Player (band)
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Player was a popular American rock band during the late 1970s.
Career
Formed in Los Angeles, California, they actually began as a garage band, literally playing in the garage at Ronn Moss's house. The original members of the band included Peter Beckett (guitarist, vocalist), John Crowley (guitarist, vocalist), Ronn Moss (bassist, vocalist), and John Friesan (drummer). After extensively playing the local L.A. club scene, Player was signed to RSO Records in 1977.
Player gained great popularity as a live act during the heyday of the 1970s stadium rock era. They began to develop a very distinctive edgy yet very melodic rock style. Their biggest hit, "Baby Come Back," rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. Their follow up single, "This Time I'm In It For Love," also cracked the Top 10 the same year. Among several notable accolades, Player was named Billboard's Best New Singles Artist of 1978. Eric Clapton became so impressed with Player that he invited them to open for him during his 1979 North American tour. This further fuelled their popularity. Eventually, the band began to headline their own events. Player released three albums during their active touring years: Player (RSO Records), Danger Zone (RSO Records), and Room With A View (Casablanca Records). All three albums were considered to be successful: Player was certified gold; the other two achieved platinum recognition.
Moss left Player in 1981 to pursue a full-time acting career. He played the role of Ridge Forrester on the television soap opera, The Bold And The Beautiful. After the exit of Moss, Beckett kept the band going (with several different line-ups) into the mid-1980s. Finally, Player officially retired as a touring band.
Since then, Moss and Beckett have recorded two additional studio albums as Player: Lost In Reality (1998) and Best Of Player (1999). Furthermore, Moss (with Beckett) has also recorded two recent "solo" albums: I'm Your Man (2000) and Uncovered (2005). Both Moss and Beckett continue to play limited concert schedules as solo artists, whilst recent news suggests that getting Player back on the road for a U.S concert tour, is now in the works.
External links
Selected singles
| Title | ||
|---|---|---|
| "Baby Come Back" | US # 1 - January 1978 | AC # 20, 1978 |
| "This Time I'm In It For Love" | US # 10 - May 1978 | AC # 20, 1978 |
| "Prisoner Of Your Love" | US # 27 - October 1978 | |
| "Silver Lining" | US # 62 - December 1978/January 1979 | |
| "If Looks Could Kill" | US # 48 - February 1982 | |
| "Givin' It All" | US # 105 - September 1980 | bubbling under Hot 100 |