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Night Ranger is an American
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
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, California. The band formed in 1982 and experienced a surge of popularity during the 1980s with the release of several successful albums and hit singles. Guitarist Brad Gillis and drummer Kelly Keagy have been the band's only constant members, though bassist
Jack Blades Jack Martin Blades (born April 24, 1954) is an American rock musician. He has worked in the bands Rubicon (American band), Rubicon, Night Ranger (as bassist and one of the lead vocalists), and Damn Yankees (band), Damn Yankees (as one of the f ...
performed on all but one of their albums. Other current members of the band include guitarist Keri Kelli and keyboardist Eric Levy. The band's first five albums sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and the group has sold 17 million albums total. The quintet is best known for the
power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Balla ...
"
Sister Christian "Sister Christian" is a song by the American hard rock band Night Ranger. A power ballad, it was released in March 1984 as the second single from their album '' Midnight Madness''. It was ranked No. 32 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 1980s. It ...
", which peaked at number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in June 1984, along with several other top 40 hit singles in the 1980s, including " Don't Tell Me You Love Me", " When You Close Your Eyes", "Sentimental Street", "Four in the Morning (I Can't Take Any More)", and " Goodbye." After their success waned in the late 1980s, the band split up in 1989, and its members pursued other musical endeavors, including group and solo efforts. Brad Gillis and Kelly Keagy teamed up with bassist Gary Moon and released an album in 1995 under the Night Ranger moniker without the other original members, but the band reunited with Blades, Watson and Fitzgerald in 1996 to release two new albums in the latter half of the decade. Though there have been lineup changes since that time, the band continues to record and tour.


History


Beginnings

The group's origin can be traced to
Rubicon The Rubicon (; ; ) is a shallow river in northeastern Italy, just south of Cesena and north of Rimini. It was known as ''Fiumicino'' until 1933, when it was identified with the ancient river Rubicon, crossed by Julius Caesar in 49 BC. The ri ...
, a pop/funk group led by former
Sly and the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band formed in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1966 and active until 1983. Their work, which blended elements of funk, soul music, soul, psychedelic rock, gospel music, gospel, and R&B, becam ...
saxophonist
Jerry Martini Gerald L. Martini (born October 1, 1942) is an American musician, best known for being the saxophonist for Sly and the Family Stone. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 as a member of Sly and the Family Stone. Early lif ...
. After Rubicon's demise in 1979, bassist
Jack Blades Jack Martin Blades (born April 24, 1954) is an American rock musician. He has worked in the bands Rubicon (American band), Rubicon, Night Ranger (as bassist and one of the lead vocalists), and Damn Yankees (band), Damn Yankees (as one of the f ...
formed a trio with two other Rubicon members, drummer Kelly Keagy and guitarist Brad Gillis. Performing under the name Stereo, the threesome added former Montrose keyboardist
Alan Fitzgerald Francis Alan Fitzgerald (born July 16, 1949) is an American musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known as the second bassist of Montrose and as keyboardist for Night Ranger. He has also performed with Gamma, and former Montrose bandma ...
in 1980. Fitzgerald recommended enlisting a second virtuoso guitarist and Jeff Watson was added to the group. As Stereo, the band played small clubs around San Francisco such as the Palms in the Tenderloin neighborhood. By late that year, the band changed their name to "Ranger" and began opening for acts such as
Sammy Hagar Sam Roy Hagar (born October 13, 1947), also known as the Red Rocker, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose before launching a ...
.


