Night Ranger

This article is about the band. For the song, see Night Ranger (song).

Night Ranger
Night Ranger live at Sausalito Art Festival, 2009
Background information
Also known as	Nightranger, Ranger, Stereo
Origin	San Francisco, California, United States
Genres	Hard rock
Years active	1982–1989, 1991–present
Labels	MCA, Boardwalk, CMC International Universal, Legacy
Associated acts	Rubicon, Damn Yankees, Shaw/Blades, Great White, Ozzy Osbourne, Winger, Whitesnake
Website	nightranger.com
Members
Kelly Keagy Brad Gillis Jack Blades Joel Hoekstra Eric Levy
Past members
Alan Fitzgerald Jeff Watson Jesse Bradman Gary Moon David Zaijcek Michael Lardie Reb Beach Christian Matthew Cullen

Night Ranger is an American rock band from San Francisco that gained popularity during the 1980s with a series of albums and singles.^[1] The band's first five albums sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.^[1] The quintet is perhaps best known for the power ballad "Sister Christian", which peaked at #5 in June 1984.

After their success waned in the late 1980s, the band split up in 1989 and its members pursued other musical endeavours including group and solo efforts.^[2][3][4] Several members released an album without original singer/bassist Jack Blades in 1995, but the band soon re-united to release two new albums in the latter half of the decade. Despite the departure of original keyboardist Alan Fitzgerald and guitarist Jeff Watson, the band has continued to tour and remains very popular in Asian countries, especially Japan.^[5]

History

Beginnings

The group's origin can be traced to Rubicon, a pop/funk group led by Jerry Martini, who gained fame as a member of Sly and the Family Stone. After Rubicon's demise in 1979, bassist Jack Blades formed a hard rock trio^[4] with two other Rubicon members, drummer Kelly Keagy and guitarist Brad Gillis. Performing under the name Stereo, the threesome added keyboardist Alan Fitzgerald, a former member of Montrose, in 1980. Fitzgerald soon recommended enlisting a second virtuoso guitarist, so Jeff Watson, who led his own band in Northern California, was added to the group. The seeds were sown for a new melodic hard rock band, initially called simply Ranger.

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 Dawn Patrol for Boardwalk Records and done opening stints for ZZ Top and Ozzy Osbourne; the latter had employed Brad Gillis as a stand-in 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.

Their first three albums struck a balance between hard rockers laden with sexual innuendo and accessible pop ballads to guarantee airplay. Dawn Patrol, Midnight Madness, and Seven Wishes all reached RIAA Platinum status and garnered the band international fame. 1987's Big Life fell short of Platinum at around 800,000 copies. Thereafter, the group's fortunes began to decline.

Night Ranger's overall image tended to be somewhat cleaner than MTV contemporaries like Mötley Crüe or Ratt which helped the band flourish during a decade characterized by PMRC controversy. Moreover, their anthem "(You Can Still) Rock In America" appealed to a patriotic trend in 1980s rock pushed forward by both Ted Nugent and Sammy Hagar (Jack Blades would later form a popular supergroup with Nugent called Damn Yankees).^[4]

Negative criticism abounded during the band's heyday; Rolling Stone's review of Seven Wishes 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 favourable critics, such as Hit Parader, underscored Jack Blades' puppy-dog appeal, which won over female fans, while Gillis and Watson's duelling guitars pleased the same male audience that guitar-driven bands such as Van Halen had already begun to cultivate. Both guitarists also featured prominently in magazines like "Guitar for the Practicing Musician."

Dawn Patrol's first single, "Don't Tell Me You Love Me", received a boost through its MTV video airplay and peaked modestly at #40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Sing Me Away," a concert favourite sung by Keagy, failed to chart even though it also featured on MTV. Night Ranger's hold solidified with their second album, Midnight Madness, which pushed the band from opening act to headliner status by the summer of 1984. Apart from "Rock in America," Midnight Madness spun off two hit ballads: "When You Close Your Eyes" (#14) and "Sister Christian", (#5) 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— as it turned out.^[3]

According to a later interview with Brad Gillis, "Sister Christian" had actually been completed in 1982. But Gillis said the band chose not to release it on Dawn Patrol because they were afraid of losing their hard rock credentials. "Sister Christian," soon became a prom favourite, as well as a cautionary anthem for teenage girls across conservative Middle America, warning them not to "give it up before their time is due", as the song's second verse urged, and keep "motoring" instead.

