Blair Thornton

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

Thornton was recruited by BTO to replace founding member Tim Bachman, who left the group in January 1974. This occurred during the supporting tour for the Bachman-Turner Overdrive II album. Thornton made his live debut with BTO at a televised event for Don Kirshner's In Concert program hosted by Don E. Branker.[1]

With Thornton's arrival, BTO began incorporating "dual-lead" guitar solos in many new songs, with Thornton playing the lead guitar parts along with primary lead guitarist Randy Bachman.[2] Such solos were not a major feature on the band's first two albums. As a songwriter, Thornton contributed two compositions to the Not Fragile album: "Givin' It All Away" and an instrumental called "Freewheelin'". He also co-wrote three songs for the follow-up 1975 album, Four Wheel Drive, including the title track (with Randy Bachman).[3]

After Randy Bachman left BTO in 1977, Thornton took over primary lead guitar chores for the band on their next two albums: Street Action (1978) and Rock n' Roll Nights (1979), also contributing several compositions to the albums. Thornton rejoined the "classic" Not Fragile line-up (Randy Bachman, Rob Bachman, and Fred Turner) in 1988 for a reunion tour. In 1991, Randy Bachman exited 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, though the band was unable to recapture its past commercial success.

Blair currently enjoys a quiet semi-retirement with his wife, Shane.

References

  1. ^ Donbranker.com Retrieved 2011-04-03
  2. ^ Liner notes on Not Fragile album, 1974 BTO release
  3. ^ Liner notes on Four-Wheel Drive album, 1975 BTO release.

External links

Bachman–Turner Overdrive
Members
Billy Chapman · Blair Thornton · Brent Howard · Fred Turner · David Reimer · Garry Peterson · Jim Clench · John Cody · Marc LaFrance · Mick Dalla-Vee · Randy Bachman · Randy Murray · Robbie Bachman · Tim Bachman · Vince Ditrich
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilation albums
Best of BTO (So Far) (1976) · You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet (1983) · BTO's Greatest (1986) · The Anthology (1993) · Takin' Care of Business (1998) · Best of B.T.O. (Remastered Hits) (1998) · 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Bachman–Turner Overdrive (2000) · The Very Best of Bachman–Turner Overdrive (2001) · Bachman–Turner Overdrive Gold (2005)
Singles
"Blue Collar" (1973) · "Let It Ride" (1974) · "Takin' Care of Business" (1974) · "Roll On Down the Highway" (1974) · "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" (1974) · "Hey You" (1975) · "Gimme Your Money Please" (1976) · "Take It Like a Man" (1976) · "Lookin' Out for Number 1" (1976) · "Down to the Line" (1976) · "My Wheels Won't Turn" (1977) · "Shotgun Rider" (1977) · "Down the Road" (1978) · "Jamaica" (1979) · "Heartaches" (1979) · "Service with a Smile" (1984) · "For the Weekend" (1984) · "The House of the Rising Sun" (1996)