1980s

In 1982 the band changed its name to Night Ranger after a country band, the Rangers, claimed a trademark infringement. By this point, they had recorded their debut album '' Dawn Patrol'' for
Boardwalk Records Boardwalk Records is a record label founded by Neil Bogart in 1980, after PolyGram acquired Casablanca Records from him. History The label had hit acts with Joan Jett and Harry Chapin. Other artists on the Boardwalk label included, Invisible M ...
and done opening stints for
ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969. For almost 56 years, it consisted of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard (musician), Frank Beard, and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill prior to his death in 2021. ZZ ...
and
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which per ...
; the latter had employed Brad Gillis as a replacement guitarist for the recently deceased Randy Rhoads, in the spring and summer of 1982. After Boardwalk folded, producer Bruce Bird secured Night Ranger a deal with MCA on their Camel subsidiary in 1983. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' magazine took a swipe at Night Ranger's "formula" of "sub-Broadway" ballads. Other critics were even less flattering, with terms such as "poseurs" and "pomp-rockers" put forth in various music guides, but favorable critics, such as ''
Hit Parader ''Hit Parader'' was an American music magazine that operated between 1942 and 2008. A monthly publication, it focused on rock and pop music in general until the 1970s, when its focus began turning to hard rock and heavy metal. By the early 198 ...
'', underscored Jack Blades' puppy-dog appeal, which won over female fans, while Gillis and Watson's dueling guitars pleased the same male audience that guitar-driven bands such as
Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and the virtuosity of their guit ...
had already begun to cultivate. Both guitarists also featured prominently in magazines such as ''
Guitar for the Practicing Musician ''Guitar for the Practicing Musician'' was a guitar magazine published in the United States by Cherry Lane Music from 1982 to 1999. The magazine was published monthly. In 1992, it was the most popular music publication at newsstands, selling 74 ...
''. ''Dawn Patrol''s first single, "Don't Tell Me You Love Me", received a boost through its
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
video airplay, and peaked modestly at number 40 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. "Sing Me Away", a concert favorite sung by Keagy, fell short of the top 40 at a peak position of number 54, though it also was featured on MTV. Night Ranger's popularity rose sharply with their second album, 1983's '' Midnight Madness'', which pushed the band from opening act to headliner status by the summer of 1984. Apart from the album's first single "(You Can Still) Rock in America", ''Midnight Madness'' spun off two hit ballads: "When You Close Your Eyes" (number 14) and "Sister Christian" (number five), written and sung by Kelly Keagy for his younger sister Christine. "Sister Christian" proved to be the band's milestone—as well as a millstone since the song pigeonholed the group as a "Power Ballad" band after its release. According to a later interview with Gillis, "Sister Christian" was actually completed in 1982, but he said the band chose not to release it on ''Dawn Patrol'' because they were afraid of losing their hard rock credibility. In 1985 Night Ranger continued headlining tours in support of their third album '' 7 Wishes'', which followed a very loose concept of the band flying across the ocean in a WWII
B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served ...
bomber. Blades later reported that he and Gillis were fascinated by World War II planes. The video for "Sentimental Street" even placed them in an
Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( ; July 24, 1897 – January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer. On July 2, 1937, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. During her li ...
scenario, with the entire band lost at sea. Like ''Midnight Madness'', ''7 Wishes'' garnered three hit singles: "Sentimental Street" (number eight; sung by Kelly Keagy); Blades' mid-tempo rocker "Four in the Morning (I Can't Take Anymore)" (number 19), the title describing the time of night Blades wrote the song; and the pleasant, acoustic-flavored "Goodbye" (number 17), which had the band veering in an overtly folk-rock, even country, direction. According to a 2001 TNN interview, Blades wrote "Goodbye" in memory of his older brother, James, who had died from a heroin overdose several years before. Between 1984 and 1987, Night Ranger branched out into soundtracks, recording or contributing songs to several teen-oriented films. In 1984, the band released "Interstate Love Affair" (later appearing on ''7 Wishes'') for ''
Teachers A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...
'', starring
Nick Nolte Nicholas King Nolte (; born February 8, 1941) is an American actor. Known for his leading man roles in both dramas and romances, he has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award. Nol ...
. In 1985, they also contributed another ''7 Wishes'' track, "This Boy Needs to Rock", to the soundtrack of '' Explorers''. The band also received exposure on two
Anthony Michael Hall Anthony Michael Hall (born Michael Anthony Thomas Charles Hall; April 14, 1968) is an American actor, producer and comedian. After his film debut in ''Six Pack (film), Six Pack'' (1982) and a supporting role as Russell "Rusty" Griswold in ''Nat ...
vehicles, ''
Sixteen Candles ''Sixteen Candles'' is a 1984 American coming-of-age teen comedy film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling, and Anthony Michael Hall. Written and directed by John Hughes in his directorial debut, it was the first in a string of f ...
'' (1984) and ''
Out of Bounds In sports, out of bounds (or out-of-bounds) refers to being outside the playing boundaries of the field. The legality of going out of bounds (intentionally or not), and the ease of prevention, vary by sport. Sports that use this term include Am ...
'' (1986). "Rumours in the Air" from ''Midnight Madness'' appeared on the former, while the latter featured "Wild and Innocent Youth", a rollicking Blades-Keagy composition that has still never been released on a Night Ranger album or compilation. In 1987 Blades co-wrote the title theme to the
Michael J. Fox Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian and American actor and activist. Beginning his career as a child actor in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom ...
film '' The Secret of My Success'', which served as the lead-off single on the band's next album, ''
Big Life Big Life was a record label established in 1987 by Jazz Summers and Tim Parry. It featured hundreds of releases from artists such as The Orb, Stare, Yazz, Junior Reid, Coldcut, De La Soul, and Damage. In 1999, the label was put into receiver ...
'' that same year. Unlike the previous three Night Ranger albums that were produced by Pat Glasser, this one was produced by
David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian record producer, composer, arranger, and musician. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His career began as a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark in the early 1970s befor ...
and featured more up-tempo songs than power ballads. ''Big Life'' featured some fairly mature Blades-Keagy songwriting, including the nuanced fan favorite "Rain Comes Crashing Down", inspired by a stormy California afternoon. "Carry On" was most reminiscent of classic Night Ranger, and was used as the B-side of "The Secret of My Success" single. None of the chosen ''Big Life'' singles hit the top 40. "Secret of My Success" stalled just short of hit-single status at number 64 on ''Billboard's ''Hot 100 despite heavy rotation on
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
in the spring of 1987. Night Ranger also openly quarreled with MCA over choosing "Hearts Away" as a single instead of one of their heavier songs. Their label expected another top-10 ballad, like "Sister Christian" or "Sentimental Street", but despite Keagy's passionate vocals, "Hearts Away" failed to catch on, peaking at number 90 on ''Billboard's ''Hot 100. The band embarked on a vigorous series of tour dates across North America and the Caribbean, featuring
The Outfield The Outfield were an English pop rock band formed in London in 1984. The band achieved success in the mid-1980s and are best remembered for their hit single "Your Love (The Outfield song), Your Love". The band's lineup consisted of guitarist J ...
as the opening act. A third single/video was released for "Color of Your Smile", but it failed to reach the charts due to limited airplay. In early 1988, Fitzgerald left the band before recording began on their fifth album '' Man in Motion'', citing his diminished role in the more guitar-driven direction the band was striving for on the new album. A majority of the keyboards on the album were performed by Jesse Bradman, who was also hired to perform during live shows on the album's tour. The band attempted a return to their earlier hard rock style to lift the group's sagging fortunes. However, none of the singles from the album gained significant radio airplay, as MCA once again chose to release ballads over harder-edged songs. "I Did It for Love" (written by
Russ Ballard Russell Glyn Ballard (born 31 October 1945) is an English rock singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer. Originally rising to prominence as the lead singer and guitarist of the band Argent, Ballard became a prolific songwriter and producer b ...
) fared poorly, even with a cameo appearance by popular actress Morgan Fairchild in the video. The band still views "Restless Kind" as one of their favorites, but it failed to chart. "Don't Start Thinking (I'm Alone Tonight)" and "Reason to Be" were similarly unsuccessful in early 1989. ''Man in Motion'' thus became the first Night Ranger album not to achieve gold or platinum status.


