The Best of the Biker Bands

The Dark Side of The Aight Ball
A place on Aces & 8ths for those articles and such, that just don't seem to fit any where else.

The Best of the Biker Bands

From Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild", to The Outlaws, "Funk #49", to Skynyrd's, "I Know a Little", there are songs and bands that just seem to go well with the rumble of a Harley Davidson. The following are some of my favorite bands doing my favorite biker tunes.

Steppenwolf

Steppenwolf is a Canadian rock band that helped establish heavy metal music in the late 1960s. The band was formed in 1967 in Los Angeles by vocalist John Kay, guitarist Michael Monarch, bassist Rushton Moreve, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton after the dissolution of its predecessor, The Sparrows.
The band has sold more than 25 million units worldwide, releasing 8 gold albums and 13 Hot 100 singles, including three top-10 hits in "Born to Be Wild" (it is in the lyrics of this song in which the term "heavy metal" is first heard in rock music, thus, according to some, attributing the term to songwriter Mars Bonfire), '"Magic Carpet Ride", and "Rock Me". Steppenwolf enjoyed worldwide success from 1968 to 1974, but clashing personalities led to the end of the core lineup. Today, frontman John Kay is the only original member left, having served as lead singer for almost all of the 40 years since 1967. Kay has stated that there will be no more Steppenwolf tours, but according to band manager Charlie Wolf, he has left open the possibility of doing "a half dozen shows in '09"

James Gang

The James Gang were a rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. Though the band wasn't a huge commercial success, the fame garnered by guitarist Joe Walsh has since made the group more notable. The original band members were drummer Jimmy Fox, bassist Tom Kriss, guitarist Ronnie Silverman, keyboardist Phil Giallombardo, and guitarist Greg Grandillo, who was quickly replaced by Dennis Chandler. Bill Jeric replaced Silverman when he entered the service. And after Chandler left, the group featured Glen Schwartz. Unfortunately, none of the above lineups ever officially released any material.

Molly Hatchet

Molly Hatchet is an American southern rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1971. They are widely known for their hit song "Flirtin' with Disaster" from the album of the same title. The band, founded by Dave Hlubek and Steve Holland, took its name from a prostitute who allegedly mutilated and decapitated her clients. Based in Jacksonville, Fla., Molly Hatchet shared influences and inspiration with the most well-known act in the Southern rock genre, Lynyrd Skynyrd as well as another up-and-coming Southern Rock act, .38 Special whose singer was Donnie Van Zant, the brother of Lynyrd Skynyrd lead vocalist, Ronnie Van Zant. .38 Special enjoyed influential connections in the music industry, referring Molly Hatchet to manager Pat Armstrong. His interest in Molly Hatchet led to a recording contract with Epic Records, bringing in Tom Werman as a producer. Werman had already worked with acts such as Cheap Trick, Stranger and Ted Nugent. Ronnie Van Zant was slated to produce Molly Hatchet's first album, having helped write arrangments and directing rehearsals prior to his fatal airplane crash. Molly Hatchet cut their first demos in Lynyrd Skynyrd's 8-track recording studio using their equipment.

George Thorogood & The Destroyers

George Thorogood is a blues-rock performer from Wilmington, Delaware, USA. He was raised on Clearview Avenue in Naamans Gardens, a suburb of Wilmington. George and the Destroyers are also notable for undertaking a rigorous touring schedule after appearing throughout the Rolling Stones tour in 1981. After two shows in Boulder, Colorado, George and his band flew to Hawaii and played for only one night. The next night they appeared in Alaska for one show. The following day the band flew to Washington State, met their roadies who had their Checker car and a truck, and continued a one show per state tour for all fifty states in exactly fifty nights. In addition, they played Washington, DC on the same day that they performed a show in Maryland.

ZZ Top

ZZ Top is an American rock trio that formed in late 1969 in Houston, Texas, US. The group members are Billy Gibbons (lead vocals, guitar), Dusty Hill (vocals, bass, keyboards), and Frank Beard (drums, percussion).
The band holds the distinction of being among the few rock bands still composed of its original recording members for nearly 40 years and until September 2006, the same manager/producer/image maker, Bill Ham.
ZZ Top reached peak commercial success in the 1970s and 1980s, scoring many hit songs during that era, but they remain together today and are still touring and releasing albums. ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 15, 2004. Summarizing their music, Cub Koda wrote, "As genuine roots musicians, they have few peers; Gibbons is one of America's finest blues guitarists working in the hard rock idiom ... while Hill and Beard provide the ultimate rhythm section support." Their song lyrics often feature sexual innuendo and humor.
Nearly as well-known as their music is the group's image: Gibbons and Hill are almost always pictured wearing sunglasses (a nod to their 1979 song "Cheap Sunglasses"), similar if not matching clothing, and their trademark chest-length beards (ironically, in spite of his own surname, Beard almost always sports just a mustache). In 1984, the Gillette Company reportedly offered Gibbons and Hill $1 million each to shave their beards for a television commercial but they declined, stating "We're too ugly without 'em".

AC/DC

AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Although the band are commonly classified as hard rock, and considered pioneers of heavy metal, they have always classified their music as "rock and roll".
AC/DC underwent several line-up changes before releasing their first album, High Voltage, in 1975. Membership remained stable until bassist Mark Evans was replaced by Cliff Williams in 1977. In 1979, the band recorded their highly successful album Highway to Hell. Lead singer and co-songwriter Bon Scott died on 19 February 1980, after a night of heavy alcohol consumption. The group briefly considered disbanding, but soon ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson was selected as Scott's replacement. Later that year, the band released their best-selling album, Back in Black. The rest is history.

Johnny Winter

Johnny Winter first began performing at an early age with his younger brother, Edgar Winter. Johnny's very first TV appearance was on a local childrens television show that aired in Houston and Beaumont markets called the Don Mahoney and Jeana Claire show. Don Mahoney was a blind singing cowboy/kiddie show host in the Houston area for many years and Jeana Claire was his sidekick. Johnny and Edgar appeared on Mahoney's show when they were about ten years old, playing ukelele and singing. Unfortunately, archival footage of the Winter brothers appearance was destroyed.
His recording career began at the age of 15, when their band Johnny and the Jammers released "School Day Blues" on a Houston record label. In 1969, he and his band performed at numerous rock festivals including Woodstock. Contrary to urban legend, however, Johnny did not perform with Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison on the infamous Hendrix bootleg recording "Woke up this Morning and Found Myself Dead" from New York City's Scene Club. In his own words, "...I never even met Jim Morrison! There's a whole album of Jimi and Jim and I'm supposedly on the album but I don't think I am `cause I never met Jim Morrison in my life! I'm sure I never, never played with Jim Morrison at all! I don't know how that rumour got started.

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band. The band became prominent in the Southern United States in 1973, and rose to worldwide recognition before several members, including lead vocalist and primary songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, died in an airplane crash in 1977. The band reformed in 1987 for a reunion tour with Ronnie's younger brother, Johnny Van Zant as the frontman, and continues to record music today. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 13, 2006. In 1972 the band was discovered by musician, songwriter, and producer Al Kooper of Blood, Sweat, and Tears, who had attended one of their shows at a club in Atlanta. They changed the spelling of their name to "Lynyrd Skynyrd", and Kooper signed them to MCA Records, producing their first album the following year. 1973's featured the hit song "Free Bird", which received national airplay, eventually reaching #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, and is still considered a Rock and Roll anthem today.

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