So, the million dollar question for today is, who was Tom Cochrane before he was..well, Tom Cochrane. The answer is that he was the force behind 70’s band Red Rider. The band was formed in the late 70’s by Tom and Ken Greer and generated a series of major hits throughout the 80’s. Their album “As Far As Siam” enjoyed major success on both sides of the US-Canada border. The attached video “Lunatic Fringe” was a hit and was featured on “Miami Vice”, an early adapter to fusing music with television series.
The band itself changed over the years, eventually becoming Tom Cochrane and Red Rider as Tom became more vital to the band’s success. Their string of it’s carried all the way in the late 80’s when Tom went out on his own, becoming a major player with the release of “Life is a Highway”. Their final album “Symphony Sessions”, a recording with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra was released in 1989. The band has reformed (as have many old time bands) and has done some touring in the past few years as Tom Cochrane and Red Rider.
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