Triumph (band)
Encyclopedia
Triumph is a Canadian
hard rock
power trio
that was popular in the late 1970s through the 1980s. Eight of the band's albums were certified gold or higher, and Triumph was nominated for multiple Juno Awards, including Group of the Year Award in 1979, 1985, 1986 and 1987.
Like their fellow Canadians Rush
and Saga
, Triumph began building their reputation across North America as a live band, peaking in the early to mid 1980s. The band was formed by Toronto music veterans Gil Moore
(drums, vocals), Mike Levine (bass, keyboards, producer), and Rik Emmett
(singer, guitarist, songwriter) in 1975.
, often compared to fellow Canadians Rush
. The band's musical style was hard rock and heavy metal although the band itself was reluctant to embrace this label. Moore once described Triumph as a cross between Emerson, Lake & Palmer
and The Who
. Guitarist Emmett's songwriting style showed a progressive rock
influence, as well as displaying his classical music
influence; each Triumph album included a classical guitar solo piece. Moore also doubled as lead singer on many of the band's heavier songs; bassist and keyboardist Levine produced their early albums. Triumph's style proved unpopular with rock critics, much like many other progressive rock
and heavy metal bands. Rolling Stone
reviewers labeled them a "faceless band."
Gil and Mike scouted Rik one summer night in 1975 at a west-end Toronto club on The Queensway, called The Hollywood Tavern, where Emmett was playing in a band called ACT III. The three musicians subsequently got together for a jam session in the basement of Moore's house in Mississauga, after which Moore and Levine showed Emmett promo materials and contracts they had already secured for gigs starting in September of that year. They offered Emmett a guaranteed minimum weekly paycheck of $175, and Emmett agreed to join as an equal founding partner.
Triumph's first paid concert was at Simcoe High School on September 19, 1975, for $750. By August 26, 1978 they were headliners at the Canada Jam
Festival at Mosport Park playing before a crowd of 110,000 people. .
Triumph signed their first record deal with Attic Records
in Canada. They later signed with RCA Records
in the US covering all areas except Canada. After the RCA deal ended in acrimony, MCA Records picked up the band and re-released all their music to date in 1984. After the shift to MCA, the band began to work with outside producers, and their studio albums became increasingly difficult to replicate onstage. Rather than following the sequencer-laden path taken by Rush
to remain a true power trio
, Triumph later added Rick Santers, a Toronto guitar and keyboard player, to support their last three tours.
Triumph's first album (originally self-titled but later renamed In the Beginning) was rare outside Canada
, but their widely released second LP, Rock & Roll Machine, received some scattered airplay, with Gil Moore's cover of Joe Walsh
's "Rocky Mountain Way
." In mid 1978 Triumph subbed in for Sammy Hagar
on an FM radio-station promotion date in San Antonio, Texas
, followed by a run of 5 shows in Texas for JAM Productions
(a promoter named Joe Miller), then toured across Canada with fellow Canadian rockers Moxy
and Trooper
. San Antonio remained a popular location for the trio throughout its career.
Triumph's third album, Just a Game
(1979), featured a minor US radio hit, "Hold On
," which reached the Top 40. The album eventually went gold in the US. Hold On made it to #38 on Billboard: and it became a significant song in some select markets. In St. Louis
, for example, the song made it to #1 on KSHE
, an AOR-FM
classic rock radio station. More significantly, the song 'Lay It On The Line
' received an even greater acceptance at AOR-FM radio across the U.S. and Canada. The heavy-rotation FM radio airplay of 'Lay It On The Line' solidified the band in the minds of classic rock audiences. In 'oldies' classic rock formats, LAY IT remains the most widely played and recognized song from the Triumph catalogue.
and 1983's Never Surrender
attained gold record status in the United States. Triumph also began releasing a string of moderate hit singles in the early 1980s. Allied Forces
eventually sold over a million copies in the U.S.
