Southern Pacific was an American country rock

Country rock

Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...

 band that ran from 1983 to 1991. They are best known for hits such as "Any Way the Wind Blows" (1989), which was used in the soundtrack

Soundtrack

A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...

 for the film Pink Cadillac starring Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood

Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...

 and Bernadette Peters

Bernadette Peters

Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...

, and "New Shade of Blue" (1988, their highest-ranking single on the country charts in November of that year). Southern Pacific was named New Country Group of the Year when they debuted and have been honored by having their name added to the Country Music Association’s Walkway of Stars in Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

.

History

Formed in 1983 with former Doobie Brothers

The Doobie Brothers

The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The group has sold over 40 million units worldwide throughout their career. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...

 members Keith Knudsen

Keith Knudsen

Keith Knudsen was an American rock drummer, vocalist and songwriter.-Career:Knudsen was born in Le Mars, Iowa. He began drumming while attending Princeton High School in Princeton, Illinois, where he graduated from in 1966...

, John McFee

John McFee

John McFee is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist, and long time member of the Doobie Brothers.-Biography:...

 and bassist Jerry Scheff

Jerry Scheff

Jerry Obern Scheff is an American bassist, perhaps best known for his work with Elvis Presley in the early 1970s as a member of his TCB Band and his work on The Doors' final recordings....

. Additional founding members include, Tim Goodman

Tim Goodman

Tim Goodman was born in San Francisco in 1952 and briefly spent his high school years attending the American School in London. Upon returning to San Francisco, Goodman began touring and performing during the late 1970s, becoming a mainstay in the genres of Country, country rock and Bluegrass music...

 on vocals and keyboardist Glen Hardin

Glen Hardin

Glen D. Hardin is an American piano player, songwriter and arranger. He has performed and recorded with such notable artists as Elvis Presley, Emmylou Harris, John Denver, Ricky Nelson and many others.-Career:...

. The group signed with Warner Bros. Records

Warner Bros. Records

Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...

 in 1984 to which their debut album, Southern Pacific was released the following year. Scheff left after the debut album and was replaced by Stu Cook

Stu Cook

Stuart Alden Cook is an American bass guitarist, best known for his work in the rock band, Creedence Clearwater Revival....

 of Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....

, while Kurt Howell replaced Hardin on keyboards. Cook and Howell would join the others in the release of Killbilly Hill in 1986. This album would feature the cover of Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...

's "Pink Cadillac

Pink Cadillac (song)

"Pink Cadillac" is a humorous song by Bruce Springsteen which though a minor item in his canon of recorded music was a prominent concert number during Springsteen's 1984-85 Born in the U.S.A. Tour...

". Tim Goodman

Tim Goodman

Tim Goodman was born in San Francisco in 1952 and briefly spent his high school years attending the American School in London. Upon returning to San Francisco, Goodman began touring and performing during the late 1970s, becoming a mainstay in the genres of Country, country rock and Bluegrass music...

 left after the second album to pursue a solo career and was replaced by David Jenkins

David Jenkins (musician)

David Jenkins is the lead singer for the California smooth rock band Pablo Cruise. Jenkins was a member of the band at its conception in 1973, and stayed until they disbanded in 1985. In 2004, Jenkins and two other original members of the band re-united with a new member, George Gabriel, to tour...

 (formerly of Pablo Cruise

Pablo Cruise

Pablo Cruise is a pop/rock band currently composed of David Jenkins , Cory Lerios , Steve Price and Larry Antonino . Formed in 1973, the band released eight studio albums over the next decade, during which time four singles reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart...

) in time for the production of the group's third album Zuma in 1988 where their highest ranking single "New Shade of Blue" was included. Jenkins left after Zuma and the group remained a quartet for the final album County Line (1989) which included the single "Any Way The Wind Blows" that was used in the Pink Cadillac soundtrack and film that same year. The group disbanded and Warner Bros. released their Greatest Hits album in 1991.

