Daltrey, Joe Satriani, British Roc ...

replaced Wills in 2002. In 2008, Ralphs joined the pair for a one-off show at

Hard Rock Live Hard Rock Live is a concert hall at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The venue originally opened on July 12, 2005, as a 5,500-seat multi-purpose arena. In March 2018, it went through renovations, including an upgr ...

. Rhythm guitarist

and bassist Lynn Sorensen, both members of Rodgers's solo band, completed the lineup. The same lineup returned for a North American tour the following year, followed by UK and US shows in 2010. Another member of the vocalist's touring band, Todd Ronning, replaced Sorensen in 2012. For a US tour in mid-2016,

Rich Robinson Richard Robinson (born May 24, 1969) is an American musician and founding member of the rock and roll band the Black Crowes. Along with older brother Chris Robinson (singer), Chris Robinson, Rich formed the band in 1984 (originally called ''Mr. ...

The Black Crowes The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1984. Their discography includes ten studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer Geo ...

substituted for Ralphs, who was "not feeling up for" the shows. He later returned, but was forced to leave later in the year after suffering a stroke.

History

1973–1999

Since 2001

Members

Touring

Timeline

Lineups

References

External links