Early 1990s: "Moon Ranger" era

After a tour in 1988–89 supporting ''Man in Motion'' (including an opening slot for
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
), the members of Night Ranger were feeling the negative effects of constant touring and recording for the past ten years and decided to split up. Blades left to form the popular super-group
Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., d ...
with
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 ...
and
Tommy Shaw Tommy Roland Shaw (born September 11, 1953) is an American singer and guitarist best known for his tenure in the rock band Styx (band), Styx as co-lead vocalist. In between his stints with Styx, he has played with other groups including Damn Yan ...
of
Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; ; lit. "Shuddering"), also called the River Styx, is a goddess and one of the rivers of the Greek Underworld. Her parents were the Titans Oceanus and Tethys, and she was the wife of the Titan Pallas and the moth ...
. Gillis and Watson both released their first solo albums, while Watson also joined super-group Mother's Army. In 1991 Keagy and Gillis began working with ex-
Three Dog Night Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, founded by vocalists Chuck Negron, Cory Wells, and Danny Hutton. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael Allsup (guitar), and Floyd Sn ...
vocalist/bassist Gary Moon and guitarist/keyboardist David Zajicek was added in 1993. They recorded the album '' Feeding off the Mojo'' in 1995 with producer David Prater under the Night Ranger name. The album fared poorly both critically and amongst longtime fans. Said Brad Gillis in a 2017 interview:
''"Getting together with Gary was an interim thing to keep the Night Ranger brand out there. We had that one record, Feeding off the Mojo. It really wasn’t Night Ranger because Night Ranger is…like any other band, you’ve gotta have that classic voice that sings the songs."''