In 1985 Night Ranger continued headlining their own tours in support of Seven Wishes which followed a very loose concept of the band flying across the ocean in a WWII B-25 Mitchell bomber. Jack Blades later reported he and Brad Gillis were fascinated by World War II planes. Night Ranger's "Sentimental Street" video even placed them in an Amelia Earhart scenario, which reported the entire band lost at sea. Like Midnight Madness, Seven Wishes was also blessed with three hit singles: the plaintive "Sentimental Street" (#8; sung by Kelly Keagy), Jack Blades' mid-tempo rocker "Four in the Morning (I Can't Take Anymore)" (#19), the title describing the time of night Blades wrote the song,^[6] and the pleasant, acoustic-flavoured "Goodbye" (#17), which saw the band veering toward an overtly folk-rock, even country, direction. According to a 2001 TNN interview, "Goodbye" had been penned by Jack Blades 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 Seven Wishes) for Teachers, starring Nick Nolte. In 1985 they also contributed another Seven Wishes track, "This Boy Needs to Rock," to the soundtrack of Explorers. The band also received exposure on two Anthony Michael Hall vehicles, Sixteen Candles (1984) and Out of Bounds in (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 never saw release on a Night Ranger album.

In 1987 Jack Blades co-wrote the title theme to the Michael J. Fox film The Secret of My Success, which served as the lead-off single from Big Life. Unlike the previous three Night Ranger albums produced by Pat Glasser, this album was produced by David Foster and featured a more polished, keyboard-driven sound, comparable to Journey and Foreigner. Unfortunately, Night Ranger now faced stiff competition from glam rock bands such as Bon Jovi and Poison, while overall tastes had begun to shift toward "bad boy" groups, such as Guns N' Roses. Moreover, some Night Ranger fans perceived the band's Hollywood flirtations as evidence of "selling out", reflected by a slight decline in album sales for Big Life.

Big Life featured some fairly mature Blades-Keagy songwriting, including the nuanced fan favorite, "Rain Comes Crashing Down," inspired by a stormy California afternoon. Sung by Kelly Keagy, "Carry On" was most reminiscent of classic Night Ranger, and featured as the flip-side of "Secret of My Success." However, none of the chosen Big Life singles hit the Top 40. "Secret of My Success" stalled just short of hit single status despite heavy MTV rotation in early 1987. A video also exists for "Colour of Your Smile," a guitar-driven rocker that never received airplay. Night Ranger also openly quarrelled with MCA over choosing "Hearts Away" in lieu of one of the heavier songs. Their label expected another Top 10 ballad, like "Sister Christian" or "Sentimental Street," but despite Kelly Keagy's passionate vocal, "Hearts Away" failed to catch on during Night Ranger's 1987 tour — a vigorous series of dates across North America and the Caribbean, featuring the Outfield as the opening act.

In early 1988 Alan Fitzgerald left during the recording of Night Ranger's fifth album citing his own diminished role in the guitar-driven band. Ironically, Fitzgerald had originally suggested the addition of Jeff Watson to augment the band's sound. With "Fitz" gone, Night Ranger required a touring keyboardist(Jesse Bradman) to complete the next album, Man in Motion, which promised a return to earlier form with more hard rock to anchor the group's sagging fortunes. But none of the singles from it were distinguished enough to gain radio airplay and MCA once more chose ballads over rockers. "I Did It for Love" (written by Russ Ballard) fared poorly, even with a cameo appearance by popular actress Morgan Fairchild in the video. Although the band still views "Restless Kind" as a favourite, it also failed to chart. "Don't Start Thinking(I'm Alone Tonight)" and "Reason to Be" were also failed singles in early 1989. Man in Motion thus became the first Night Ranger album not to achieve Gold or Platinum status.

1990s

After a tour in 1988–1989 supporting Man in Motion (including an opening slot for Kansas), Jack Blades left Night Ranger to form the popular supergroup Damn Yankees with Ted Nugent and Tommy Shaw of Styx and the band broke up.^[4]

In 1991 Kelly Keagy and Brad Gillis enlisted Gary Moon (ex-Three Dog Night) to replace Jack Blades as vocalist/bassist and decided to reform as a trio after Jeff Watson decided to pursue a solo career. The reunited group recorded Feeding Off The Mojo in 1995 which did not improve the band's profile despite a rigorous tour schedule in the early 1990s. For the 1995 tour to promote Mojo, David Zaijcek (from the group Airborne) was added on keyboards and guitar to bolster the group's stage sound.

In 1996 Jack Blades returned to Night Ranger, which reunited with all five original members for two studio albums on CMC Records, who engineered a similar comeback for Styx. While Neverland and Seven did not become as successful as the band's early material in the United States, they became quite popular in Japan. The band continued to tour in between solo albums and projects, mostly on the summer festival circuit. Jack Blades also began a stint serving as chief counselor for the Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp.

Night Ranger (2008)

Kelly Keagy (2009)

In 1999 they joined other 1980s bands in the second installment of the Rock Never Stops Tour, which also happened to feature Ted Nugent.