Never Surrender
saw the band's compositions take on more political overtones. Previously, Rik Emmett seemed content to limit himself to a single political theme on each previous Triumph album. ("Just a Game," "Hard Road," and "Ordinary Man" portray Rik Emmett's strong populist
leanings.) However, Never Surrender
featured no fewer than five anthems. The Jimi Hendrix
-inspired riff-rocker "Too Much Thinking" even samples Ronald Reagan
from one of his presidential speeches. Rolling Stone gave Never Surrender a one-star rating, yet the album earned gold record status in the United States (sales of 500,000 units). Perhaps more damaging to Triumph's success, their relationship with RCA
soured at this point, and the label did little to support their albums. MCA Records executive Irving Azoff
demonstrated his faith in the trio by co-opting their debts and signing them for five albums. Following their 1984 label change, MCA took over distribution of their old catalogue for ten years.
Thunder Seven
debuted on compact disc
in late 1984, a time when relatively few could afford CD players. Despite two hit singles and videos, "Spellbound" and "Follow Your Heart," the album failed to achieve expected levels, even though cassette and vinyl copies were soon released. Thunder Seven
is perhaps the band's high mark, with Rik Emmett's lyrics addressing social concerns in a surprisingly adult context. Continuing in the direction of Never Surrender, the entire second side forms a loose concept focusing on different perspectives of time. Thunder Seven became an RIAA certified gold album in 2003.
The band's fortunes continued to slide. In 1985, the band released Stages
, a double live set culled from the previous three tours. Triumph would take a more commercial turn with their 1986 studio album, The Sport of Kings
. Rik Emmett's "Somebody's Out There" reached the American Top 40
in late 1986, gaining some radio and video exposure. Written and recorded in the 11th hour of The Sport of Kings sessions, in an attempt to deliver a hit 'single' to satisfy the demands of the record company, Rik Emmett's "Somebody's Out There" made it to #27 on Billboard during Sept. and Oct. of 1986, climbing higher than Hold On. It stands as the highest-charting song from the Triumph catalogue. Gil Moore's "Tears in the Rain", cut from the same cloth as "Mind Games," did not fare as well in the charts. Adding Rick Santers to their line-up, Triumph toured with Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen across the United States.
In 1987, the band attempted a return to form with Surveillance. While Gil Moore and Mike Levine remained firmly planted in blues-rock, Rik Emmett took a more modern progressive turn, even involving Dixie Dregs
and Kansas
guitarist Steve Morse
. They collaborated on a dual-guitar solo for Gil Moore's angst-ridden vocal on the Emmett-penned "Headed for Nowhere." The 1988 tour concluded amid growing disharmony over business decisions and artistic direction; however, their final concert on September 3, 1988, was a spirited show on the Kingswood stage at Canada's Wonderland, just north of Toronto. In late 1988, Rik Emmett
made a total break with Triumph, a costly move resulting from a long-standing agreement that if any one of the trio left, they would leave with only one ninth interest. He subsequently began a modest but distinguished solo career, with his first album, Absolutely, yielding four hits in Canada. Meanwhile, Triumph released 1989s Classics
as their obligatory fifth album owed to MCA Records.
left the band after the release of their ninth album Surveillance
.
enidis, a Canadian guitarist known for his work with Aldo Nova
and Frozen Ghost
. Moore was the principal songwriter and lead singer for 1992s Edge of Excess
, with additional help from guitarist-producer Mladen
. Rick Santers also remained on hand as touring keyboardist and singer for the 1993 North American tour, singing Rik Emmett's parts in fan favourites "Magic Power" and "Fight the Good Fight." Initial reception of the album from American radio seemed quite favourable, until Triumph's recording label, a subsidiary of Polygram
, dissolved unexpectedly in 1993. After this downturn, the remaining members of Triumph effectively disbanded.
In 1998, Rik Emmett resisted overtures from his former band-mates for a potentially lucrative twentieth anniversary US tour, stating he was not interested. Nevertheless, Moore and Levine purchased and acquired back their entire album catalogue from MCA and launched their own label TML Entertainment
, and they continue to release live recordings and videos from their long career.
