Jack Blades

In addition to fronting one of the mid 80's most successful mainstream/arena rock bands, Night Ranger, bassist/singer Jack Blades has either recorded with, penned songs for, or produced albums for some of rock's biggest names. Originally hailing from Palm Springs, California, Blades joined countless local bands in the Southern California area during the early '70s, during which time he attended San Diego State University (as a pre-med student). By the latter part of the decade, Blades had relocated to San Francisco, where he joined the dance-rock group Rubicon. The band issued a pair of obscure releases, 1978's self-titled debut and 1980's American Dreams, before splitting up. Blades and Rubicon guitarist Brad Gillis decided to form a new band together, one that would be more aligned to hard rock than their previous outfit. The early '80s saw the formation of Night Ranger, along with members Alan Fitzgerald (keyboards), Jeff Watson (guitar), and Kelly Keagy (drums, vocals), who fit in perfectly with such then-thriving melodic rockers as Journey, Loverboy, and Van Halen.

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