• /Users/dcc/Desktop/Pics/2011-09-30 Concert/10-Night Ranger.jpg

  Night Ranger 2011, Albuquerque

2000s

In 2003 Alan Fitzgerald was replaced by Great White rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Michael Lardie. Fitzgerald began handling offstage keyboards once again for Van Halen in 2004.

In 2007, while working on their next release Hole in the Sun, Jeff Watson was fired from the band. His replacement for the remainder of their 2007 tour was Winger/Whitesnake guitarist Reb Beach. Lardie and Beach soon left the band to focus on Great White and Winger/Whitesnake respectively. Christian Matthew Cullen replaced Lardie in 2007 while Joel Hoekstra took over for Beach by early 2008.

Hole in the Sun was released overseas in April 2007 but did not appear in the U.S. until July 2008.

In January 2008, in a podcast interview with Stuck in the 80s, Jack Blades said the band's latest album -- Hole in the Sun -- would be released in 2008 and would be supported by a national tour. In addition, Blades said the band was flying to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in late January to play a special show for the Navy and Marines troops on the island. To date Night Ranger have sold 16 million albums worldwide.^[7]

When not with Night Ranger, Hoekstra plays guitar in the Broadway show Rock of Ages. Sister Christian is one of the songs in the show. Hoekstra also played with Trans Siberian Orchestra in their 2010 Winter tour.

On March 8, 2011 Night Ranger announced new member Eric Levy and the departure of Christian Matthew Cullen.^[8]

Night Ranger released its new album, Somewhere In California on June 21, 2011. The video for the first single Growin Up in California can be seen on YouTube.

In 2011, Night Ranger toured with Journey and Foreigner.

Band members

Current members

• Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals (1979–1989, 1991–present)
• Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals (1979–1989, 1991–present)
• Jack Blades – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals, acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar (1979–1989, 1996–present)
• Joel Hoekstra – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals (2008–present)
• Eric Levy – keyboards, backing vocals (2011–present)

Former members

• Alan Fitzgerald – keyboards, backing vocals (1980–1988, 1996–2003)
• Jeff Watson – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals, (1980–1989, 1991, 1996–2007)
• Jesse Bradman – keyboards, backing vocals (1988–1989)
• Gary Moon – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals (1991–1996)
• David Zaijcek – rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (1995–1996)
• Michael Lardie – keyboards, backing vocals (2003–2007)
• Reb Beach – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals (2007–2008)
• Christian Matthew Cullen – keyboards, backing vocals (2007–2011)

Session members

• Jack Russell (Great White) – backing vocals on Seven (1998 — multiple tracks)
• Tommy Shaw (Styx/Damn Yankees) – backing vocals on Seven (1998 — track "Kong")

Lineups

(1979–1980) Stereo	Jack Blades – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
(1980) Stereo	Jack Blades – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Alan Fitzgerald – keyboards, piano, backing vocals
(1980) Stereo	Jack Blades – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Jeff Watson – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Alan Fitzgerald – keyboards, piano, backing vocals
(1980–1982) Ranger	Jack Blades – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Jeff Watson – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Alan Fitzgerald – keyboards, piano, backing vocals
(1982–1988) Night Ranger	Jack Blades – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Jeff Watson – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals, keyboards Alan Fitzgerald – keyboards, piano, backing vocals
(1988) Night Ranger	Jack Blades – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Jeff Watson – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
(1988–1989) Night Ranger	Jack Blades – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Jeff Watson – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Jesse Bradman – keyboards, piano, backing vocals
(1989) Night Ranger	Jack Blades – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Jeff Watson – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
(1989) Night Ranger	Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Jeff Watson – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
(1989–1991)	(Night Ranger disbanded)
(1991) Night Ranger	Gary Moon – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Jeff Watson – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
(1991–1995) Night Ranger	Gary Moon – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
(1995–1996) Night Ranger	Gary Moon – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals David Zaijcek – rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
(1996) Night Ranger	Gary Moon – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
(1996) Night Ranger	Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
(1996) Night Ranger	Jack Blades – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
(1996) Night Ranger	Jack Blades – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Jeff Watson – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
(1996–2003) Night Ranger	Jack Blades – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals, acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Jeff Watson – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Alan Fitzgerald – keyboards, piano, backing vocals
(2003) Night Ranger	Jack Blades – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Jeff Watson – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
(2003–2007) Night Ranger	Jack Blades – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Jeff Watson – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Michael Lardie – keyboards, piano, backing vocals
(2007) Night Ranger	Jack Blades – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Michael Lardie – keyboards, piano, backing vocals
(2007) Night Ranger	Jack Blades – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Reb Beach – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Michael Lardie – keyboards, piano, backing vocals
(2007) Night Ranger	Jack Blades – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Reb Beach – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
(2007–2008) Night Ranger	Jack Blades – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Reb Beach – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Christian Matthew Cullen – keyboards, piano, backing vocals
(2008) Night Ranger	Jack Blades – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Christian Matthew Cullen – keyboards, piano, backing vocals
(2008–2011) Night Ranger	Jack Blades – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Joel Hoekstra – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Christian Matthew Cullen – keyboards, piano, backing vocals
(2011–present) Night Ranger	Jack Blades – bass guitar, lead & backing vocals Kelly Keagy – drums, percussion, backing & lead vocals Brad Gillis – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Joel Hoekstra – lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals Eric Levy – keyboards, piano, backing vocals