1996–1999: "Reunion"

In 1996, Blades returned to Night Ranger, which ultimately led to a reunion of all five original members. Two studio albums were released on CMC Records, 1997's ''Neverland'' and 1998's ''Seven'', the title of which seems to disregard the ''Feeding Off The Mojo'' album in the band's discography. The new albums were not as successful as their early material in the United States, but the ballad "Forever All Over Again" from ''Neverland'' did become a minor
Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
hit in the States. However, the albums did become quite popular in Japan. The band continued to tour between the members' various solo albums and projects, mostly on the summer festival circuit. Blades also began a stint as chief counselor for the Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp. In 1999, they joined other 1980s bands in the second installment of the Rock Never Stops Tour, which also happened to feature Blades' former Damn Yankees bandmate Ted Nugent.


2000–2010: Changing lineups

In 2003, Fitzgerald once again left the band and was replaced by
Great White Great White is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The band is named after both the shark with the same name, and guitarist Mark Kendall's former stage nickname. In August 2008, Great White estimated they had sold aroun ...
rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Michael Lardie. Fitzgerald went on to handle offstage keyboards for
Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and the virtuosity of their guit ...
as he had previously done in the 90's. The band recorded their next album '' Hole in the Sun'' in 2007, which was released overseas in April of that year, but did not appear in the US until July 2008. After working on the album, Watson was fired from the band. Details of the separation have not been made public, but the band made a statement following a post by Watson regarding the split:
''"We are shocked and saddened to learn of Jeff Watson's comments regarding his departure from Night Ranger. There are four sides to this story our three are the same; only Jeff's is different. While we don't want to get into details at this point in time, we are all truly sorry that our significant and continuing differences with Jeff could not be worked out. Still, we wish Jeff nothing but success in all of his future endeavors and are grateful for his positive contributions in the past."''
Watson's replacement for the remainder of their 2007 tour was Winger/
Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1978. The group were originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their ow ...
guitarist
Reb Beach Richard Earl "Reb" Beach Jr. (born August 31, 1963) is an American rock guitarist. He is a member of the bands Winger and Whitesnake. Career After graduating from Fox Chapel Area High School and attending Berklee College of Music in the ea ...
. After the tour, Lardie and Beach returned to their main bands. Christian Matthew Cullen replaced Lardie while
Joel Hoekstra Joel Hoekstra (born December 13, 1970) is an American guitarist currently in the hard rock band Whitesnake. He also tours as a guitarist for Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The son of classical musicians, he started out playing cello and piano at a y ...
took over for Beach by early 2008. Hoekstra was also a member of
Trans-Siberian Orchestra Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is an American rock band founded in 1996 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill (producer), Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli (both members of Savatage) and keyboardist and co-pr ...
and performed in the Broadway production of Rock of Ages concurrently with his membership in Night Ranger. In January 2008, the band played a special show in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for U.S. Navy and Marine troops stationed on the island.