After Southern Pacific's breakup, Knudsen and McFee returned to The Doobie Brothers. Knudsen died in 2005 while McFee continues to tour with The Doobies. Cook toured with fellow Creedence Clearwater Revival band member Doug Clifford

Doug Clifford

Doug "Cosmo" Clifford played drums in the American rock band, Creedence Clearwater Revival...

 with the group Cosmo's Factory (now Creedence Clearwater Revisited

Creedence Clearwater Revisited

Creedence Clearwater Revisited is a band formed in 1995 by former Creedence Clearwater Revival members Stu Cook and Doug Clifford .-The band:...

). Tim Goodman

Tim Goodman

Tim Goodman was born in San Francisco in 1952 and briefly spent his high school years attending the American School in London. Upon returning to San Francisco, Goodman began touring and performing during the late 1970s, becoming a mainstay in the genres of Country, country rock and Bluegrass music...

 continued to tour and record with his solo project, The Tim Goodman Band. Howell formed his own music group, called Burnin' Daylight

Burnin' Daylight

Burnin' Daylight was an American country music band composed of Marc Beeson , Kurt Howell , and Sonny LeMaire . Howell was formerly a member of Southern Pacific, and LeMaire a former member of Exile...

. This group also included former Exile

Exile (American band)

Exile, originally known as The Exiles, is an American band founded in Richmond, Kentucky by J.P. Pennington. They started by playing local clubs which led to touring with Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars opening shows and providing backup for major rock artists of the period.Their name was shortened...

 member Sonny LeMaire and Nashville songwriter Marc Beeson.

Southern Pacific's four studio albums were reissued in 2003 by specialty label Wounded Bird Records

Wounded Bird Records

Wounded Bird Records is a CD only, re-issue record label, that was founded in 1998 in Guilderland, New York. They re-release lesser known albums from both popular and lesser known artists, including Deborah Harry, Chic, David Blue, Marilyn Martin, Gordon Haskell, Jon Anderson, Adrian Belew, Ellen...

 in two double-CD packages.

Band members

1983–1986	Keith Knudsen Keith Knudsen Keith Knudsen was an American rock drummer, vocalist and songwriter.-Career:Knudsen was born in Le Mars, Iowa. He began drumming while attending Princeton High School in Princeton, Illinois, where he graduated from in 1966...  – drums Drum kit A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... , percussion Percussion instrument A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... , background vocals John McFee John McFee John McFee is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist, and long time member of the Doobie Brothers.-Biography:...  – lead guitar Lead guitar Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... , steel guitar Steel guitar Steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use... , mandolin Mandolin A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single... , banjo Banjo In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new... , fiddle Fiddle The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music... , resonator guitar Resonator guitar A resonator guitar or resophonic guitar is an acoustic guitar whose sound is produced by one or more spun metal cones instead of the wooden sound board . Resonator guitars were originally designed to be louder than conventional acoustic guitars which were overwhelmed by horns and percussion... , electric sitar Electric sitar An electric sitar is a kind of electric guitar designed to mimic the sound of the traditional Indian instrument, the sitar. Depending on the manufacturer and model, these instruments bear varying degrees of resemblance to the traditional sitar... , harmonica Harmonica The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes... , background vocals Tim Goodman Tim Goodman Tim Goodman was born in San Francisco in 1952 and briefly spent his high school years attending the American School in London. Upon returning to San Francisco, Goodman began touring and performing during the late 1970s, becoming a mainstay in the genres of Country, country rock and Bluegrass music...  – lead vocals, rhythm guitar Rhythm guitar Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... , synthesizer Synthesizer A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones... Glen D. Hardin – piano Piano The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... , synthesizer, background vocals Jerry Scheff Jerry Scheff Jerry Obern Scheff is an American bassist, perhaps best known for his work with Elvis Presley in the early 1970s as a member of his TCB Band and his work on The Doors' final recordings....  – bass guitar Bass guitar The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... , background vocals
1986–1989	Keith Knudsen – drums, percussion, background vocals John McFee – lead guitar, steel guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, resonator guitar, electric sitar, harmonica, background vocals Stu Cook Stu Cook Stuart Alden Cook is an American bass guitarist, best known for his work in the rock band, Creedence Clearwater Revival....  – bass guitar, background vocals Kurt Howell – piano, synthesizer, lead vocals, background vocals David Jenkins David Jenkins David Jenkins may refer to:*David Jenkins , former Bishop of Durham*David J. Jenkins, professor of nutrition at the University of Toronto*David P...  – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, background vocals
1989–1991	Keith Knudsen – drums, percussion, background vocals John McFee – lead vocals, lead guitar, steel guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, resonator guitar, electric sitar, harmonica, background vocals Stu Cook – bass guitar, background vocals Kurt Howell – piano, synthesizer, lead vocals, background vocals

