Trooper (band)

Trooper
Trooper performing at Vancouver 2010 Olympic Victory Ceremonies. From L-R: Brian Smith, Gogo, Ra McGuire, Clayton Hill, Scott Brown.
Background information
Origin	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Genres	Rock, pop
Years active	1975–present
Labels	MCA, RCA, Great Pacific Records
Website	http://www.trooper.com
Members	Ra McGuire Brian Smith Gogo Scott Brown Clayton Hill
Past members	Former members

Trooper is a Canadian rock band that developed from a group formed by vocalist Ramon McGuire and guitarist Brian Smith in 1975. The group is best known for its Canadian hits: "Raise a Little Hell", "We're Here for a Good Time (Not a Long Time)", "The Boys in the Bright White Sports Car", "General Hand Grenade", "3 Dressed Up as a 9", "Janine", "Two for the Show", "Oh, Pretty Lady", and "Santa Maria".

1967, Ra McGuire and Brian Smith played in a band called Winter's Green, which recorded two songs, "Are You a Monkey" and "Jump in the River Blues", on the Rumble Records Label. "Are You a Monkey" later appeared on a rock collection: 1983's "The History of Vancouver Rock and Roll, Vol. 3".

In the early seventies Winter's Green changed their name to Applejack and added drummer Tommy Stewart and bassist Harry Kalensky to their lineup. Applejack became a very popular band in the Vancouver area, and began touring extensively in British Columbia. The band played a few original tunes such as "Raise a Little Hell", and "Oh, Pretty Lady", as well as Top 40 songs by artists such as Neil Young, and Chicago.

After hearing Applejack perform, Randy Bachman of Bachman–Turner Overdrive and The Guess Who signed the band to his "Legend" label. The band changed their name to Trooper, and Bachman produced the band's self-titled debut album, Trooper, which contained the Canadian hits "Baby Woncha Please Come Home" and "General Hand Grenade". Managed by Sam Feldman, Trooper began touring extensively in both Canada and the United States.

After moving from Legend Records to MCA Records, Trooper added Frank Ludwig on keyboards. Their 1975 debut album was followed by Two for the Show in 1976, which was certified Gold in Canada. The album contained the hits "Two for the Show", and "Santa Maria". The latter of the two hits was inspired from a trip by boat to Tugwell Island, near Prince Rupert, BC.