Billy Rankin (guitarist)
Encyclopedia
Billy Rankin is a Scottish guitarist and rock
musician
active in the 1980s and 1990s. Best known for his work with Nazareth
(1980-83 & 1990-94), he also had a successful solo career, including a US hit single "Baby Come Back".
's Zal Band, featuring members of The Sensational Alex Harvey Band.
He joined Nazareth
in 1980, and appeared on their a lbums Snaz
(1981), 2XS
(1982) and Sound Elixir
(1983) before leaving the band.
He issued a solo album Growin' up Too Fast in 1984, and had a hit single
in the US
with the single
, "Baby Come Back", taken from the album. A follow up album called Crankin was released in Japan only in 1985, but with little success. He rejoined Nazareth in 1990, and recorded No Jive
(1991) and Move Me
(1994) before leaving the band again in 1994. As well as guitar, he also occasionally played keyboards.
After leaving Nazareth, he played at the Mick Ronson
Memorial Concert, issued on CD in 1997. He also appears on a number of Nazareth retrospective and compilation albums, including Rock Ballads (1998), Back to the Trenches (2001), Live in Texas '81 (2004), The River Sessions (2004) and Hair of the Dog – Live (2007).
His latest solo album Shake was released in 1999.
Billy worked as a truck driver with the supermarket chain ASDA before getting a job as a presenter. Rankin is now the breakfast presenter with 96.3 Rock Radio
, Scotland's first classic rock station and can be heard on weekdays between 0600 and 1000.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
active in the 1980s and 1990s. Best known for his work with Nazareth
Nazareth (band)
Nazareth is a Scottish hard rock band, founded in 1968, that had several hits in the UK in the early 1970s, and established an international audience with their 1975 album Hair of the Dog. Perhaps their best-known hit single was a cover of the ballad "Love Hurts", in 1975...
(1980-83 & 1990-94), he also had a successful solo career, including a US hit single "Baby Come Back".
Biography
Classically trained, he played cello at school and attained his A level in music, but preferred rock music to classical as he said in an interview, 'I was probably earning more than my cello teacher and learning more than he could ever teach me just by being in a rock band.' His first band Phase played the Scottish pub circuit when he was only 15 years old and, in 1978, he joined Zal CleminsonZal Cleminson
Alistair "Zal" Cleminson is a Scottish guitarist, best known for his prominent role in The Sensational Alex Harvey Band during the 1970s.-Career:...
's Zal Band, featuring members of The Sensational Alex Harvey Band.
He joined Nazareth
Nazareth (band)
Nazareth is a Scottish hard rock band, founded in 1968, that had several hits in the UK in the early 1970s, and established an international audience with their 1975 album Hair of the Dog. Perhaps their best-known hit single was a cover of the ballad "Love Hurts", in 1975...
in 1980, and appeared on their a lbums Snaz
Snaz
-Disc two:-Personnel:* Dan McCafferty: vocals* Manny Charlton: guitar* Billy Rankin: guitar, backing vocals* John Locke: keyboards* Pete Agnew: bass guitar, backing vocals* Darrell Sweet: drums, backing vocals...
(1981), 2XS
2XS
- 30th Anniversary Bonus Tracks :The 2011 remastered CD release of 2XS was paired with Sound Elixir, comprising tracks 1 through 11 of 21 tracks. No bonus material was added- Band members :* Dan McCafferty – lead vocals* Manny Charlton – guitar...
(1982) and Sound Elixir
Sound Elixir
-30th Anniversary Bonus Tracks:The 2011 remastered CD release of Sound Elixir was paired with 2XS, comprising tracks 12 through 21. No bonus material was added.-Band members:*Dan McCafferty - vocals*Pete Agnew - bass guitar, vocals*Manny Charlton - guitars...
(1983) before leaving the band.
He issued a solo album Growin' up Too Fast in 1984, and had a hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with the single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Baby Come Back", taken from the album. A follow up album called Crankin was released in Japan only in 1985, but with little success. He rejoined Nazareth in 1990, and recorded No Jive
No Jive
-30th Anniversary Bonus Tracks:-Musicians:*Dan McCafferty - vocals*Billy Rankin - guitars*Pete Agnew - bass guitar*Darrell Sweet - drums and percussion-Other credits:*Peter Bizarre - keyboards*Roland Peil - percussion*Engineered by Ian Remmer...
(1991) and Move Me
Move Me
- 30th Anniversary Bonus tracks :- Band members :* Dan McCafferty - vocals* Billy Rankin - guitars* Pete Agnew - bass guitar* Darrell Sweet - drums* Produced by Tony Taverner and Nazareth* Engineered by Tony Taverner...
(1994) before leaving the band again in 1994. As well as guitar, he also occasionally played keyboards.
After leaving Nazareth, he played at the Mick Ronson
Mick Ronson
Michael "Mick" Ronson was an English guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. He is best known for his work with David Bowie, as one of The Spiders from Mars...
Memorial Concert, issued on CD in 1997. He also appears on a number of Nazareth retrospective and compilation albums, including Rock Ballads (1998), Back to the Trenches (2001), Live in Texas '81 (2004), The River Sessions (2004) and Hair of the Dog – Live (2007).
His latest solo album Shake was released in 1999.
Billy worked as a truck driver with the supermarket chain ASDA before getting a job as a presenter. Rankin is now the breakfast presenter with 96.3 Rock Radio
96.3 Rock Radio
96.3 Real Radio XS is a Scottish local radio station owned and operated by GMG Radio. It is based at Ballieston to the east of Glasgow and broadcasts to Renfrewshire, West Central Scotland and Central Scotland....
, Scotland's first classic rock station and can be heard on weekdays between 0600 and 1000.
Solo Albums
- Growin' Up Too Fast(A & M Records 1983)
- Crankin (A & M Records 1985)
- Shake (1999)
With Nazareth
- SnazSnaz-Disc two:-Personnel:* Dan McCafferty: vocals* Manny Charlton: guitar* Billy Rankin: guitar, backing vocals* John Locke: keyboards* Pete Agnew: bass guitar, backing vocals* Darrell Sweet: drums, backing vocals...
(1981) - 2XS2XS- 30th Anniversary Bonus Tracks :The 2011 remastered CD release of 2XS was paired with Sound Elixir, comprising tracks 1 through 11 of 21 tracks. No bonus material was added- Band members :* Dan McCafferty – lead vocals* Manny Charlton – guitar...
(1982) - Sound ElixirSound Elixir-30th Anniversary Bonus Tracks:The 2011 remastered CD release of Sound Elixir was paired with 2XS, comprising tracks 12 through 21. No bonus material was added.-Band members:*Dan McCafferty - vocals*Pete Agnew - bass guitar, vocals*Manny Charlton - guitars...
(1983) - No JiveNo Jive-30th Anniversary Bonus Tracks:-Musicians:*Dan McCafferty - vocals*Billy Rankin - guitars*Pete Agnew - bass guitar*Darrell Sweet - drums and percussion-Other credits:*Peter Bizarre - keyboards*Roland Peil - percussion*Engineered by Ian Remmer...
(1991) - Move MeMove Me- 30th Anniversary Bonus tracks :- Band members :* Dan McCafferty - vocals* Billy Rankin - guitars* Pete Agnew - bass guitar* Darrell Sweet - drums* Produced by Tony Taverner and Nazareth* Engineered by Tony Taverner...
(1994)