Point Blank (band)

Point Blank is an American rock and roll band hailing from Texas. The band formed in 1974 and recorded six albums between 1976 and 1982. Garnering occasional airplay on AOR radio stations, the band is best known for their 1981 hit single, "Nicole".

History

The band was discovered and managed by Bill Ham's Lone Wolf Productions (ZZ Top, Jay Boy Adams, and Eric Johnson). The original six albums were recorded in Memphis with Engineer/Producer Terry Manning. Point Blank's sound is rooted in southern rock and boogie, but drifted towards hard rock and mainstream AOR by the early 1980s. In 1981 they released their fifth album, American Exce$$ which included the hit single "Nicole". With strong air-play on AOR radio stations the track reached #20 on Billboard Magazine's Rock Tracks chart. Subsequently, "Nicole" was also released as a 45 RPM single and peaked inside the Top 40, at #39 on Billboard's Hot 100. In their heyday they were known for their relentless touring, sometimes playing more than 200 shows per year.

In 1983 the band broke up.

The band's core members reunited for a benefit concert in 2005. The benefit concert, held on September 17, 2005 was recorded and became a new "Live Album" for the band titled Reloaded. After its initial release they continued touring and in late 2009, Point Blank released their seventh album titled "Fight on", their first studio album in 27 years. Both the Reloaded and Fight On! albums were released on the Dixiefrog label. Bassist Phillip Petty died from cancer on June 7, 2010. Guitarist Kim Davis died on October 18, 2010 (born October 6, 1952). Dallas, Texas, studio musician Michael Hamilton, who played keyboards for the group, died, also from cancer, on May 13, 2011.

In January 2014, the band completed Volume 9, a Kickstarter-funded project originally titled Locked, Stocked and Two Smoking Barrels.

Replacing bassist Philip Petty after his death is Kirk Powers (ex-American Tears - born November 24, 1957) and in 2012, after receiving a phone call from ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons recommending him, the band hired drummer Greg Hokanson (ex Houston, Texas based bands "Pitbull^[1]" and "Two Ton Jack").

Discography

• Point Blank (Arista) 1976 - includes "That's the Law", and "Distance"
• Second Season (Arista) 1977 - includes "Stars and Scars" and cover of Bob Seger's "Beautiful Loser"
• Airplay (MCA) 1979 - includes "Mean to Your Queenie"
• The Hard Way (MCA) 1980, - includes "The Hard Way" and a cover of Deep Purple's "Highway Star"
• American Exce$$ (MCA) 1981 - includes "Nicole", "The Way You Broke My Heart" and "Let Me Stay with You Tonight"
• On a Roll (MCA) 1982 - includes "Let Her Go", "On a Roll", "Great White Line", and "Gone Hollywood"
• Reloaded (Dixiefrog) 2007 - Live album recorded in 2005
• Fight On! (Dixiefrog) 2009 - first studio album in 27 years
• Volume 9 2014 - funded through Kickstarter

Members

• Bold = Original members
• Italics = Past members that joined

2012

• Rusty Burns - Guitar
• John O'Daniel - Vocals
• Mouse Mayes - Guitar
• Larry Telford - Keyboards
• Kirk Powers- Bass
• Greg Hokanson - Drums

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2014

• Rusty Burns - Guitar
• John O'Daniel - Vocals
• Mouse Mayes - Guitar
• Larry Telford - Keyboards
• Kirk Powers- Bass
• Mike Gage - Drums

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References

External links

• pointblanksouthernrock.com - Point Blank's Official Website
• The Loss of Kim Davis - The Loss of Kim Davis
• The Official Point Blank Bio - The Official Point Blank Bio
• Startin' Up POINT BLANK'S Automobile & More on VOLUME 9