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak positions
		US Country
Southern Pacific	Release date: 1985 Label: Warner Bros. Records Warner Bros. Records Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...	25
Killbilly Hill	Release date: 1986 Label: Warner Bros. Records	35
Zuma	Release date: June 21, 1988 Label: Warner Bros. Records	27
County Line	Release date: 1989 Label: Warner Bros. Records	42

Compilation albums

Title	Album details
Greatest Hits	Release date: 1991 Label: Warner Bros. Records

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions			Album
		US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...	US AC Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...	CAN Country RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
1985	"Someone's Gonna Love Me Tonight"	60	—	40	Southern Pacific
	"Thing About You" (with Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including... )	14	—	14
	"Perfect Stranger"	18	—	24
1986	"Reno Bound Reno Bound "Reno Bound" is a single by American country music group Southern Pacific. Released in 1986, it was the third single from the album Southern Pacific. The song reached #9 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.-Chart performance:... "	9	—	19
	"A Girl Like Emmylou"	17	—	19	Killbilly Hill
	"Killbilly Hill"	37	—	20
1987	"Don't Let Go of My Heart"	26	—	27
1988	"Midnight Highway"	14	—	16	Zuma
	"New Shade of Blue New Shade of Blue "New Shade of Blue" is the title of a song written by John McFee and Andre Pessis, and recorded by American country music group Southern Pacific. It was released in July 1988 as the second single from the album Zuma. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.-Chart... "	2	—	*
1989	"Honey I Dare You Honey I Dare You "Honey I Dare You" is the title of a song recorded by American country music group Southern Pacific. It was released in January 1989 as the third single from the album Zuma. The song reached #5 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. The song was written by David Jenkins, Stu Cook,... "	5	—	*
	"All Is Lost"	—	19	—
	"Any Way the Wind Blows Any Way the Wind Blows (Southern Pacific song) "Any the Wind Blows" is the title of a song written by John McFee and Andre Pessis, and recorded by American country music group Southern Pacific. It was released in June 1989 as the first single from the slbum County Line. The song reached #4 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.... "	4	—	5	County Line
1990	"Time's Up" (with Carlene Carter Carlene Carter Carlene Carter is an American country singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter and her first husband, Carl Smith.... )	26	—	19
	"I Go to Pieces I Go to Pieces "I Go to Pieces" is the title of a song written by Del Shannon which became a Top Ten hit for Peter and Gordon in 1965.-Background and writing:... "	31	—	17
	"Reckless Heart"	32	—	23
"—" denotes releases that did not chart * denotes unknown peak positions

Album appearances

Year	Song	Album
1987	"Shoot for the Top"	Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol is the fourth comedy film in the Police Academy series. It was released in 1987.A group of Police Academy graduates are sent to train a group of newly recruited civilian officers. The original Police Academy cast reprise their roles in the film. Capt. Harris,...

External links

• [ Allmusic profile]
• CMT.com profile