"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -- Hunter S. Thompson
Not for the faint-hearted, The Drivers take no prisoners . A fiery blend of hard rock, garage, rockabilly & authentic blues & country, the band was originally formed in 1979 by guitarist/singersongwriter Johnny Thomas a.k.a Creepy John Thomas/Johnny Driver. Born in Sydney, Australia, Johnny has truly been "rockin' around" for over three decades. He started his career as a member of The Flies. Enfant terribles of the Aussie Pop Scene due to their wild appearance and frantic live shows, this led to regular TV appearances and some chart success.They supported The Rolling Stones and Roy Orbison on their Australian tours. After leaving the band and moving to London, Johnny released two highly original solo albums, Creepy John Thomas and Brother Bad Bone. These two albums have since become cult classics. In the early seventies, after a heady spell in San Francisco, Johnny returned to London and joined the Edgar Broughton Band as guitarist He is featured on the albums Bandages and Live Hits Harder
In the late seventies Johnny moved to Berlin and formed Johnny & The Drivers. The band released two albums This Must Be The Night and Homing In On Zero. In the late eighties, while still living in Berlin, Johnny heard that his old pals The Edgar Broughton Band were playing in town. He went along to see the show and was introduced to their newest member, a precocious young guitarist called Andy Taylor. Johnny and Andy instantly struck up a close friendship through their shared experiences with the Broughtons and their mutual love of raw rock'n'roll and they decided that one day they would definitely play together. When he moved back to London Johnny contacted Andy with a view to joining the band and with the name now shortened to The Drivers, the two guitarists have been playing together for over fifteen years.
Trotter first played with The Drivers on the band's 1980 album This Must Be the Night. Formally known as Ralph Schmidt, he co-founded the ill-fated but legendary cult German band Interzone who released three stunning albums on WEA. In a strange twist while living in Australia, Trotter filled in on bass with The Flies at their 1996 reunion gig so he was the natural choice to replace Arthur Grant who left due to commitments with the Edgar Broughton Band.
Last but by no means least is Richard Marcangelo who joined the band four years ago. Richard has played with everybody! A genuine all-round good guy with a wealth of live and studio experience but who is also not afraid to get down and dirty with the rest of them. He perfectly fits the bill as the band's new drummer and partner-in-crime. With their new album being released soon The Drivers are now ready for a serious bout of live rockin'. They will be accepting bookings for their Runnin Jumpin Standin Still tour to coincide with the release of the forthcoming album of the same name. real editor best profile tools real editor best profile tools
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