In 2003, TML released a live DVD album called Live at the US Festival
originally recorded in San Bernardino, California
at the US Festival
in 1983. This historic festival, attracting nearly 250,000 rock fans, also featured Van Halen
and The Clash
. Triumph had earlier released this concert on VHS
following the Never Surrender tour, featuring two videos from the forthcoming Thunder Seven album. In 2004, TML released a second DVD
concert, A Night of Triumph
, filmed in 1987 at Halifax Metro Centre
during The Sport of Kings. The most comprehensive Triumph anthology, Livin' for the Weekend: Anthology
, was issued in 2005. A CD of extended versions of some of the band's most popular hits called Extended Versions: Triumph
was released in 2006.
Gil Moore now owns and operates Metalworks Studios
in Mississauga
, originally opened in the early 1980s for Triumph's exclusive use, which also trains engineers and sound technicians for Canada's music industry.
On March 10, 2007, Triumph was inducted to the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame in a ceremony at Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York Hotel. All original members of the group were present for the event. This first meeting in nearly twenty years appears to have broken the long silence between Rik Emmett and his former band-mates, but a recent interview with the guitarist did not promise a Triumph reunion. Emmett cited Gil Moore's full-time career at Metalworks, plus the fact Moore has not performed as a drummer since 1993. Bassist Mike Levine also does not seem to have much interest in touring at this late date. But Triumph's one-time camaraderie seems to have rekindled, and there may still be future collaborations on some musical level. For example, Nick Blagona mastered Rik Emmett's latest hard rock project, Airtime (2007), in the Metalworks mastering suite.
On January 18, 2008, Triumph announced they had united to play at the Sweden Rock Festival
in June 2008, and following on from the announcement, it was reported that the band might play a few dates in July 2008, then would be gearing up for a full scale world tour in 2009. Triumph added Toronto guitarist/vocalist Dave Dunlop
to support their shows in 2008 and beyond.
On April 6, 2008, Triumph was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame
as part of the Juno Awards.
On November 8, 2008, during a show in Elgin, Illinois, Rik Emmett told the crowd that Triumph might tour in 2009. This was reiterated at the Tin Angel in Philadelphia on November 22. The plan never developed, however, as the American economy went into a tailspin, and the market for Triumph concert promotion, headlining with their renowned production values, never materialized on the scale that the band members had hoped for.
"Lay It on the Line" was released as a DLC song for Guitar Hero 5 on October 22, 2009.
In a very candid interview with QMI Media in June 2010, Emmett clarified that any future activities for the band are up to Gil Moore and Mike Levine. “It’s really their thing now,” he says. “They own the name. I’m kind of out of it. When I participate in things, they just make a deal with me for my time.” (Emmett comes clean on Triumph, By DARRYL STERDAN, QMI Agency, June 6, 2010)
According to http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/Rik-Emmett-713/, in an interview with Gibson, Rik mentions the small possibility of a Van Halen
/Triumph tour that Live Nation
might pitch to them for 2011. As of May 2011, nothing significant has materialized.
The band released a greatest hits package - Greatest Hits Remixed in Sept 2010 & talks about touring behind it remain ongoing. However the band appear to have ruled out any new material.
Set for Tuesday, September 22 2011, the band is re-issuing their classic breakthrough album Allied Forces
as a vinyl package for their 30th anniversary.
On July 14, 2011 Triumph Lane, in Mississauga ON, was officially dedicated in honour of the band. The band members gave thanks for all the support they received , both in Canada and the USA, particularly Texas.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
power trio
Power trio
A power trio is a rock and roll band format where the traditional power trio has a lineup of guitar, bass and drums, leaving out the rhythm guitar or keyboard that are used in other rock music to fill out the sound with chords...
that was popular in the late 1970s through the 1980s. Eight of the band's albums were certified gold or higher, and Triumph was nominated for multiple Juno Awards, including Group of the Year Award in 1979, 1985, 1986 and 1987.