2011–2021

In early 2011, Cullen was replaced by Garaj Mahal keyboardist Eric Levy in time for the recording of the band's new album '' Somewhere in California''. The song "Growin' Up in California" was released as a single and the band took part in a summer package tour that included Journey and Foreigner. Night Ranger guitarist Joel Hoekstra also did double duty for a stretch of the tour filling in for Mick Jones of Foreigner on several shows. On March 25, 2012, they gave an
a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
performance of
the Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...
before the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at
Auto Club Speedway Auto Club Speedway (known as California Speedway before and after the 2008–2023 corporate sponsorship by the Automobile Club of Southern California) was a , D-shaped oval superspeedway in unincorporated San Bernardino County, California, ne ...
in
Fontana, California Fontana is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Founded by Azariel Blanchard Miller in 1913, it remained essentially rural until World War II, when entrepreneur Henry J. Kaiser built a large steel mill in the area. It ...
. In May 2012, the band celebrated the 30th anniversary of their debut album ''Dawn Patrol'' by recording ''24 Strings and a Drummer'' as both a live DVD and album in an intimate, all-acoustic setting in front of a select number of fans at TRI Studios in San Rafael, California. The CD/DVD features some of their greatest hits, such as "(You Can Still) Rock in America" and "Sister Christian", in new acoustic arrangements. The live acoustic album consists of 12 songs plus a bonus track. On September 1, 2012, they performed as the headlining act for the "River Days" festival in Portsmouth, Ohio. Keyboardist Eric Levy was forced to miss this performance due to his wife giving birth. Brandon Ethridge (from the musicals ''Rock of Ages'' and ''We Will Rock You'') handled the keyboards for this performance. In late 2012, guitarist Keri Kelli (whose resume includes stints with
Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...
,
Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash th ...
,
Skid Row A skid row, also called skid road, is an impoverished area, typically urban, in English-speaking North America whose inhabitants are mostly poor people " on the skids". This specifically refers to people who are poor or homeless, considered disre ...
,
Vince Neil Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist of heavy metal music, heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, which he fronted from their 1981 formation until his departure in 1992. Neil reunited with the ...
Band,
Ratt Ratt (stylized as RATT) was an American glam metal band that had significant commercial success in the 1980s, with their albums having been certified as gold, platinum and multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, RIAA. ...
, Warrant,
L.A. Guns L.A. Guns are an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1983. The lineup currently consists of Tracii Guns (lead guitar), Phil Lewis (musician), Phil Lewis (lead vocals), Ace Von Johnson (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Johnny Mar ...
, Tal Bachman,
John Waite John Charles Waite (born 4 July 1952) is an English rock singer and musician. As a solo artist, he has released ten studio albums and is best known for the 1984 hit single "Missing You (John Waite song), Missing You", which reached No. 1 on th ...
, and others) filled in for Joel Hoekstra while he was playing with Trans-Siberian Orchestra. He did the same in late 2013. They released their 11th studio album, '' High Road'' on June 10, 2014. A deluxe edition includes a bonus track and a DVD of music videos and behind-the-scenes extras. Hoekstra left the band in August to join
Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1978. The group were originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their ow ...
alongside former Night Ranger touring guitarist Reb Beach. Keri Kelli was then formally hired as the permanent replacement for Hoekstra. The band released a live DVD/double CD recording on December 2, 2016, on Frontiers Records celebrating the band's 35th anniversary. ''35 Years and a Night in Chicago'' was recorded May 7, 2016, at the House of Blues in Chicago, Illinois. Included in the release was the new song "Day and Night". A second encore that night featured another new song, "Running Out of Time". Both songs were included on the band's next album '' Don't Let Up'' in March 2017, the first to include Keri Kelli on guitar. The single "Somehow Someway" preceded the album's release. Night Ranger's latest studio album '' ATBPO'' was released on August 6, 2021.


Musical style

Night Ranger's music is typically classified as
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 ...
,
glam metal Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal music, heavy metal that features pop music, pop-influenced Hook (music), hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat arena rock, rock anthems, and slow Sentimental ballad#Powe ...
, and
arena rock Arena rock (also known as stadium rock, pomp rock or corporate rock) is a style of rock music that became mainstream in the 1970s. It typically involves radio-friendly rock music that was designed to be played for large audiences. As hard rock ...
.


Band members

Current members * Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, lead and backing vocals (1979–1989, 1991–present) * Brad Gillis – lead and rhythm guitars, backing vocals (1979–1989, 1991–present) *
Jack Blades Jack Martin Blades (born April 24, 1954) is an American rock musician. He has worked in the bands Rubicon (American band), Rubicon, Night Ranger (as bassist and one of the lead vocalists), and Damn Yankees (band), Damn Yankees (as one of the f ...
– bass, lead and backing vocals, rhythm and acoustic guitars (1979–1989, 1996–present) *Eric Levy – keyboards, synthesizers, piano, backing vocals (2011–present) * Keri Kelli – lead and rhythm guitars, backing vocals (2014–present; touring appearances in 2012 and 2013)


Discography


Studio albums

* '' Dawn Patrol'' (1982) * '' Midnight Madness'' (1983) * '' 7 Wishes'' (1985) * ''
Big Life Big Life was a record label established in 1987 by Jazz Summers and Tim Parry. It featured hundreds of releases from artists such as The Orb, Stare, Yazz, Junior Reid, Coldcut, De La Soul, and Damage. In 1999, the label was put into receiver ...
'' (1987) * '' Man in Motion'' (1988) * ''Feeding off the Mojo'' (1995) * ''Neverland'' (1997) * ''Seven'' (1998) * ''Hole in the Sun'' (2007) * '' Somewhere in California'' (2011) * '' High Road'' (2014) * '' Don't Let Up'' (2017) * '' ATBPO'' (2021)


References


External links

* * *
Interview with Brad Gillis on Yuzu Melodies
{{Authority control 1982 establishments in California 1989 disestablishments in California Arena rock musical groups Articles which contain graphical timelines CMC International artists Frontiers Records artists Glam metal musical groups from California Hard rock musical groups from California MCA Records artists Musical groups established in 1982 Musical groups disestablished in 1989 Musical groups reestablished in 1991 Musical groups from San Francisco Universal Music Group artists