Axe hails from the southern rock capital of the world, Jacksonville, Florida: the state that brought you Molly Hatchet, Blackfoot, .38 Special and Tom Petty. Axe were part of the “biker metal” or “boogie rock” sub-genre of southern rock, which featured such bands as the Godz, the Boyzz and Doc Holliday on the “biker” side, with Foghat and Spider (not the Holly Knight-led one: the British one that sounded like Status Quo) on the other. Axe, like their musical brethren in Point Blank, were just one of those bands that failed to make a .38 Special-styled crossover to widespread mainstream success.
Fronted by vocalist Edgar Riley, they signed to MCA, issuing an eponymous
debut in 1979 and a sophomore effort in 1981, Living on the Edge. It was their third album, 1982’s Offering,
that became the bands biggest seller, courtesy of the FM hit, “Rock ‘n’
Roll
Party in the Streets.” Although they followed with another hit, the
lower-charting, “I Think I’ll Remember You Tonight,” from 1983’s Nemesis, their bright future was
darkened by the car related death of vocalist Edgar Riley.
Guitarist and main songwriter Bobby Barth quickly found work with Blackfoot—known for their hit “Train, Train”—for their 1984 album Vertical Smiles and 1987’s Rick Medlocke and Blackfoot. While working in Blackfoot, Barth issued a solo album in 1986 on Atco—the old home of Axe—entitled Two Hearts, One Beat. In 1989, Barth recruited Andy Parker of UFO—a band also known for their “big” American FM hits, “Doctor, Doctor,” “Rock Bottom,” and “Too Hot to Handle”—for a reformed version of Axe.
* * *
And here we are in 2025 . . . where Axe has an official You Tube channel hosting their vinyl-to-digitized wares.
Man, do I feel old . . . I need my turntable for a vinyl fix!
No comments:
Post a Comment