Like their fellow Canadians Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
and Saga
Saga (band)
Saga is a progressive rock quintet, formed in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Jim Crichton and Welsh-born vocalist Michael Sadler have been the principal songwriters for Saga. Ian Crichton is the band's guitarist; apart from his work with Saga, he has recorded several solo albums as well as sessions...
, Triumph began building their reputation across North America as a live band, peaking in the early to mid 1980s. The band was formed by Toronto music veterans Gil Moore
Gil Moore
Gil Moore is most famous for being the drummer and vocalist of the Canadian power trio, Triumph...
(drums, vocals), Mike Levine (bass, keyboards, producer), and Rik Emmett
Rik Emmett
Richard Gordon Emmett is a vocalist, guitarist, and founding member of the Canadian rock band Triumph. Emmett left Triumph in 1988 to pursue a solo career. His first solo album, Absolutely, was released in 1990 and became a moderate hit across North America thanks to the hits "When a Heart...
(singer, guitarist, songwriter) in 1975.
The 1970s
Triumph was a Canadian power trioPower trio
A power trio is a rock and roll band format where the traditional power trio has a lineup of guitar, bass and drums, leaving out the rhythm guitar or keyboard that are used in other rock music to fill out the sound with chords...
, often compared to fellow Canadians Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
. The band's musical style was hard rock and heavy metal although the band itself was reluctant to embrace this label. Moore once described Triumph as a cross between Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, are an English progressive rock supergroup. They found success in the 1970s and sold over forty million albums and headlined large stadium concerts. The band consists of Keith Emerson , Greg Lake and Carl Palmer...
and The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
. Guitarist Emmett's songwriting style showed a progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
influence, as well as displaying his classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
influence; each Triumph album included a classical guitar solo piece. Moore also doubled as lead singer on many of the band's heavier songs; bassist and keyboardist Levine produced their early albums. Triumph's style proved unpopular with rock critics, much like many other progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
and heavy metal bands. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
reviewers labeled them a "faceless band."
Gil and Mike scouted Rik one summer night in 1975 at a west-end Toronto club on The Queensway, called The Hollywood Tavern, where Emmett was playing in a band called ACT III. The three musicians subsequently got together for a jam session in the basement of Moore's house in Mississauga, after which Moore and Levine showed Emmett promo materials and contracts they had already secured for gigs starting in September of that year. They offered Emmett a guaranteed minimum weekly paycheck of $175, and Emmett agreed to join as an equal founding partner.
Triumph's first paid concert was at Simcoe High School on September 19, 1975, for $750. By August 26, 1978 they were headliners at the Canada Jam
Canada Jam
Canada Jam was a rock music festival concert held at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario Canada, about 100 kilometers east of Toronto, on August 26, 1978. The festival was produced by Sandy Feldman and Lenny Stogel who successfully produced California Jam and California Jam II. It attracted over...
Festival at Mosport Park playing before a crowd of 110,000 people. .
Triumph signed their first record deal with Attic Records
Attic Records (Canada)
Attic Records was a Canadian independent record label, founded in 1974 by Alexander Mair and Tom Williams. The label was known for developing Canadian talent, including Anvil, Lee Aaron, Maestro Fresh Wes, The Nylons, Teenage Head, and Triumph...
in Canada. They later signed with RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
in the US covering all areas except Canada. After the RCA deal ended in acrimony, MCA Records picked up the band and re-released all their music to date in 1984. After the shift to MCA, the band began to work with outside producers, and their studio albums became increasingly difficult to replicate onstage. Rather than following the sequencer-laden path taken by Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
to remain a true power trio
Power trio
A power trio is a rock and roll band format where the traditional power trio has a lineup of guitar, bass and drums, leaving out the rhythm guitar or keyboard that are used in other rock music to fill out the sound with chords...
, Triumph later added Rick Santers, a Toronto guitar and keyboard player, to support their last three tours.
