PAT TRAVERS - Guitar Maverick Redefining Rock and Blues

With his hard, edgy tone, rough and rowdy vocals, and barroom boogie aesthetic, Canadian singer, guitarist, and keyboardist Pat Travers is a fine example of a Canadian bluesy hard rock act. He emerged during the '70s heyday of hard blues-rocking guitar heroes. His 8 albums from his 1976 debut through to 1984 netted seven Top 200 chart placements and two Top 40 singles, including the party anthem classic "Boom Boom (Out Go the Lights)." Pat is equally adept at playing funk, jazz, and prog and has toured almost annually for more than 40 years. Born in Toronto in 1954, Pat first picked up the guitar after seeing a local performance by Jimi Hendrix. He began studying the other top rock guitarists of the day - Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page. He then hooked up with '50s rock & roll vet Ronnie Hawkins  (best known for performing with a backing band that would eventually become The Band. But Travers' first love was hard rock, so he packed up and headed to London. In 1976 his performance at the Reading Festival resulted in two releases before he returned to North America and set his sights on the U.S. rock market. The new Travers band lineup led to his most commercially successful period, resulting in a pair of Top 30 releases, including 1980's Crash and Burn. Unfortunately as the '80s got underway, the music changed and bluesy hard rock wasn't in demand any longer. Pat Travers continued releasing albums but they sold less so he opted to take a break from producing records although he did continue to tour solidly. And he still does. In 2022, Travers issued The Art of Time Travel, a return to hard blues-rock. Numerous controversies and triumphs have only added depth to Pat Travers' storied career, and today his musical journey continues to evolve. His story is not just a biography but a testament to the enduring power of musical expression and the indelible mark one artist can leave on the world. Pat has worked hard to establish his well deserved reputation as being one of the very best hard rock guitarists in the world today. I hope you enjoy learning about his journey. If you'd like to know more about Pat Travers, head for his website https://www.pattravers.com/ and if you would like too request a future guest for this show please reach out to me through my website https://www.abreathoffreshair.com.au