Blair Montgomery Thornton (born July 23, 1950) is a Canadian guitarist and songwriter most widely known for his work with the rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO). He also played in the band Crosstown Bus prior to joining BTO.

Biography

Thornton was a guitarist in later lineups of the

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band Crosstown Bus. The band had released one album, ''High Grass'', on MCA Records before Blair's arrival. Thornton joined BTO in early 1974 during the supporting tour for the '' Bachman-Turner Overdrive II'' album, replacing

Tim Bachman Timothy Gregg Bachman (August 1, 1951 – April 28, 2023) was a Canadian guitarist and vocalist best known for his work with rock bands Brave Belt and Bachman–Turner Overdrive (BTO). Bachman was one of the four founding members of BTO together ...

shortly after that album was released. Thornton made his live debut with BTO at a March 1974 televised event for

Don Kirshner Donald Kirshner (April 17, 1934 – January 17, 2011) was an American music publisher, music consultant, rock music producer, talent manager, and songwriter. Dubbed "the Man with the Golden Ear" by ''Time'', he was best known for managin ...

's '' In Concert'' program hosted by Don E. Branker. Thornton's first album with BTO was the highly successful ''

Not Fragile ''Not Fragile'' is the third studio album by Canadian rock band Bachman–Turner Overdrive (BTO), released in 1974. It proved to be the group's most popular studio album, and reached No. 1 on both the US ''Billboard'' 200 and the Canadian ''RPM'' ...

'' LP, released in the fall of 1974. Upon Thornton's arrival, BTO began incorporating "dual-lead" guitar solos into many new songs, with Thornton playing the lead guitar parts along with primary lead guitarist

Randy Bachman Randolph Charles Bachman ( ; born September 27, 1943) is a Canadian guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was a founding member of the bands The Guess Who and Bachman–Turner Overdrive. He was the writer and singer of several hit rock songs, ...

. Such solos were not a major feature on the band's first two albums. In interviews years later, Randy noted that Blair Thornton was a welcome addition:

He was known for playing in the
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...
/Bluesbreakers style. ewas more advanced on the guitar than my brother Tim, who was basically a rhythm player who left all the lead to me. Blair brought in a new style. We now had twin lead guitars, and that made my job a lot easier; it gave us more versatility.

As a songwriter, Thornton contributed two compositions to the ''Not Fragile'' album: "Givin' It All Away" and an instrumental called "Freewheelin'" that also wound up as the B-side of the No. 1 hit " You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet". He also co-wrote three songs for the follow-up 1975 album, ''

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'', including the title track (with Randy Bachman), and co-wrote the Top 40 hit " Take It Like a Man" (with Fred Turner) for the late 1975 album '' Head On''. Two other songs on ''Head On'', "It's Over" and "Wild Spirit", also credit Thornton as a co-writer. Following Randy Bachman's departure from the group in 1977, Thornton took over as primary lead guitarist on their next two albums: '' Street Action'' (1978) and '' Rock n' Roll Nights'' (1979), also contributing several compositions. Thornton rejoined the "classic" ''

'' line-up (Randy Bachman,

Robbie Bachman Robin Peter Kendall Bachman (February 18, 1953 – January 12, 2023) was a Canadian drummer and the youngest brother of guitarist, singer and songwriter Randy Bachman. He was the original drummer for both the Brave Belt and Bachman–Turner Ov ...

, and Fred Turner) in 1988 for a reunion tour. In 1991, Randy Bachman left the group again and this time was replaced by Vancouver guitarist-singer Randy Murray. This version of BTO proved to be the most enduring, as they toured together until the latter part of 2004. In 2014, Thornton along with original band members Fred Turner, Robbie and Randy Bachman were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Canadian Music Hall of Fame
Canadianmusichalloffame.ca. Retrieved on January 16, 2023. Thornton currently enjoys a quiet semi-retirement with his wife, Shane.

Discography

With
Bachman–Turner Overdrive Bachman–Turner Overdrive, often abbreviated BTO, is a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, founded by three brothers: Randy Bachman, Randy, Robbie Bachman, Robbie, and Tim Bachman; along with Fred Turner (musician), Fred Turner, in 19 ...

Studio albums

Live albums

Singles

Awards and recognitions

Juno Awards

References

External links

Website for current version of BTO
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thornton, Blair 1950 births Living people Bachman–Turner Overdrive members Canadian male guitarists Canadian male singer-songwriters Canadian singer-songwriters Canadian male singers Canadian rock guitarists Canadian rock singers Canadian lead guitarists Singers from Vancouver