Triumph's first album (originally self-titled but later renamed In the Beginning) was rare outside Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, but their widely released second LP, Rock & Roll Machine, received some scattered airplay, with Gil Moore's cover of Joe Walsh
Joe Walsh
Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has been a member of three commercially successful bands, the James Gang, Barnstorm, and the Eagles, and has experienced notable success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, especially with B.B...
's "Rocky Mountain Way
Rocky Mountain Way
Rocky Mountain Way is a compilation album released in 1985 by rock musician Joe Walsh.-Reception:Writing for Allmusic, critic Ben Davies wrote of the album "considering both the amount of classic Walsh songs not featured on Rocky Mountain Way and the many other more extensive and better chosen...
." In mid 1978 Triumph subbed in for Sammy Hagar
Sammy Hagar
Sam Roy "Sammy" Hagar , also known as The Red Rocker, is an American rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Also sings Country Music....
on an FM radio-station promotion date in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, followed by a run of 5 shows in Texas for JAM Productions
JAM Creative Productions
JAM Creative Productions, Inc., is an American company that produces radio jingles, promo music for television, and commercial jingles for advertisers. It has made more radio jingles than any other jingle company and has become part of American pop culture....
(a promoter named Joe Miller), then toured across Canada with fellow Canadian rockers Moxy
Moxy (band)
Moxy was a Canadian hard rock and heavy metal band, formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1974, from previous members of the rock group, Leigh Ashford — which included singer Douglas "Buzz" Shearman Earl Johnson , Bill Wade Moxy was a Canadian hard rock and heavy metal band, formed in Toronto, Ontario in...
and Trooper
Trooper (band)
Trooper is a Juno Award winning Canadian rock band that developed from a group formed by vocalist Ramon McGuire and guitarist Brian Smith in 1975...
. San Antonio remained a popular location for the trio throughout its career.
Triumph's third album, Just a Game
Just a Game
Just a Game is the third studio album by Canadian hard rock band Triumph, released in 1979. The album contains their first big hit, "Lay it on the Line" and the near Top 40 hit "Hold On".-Artwork:...
(1979), featured a minor US radio hit, "Hold On
Hold On (Triumph song)
"Hold On" is the eighth, and often, final track from their 1979 album Just a Game. The single was released on August 6, 1979 and rose to number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by Rik Emmett....
," which reached the Top 40. The album eventually went gold in the US. Hold On made it to #38 on Billboard: and it became a significant song in some select markets. In St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, for example, the song made it to #1 on KSHE
KSHE
KSHE is a rock & roll radio station licensed to Crestwood, Missouri which serves the Greater St. Louis area. KSHE is located at 94.7 MHz and currently uses the slogan "KSHE 95, Real Rock Radio". The station's studios have been located in the Powerhouse building at St. Louis Union Station since...
, an AOR-FM
Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...
classic rock radio station. More significantly, the song 'Lay It On The Line
Lay It on the Line
"Lay it on the Line" is the second track on the album Just a Game by hard rock band Triumph.The song can be heard in the 2010 film Grown Ups.- Personnel :* Rik Emmett – vocals, guitar...
' received an even greater acceptance at AOR-FM radio across the U.S. and Canada. The heavy-rotation FM radio airplay of 'Lay It On The Line' solidified the band in the minds of classic rock audiences. In 'oldies' classic rock formats, LAY IT remains the most widely played and recognized song from the Triumph catalogue.
The 1980s
Both 1981's Allied ForcesAllied Forces (album)
Allied Forces is the fifth studio album by Canadian hard rock band Triumph, released in 1981. The album reached #23 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart assisted by the singles "Magic Power" and "Fight the Good Fight," which hit #8 and #18, respectively, on the Mainstream Rock chart of 1981...
and 1983's Never Surrender
Never Surrender (Triumph album)
Never Surrender is the sixth studio album by Canadian hard rock band Triumph, released in 1983. The album reached #26 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart assisted by the singles "All the Way", "A World of Fantasy" and "Never Surrender" which hit #2, #3 and #23, respectively, on the Mainstream Rock...
attained gold record status in the United States. Triumph also began releasing a string of moderate hit singles in the early 1980s. Allied Forces
Allied Forces (album)
Allied Forces is the fifth studio album by Canadian hard rock band Triumph, released in 1981. The album reached #23 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart assisted by the singles "Magic Power" and "Fight the Good Fight," which hit #8 and #18, respectively, on the Mainstream Rock chart of 1981...
eventually sold over a million copies in the U.S.