Discography

Albums

Studio albums
Title	Year	Notes
Dawn Patrol	1982	#115 BB200; RIAA 1xPlatinum
Midnight Madness	1983	#15 BB200; RIAA 2xPlatinum
Seven Wishes	1985	#10 BB200 RIAA 3xPlatinum
Big Life	1987	#28 BB200; RIAA Gold
Man in Motion	1988	#81 BB200
Feeding off the Mojo	1995
Neverland	1997
Seven	1998
Hole In The Sun	2007-08	2007 Released internationally; 2008 Released in the U.S.
Somewhere in California	2011	#179 BB200
Live albums
Title	Year	Notes
Live in Japan	1990
Rock in Japan '97	1997	Japanese release
Rock Breakout Years: 1984	2005
The Best of Night Ranger Live	2006
Night Ranger Live	2007
Extended Versions	2007
Rockin' Shibuya 2007	2008	Japanese release
Compilations
Title	Year	Notes
Greatest Hits	1989	RIAA Gold
Rock Masterpiece Collection	1998
Keep Rockin': Best Selection '97–'98	1998
The Millennium Collection	2000
Hits, Acoustic & Rarities	2005	Re-recorded hits

Singles

Year	Song	US Hot 100	US Mainstream Rock	Album
1983	"Don't Tell Me You Love Me"	40	4	Dawn Patrol
1983	"Sing Me Away"	54	39	Dawn Patrol
1983	"(You Can Still) Rock in America"	51	15	Midnight Madness
1984	"Sister Christian"	5	2	Midnight Madness
1984	"When You Close Your Eyes"	14	14	Midnight Madness
1985	"Sentimental Street"	8	3	Seven Wishes
1985	"Four in the Morning (I Can't Take Anymore)"	19	13	Seven Wishes
1985	"Goodbye"	17	16	Seven Wishes
1987	"The Secret of My Success"	64	12	Big Life
1987	"Hearts Away"	90	1000 !–	Big Life
1988	"I Did It for Love"	75	16	Man in Motion
1988	"(Don't Start Thinking) I'm Alone Tonight"	1000 !–	1000 !–	Man in Motion

In other media

Musical theatre

The Night Ranger song "Sister Christian" appears in both the Off-Broadway production Power Balladz,the movie 'Boogie Nights' and the award-winning Broadway hit Rock of Ages.

Television series

Night Ranger is featured in the television series American Dad in Volume 3: Episode 10 "Joint Custody."

Video games

The song "Sister Christian" is featured is on Emotion 98.3, a radio station in the computer game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

"Sister Christian" also appears as a playable song in RockBand 3.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Sony Music Biography". Sonymusic.com. 1997-03-26. http://www.sonymusic.com/artists/NightRanger/biograph.html. Retrieved 2009-09-15. 
2. ^ "Brad Gillis". Official Community of Night Ranger. http://www.nightranger.com/about/brad_Bio.aspx. Retrieved 2008-05-21. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Kelly Keagy". Official Community of Night Ranger. http://www.nightranger.com/about/kelly_Bio.aspx. Retrieved 2008-05-21. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d} "Jack Blades". Official Community of Night Ranger. http://www.nightranger.com/about/jack_Bio.aspx. Retrieved 2008-05-21. 
5. ^ "CD Universe Bio". Cduniverse.com. 2003-05-20. http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1103349/a/Live+In+Japan.htm. Retrieved 2009-09-15. 
6. ^ "Four in the Morning". Songfacts.com interview with Jack Blades. http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=19405. Retrieved 2010-06-11. 
7. ^ "Stuck in the '80s | tampabay.com: Archives". Blogs.tampabay.com. 2008-01-14. http://blogs.tampabay.com/80s/2008/01/night-ranger-po.html. Retrieved 2009-09-15. 
8. ^ "Please Make Welcome Eric Levy| nightranger.com: News". nightranger.com. 2011-03-11. http://www.nightranger.com/news/please-make-welcome-eric-levy. Retrieved 2011-03-16. 

External links

• Official website
• Night Ranger on Myspace
• Jack Blades interview on Stuck in the 80s