Never Surrender
Never Surrender (Triumph album)
Never Surrender is the sixth studio album by Canadian hard rock band Triumph, released in 1983. The album reached #26 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart assisted by the singles "All the Way", "A World of Fantasy" and "Never Surrender" which hit #2, #3 and #23, respectively, on the Mainstream Rock...
saw the band's compositions take on more political overtones. Previously, Rik Emmett seemed content to limit himself to a single political theme on each previous Triumph album. ("Just a Game," "Hard Road," and "Ordinary Man" portray Rik Emmett's strong populist
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
leanings.) However, Never Surrender
Never Surrender (Triumph album)
Never Surrender is the sixth studio album by Canadian hard rock band Triumph, released in 1983. The album reached #26 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart assisted by the singles "All the Way", "A World of Fantasy" and "Never Surrender" which hit #2, #3 and #23, respectively, on the Mainstream Rock...
featured no fewer than five anthems. The Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
-inspired riff-rocker "Too Much Thinking" even samples Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
from one of his presidential speeches. Rolling Stone gave Never Surrender a one-star rating, yet the album earned gold record status in the United States (sales of 500,000 units). Perhaps more damaging to Triumph's success, their relationship with RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
soured at this point, and the label did little to support their albums. MCA Records executive Irving Azoff
Irving Azoff
Irving Azoff is an American personal manager, representing recording artists in the music industry such as Christina Aguilera, Journey, Jewel, the Eagles, X Japan, Bush, REO Speedwagon, Seal, David Archuleta, Alter Bridge, Van Halen, 30 Seconds to Mars, Neil Diamond, New Kids on the Block, Steely...
demonstrated his faith in the trio by co-opting their debts and signing them for five albums. Following their 1984 label change, MCA took over distribution of their old catalogue for ten years.
Thunder Seven
Thunder Seven
Thunder Seven is a concept album by the Canadian Heavy Metal band Triumph, released in November 1984. It was the band's seventh studio album...
debuted on compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
in late 1984, a time when relatively few could afford CD players. Despite two hit singles and videos, "Spellbound" and "Follow Your Heart," the album failed to achieve expected levels, even though cassette and vinyl copies were soon released. Thunder Seven
Thunder Seven
Thunder Seven is a concept album by the Canadian Heavy Metal band Triumph, released in November 1984. It was the band's seventh studio album...
is perhaps the band's high mark, with Rik Emmett's lyrics addressing social concerns in a surprisingly adult context. Continuing in the direction of Never Surrender, the entire second side forms a loose concept focusing on different perspectives of time. Thunder Seven became an RIAA certified gold album in 2003.
The band's fortunes continued to slide. In 1985, the band released Stages
Stages (Triumph album)
Stages is a live album by Canadian hard rock band Triumph, released in 1985. The tracks were recorded from various performances over the prior three years 1981–1984 although two new studio tracks were added: "Mind Games" and "Empty Inside"....
, a double live set culled from the previous three tours. Triumph would take a more commercial turn with their 1986 studio album, The Sport of Kings
The Sport of Kings
The Sport of Kings is the eighth album by Canadian hard rock band Triumph, released in 1986. It was recorded at the band's home studio of Metalworks Studios from May to August 1986.-History:...
. Rik Emmett's "Somebody's Out There" reached the American Top 40
American Top 40
American Top 40 is an internationally syndicated, independent radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. Originally a production of Watermark Inc...
in late 1986, gaining some radio and video exposure. Written and recorded in the 11th hour of The Sport of Kings sessions, in an attempt to deliver a hit 'single' to satisfy the demands of the record company, Rik Emmett's "Somebody's Out There" made it to #27 on Billboard during Sept. and Oct. of 1986, climbing higher than Hold On. It stands as the highest-charting song from the Triumph catalogue. Gil Moore's "Tears in the Rain", cut from the same cloth as "Mind Games," did not fare as well in the charts. Adding Rick Santers to their line-up, Triumph toured with Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen across the United States.
In 1987, the band attempted a return to form with Surveillance. While Gil Moore and Mike Levine remained firmly planted in blues-rock, Rik Emmett took a more modern progressive turn, even involving Dixie Dregs
Dixie Dregs
The Dixie Dregs are an American band formed in the 1970s. Their mostly instrumental music fuses jazz, southern rock, bluegrass and classical forms in an often unique style.-Formation and early years:...
and Kansas
Kansas (band)
Kansas is an American rock band that became popular in the 1970s initially on Album-Oriented Rock charts, and later with hit singles such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind"...
guitarist Steve Morse
Steve Morse
Steven J. "Steve" Morse is an American guitarist and composer, best known for his work in the hard rock band Deep Purple since 1994. He began his career to form the unique styled instrumental rock band Dixie Dregs in the 1970. Morse's musical inspiration comes from country, funk, jazz fusion, and...
. They collaborated on a dual-guitar solo for Gil Moore's angst-ridden vocal on the Emmett-penned "Headed for Nowhere." The 1988 tour concluded amid growing disharmony over business decisions and artistic direction; however, their final concert on September 3, 1988, was a spirited show on the Kingswood stage at Canada's Wonderland, just north of Toronto. In late 1988, Rik Emmett
Rik Emmett
Richard Gordon Emmett is a vocalist, guitarist, and founding member of the Canadian rock band Triumph. Emmett left Triumph in 1988 to pursue a solo career. His first solo album, Absolutely, was released in 1990 and became a moderate hit across North America thanks to the hits "When a Heart...
made a total break with Triumph, a costly move resulting from a long-standing agreement that if any one of the trio left, they would leave with only one ninth interest. He subsequently began a modest but distinguished solo career, with his first album, Absolutely, yielding four hits in Canada. Meanwhile, Triumph released 1989s Classics
Classics (Triumph album)
Classics is a compilation album by Canadian rock band Triumph, released in 1989 .-Track listing:# "Tears in the Rain" – 3:53# "Hold On" – 6:05# "I Live for the Weekend" – 5:18# "Magic Power" – 4:54...
as their obligatory fifth album owed to MCA Records.
Departure Of Rik Emmett
Rik EmmettRik Emmett
Richard Gordon Emmett is a vocalist, guitarist, and founding member of the Canadian rock band Triumph. Emmett left Triumph in 1988 to pursue a solo career. His first solo album, Absolutely, was released in 1990 and became a moderate hit across North America thanks to the hits "When a Heart...
left the band after the release of their ninth album Surveillance
Surveillance (album)
Surveillance is the ninth studio album by Canadian hard rock band Triumph, released July 27, 1987 . The album was recorded at Metalworks Studios, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada...
.
1990–present
In 1992, the remaining members of Triumph recruited Phil XPhil X
Philip Xenidis, better known as Phil X , is a Greek-born guitarist and co-founder of the Los Angeles-based turbo pop band Powder. He also has a second band, the Drills. He is best known as the guitarist who replaced Rik Emmett in the Canadian rock band Triumph, for the Edge of Excess album and tour...
enidis, a Canadian guitarist known for his work with Aldo Nova
Aldo Nova
Aldo Nova is a Canadian guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and producer, Nova gained fame with his self-titled debut album Aldo Nova in 1981, and its accompanying single "Fantasy", which climbed to #23 on the Billboard Hot 100.-Career:Signing with Portrait Records, Nova released a self-produced...
and Frozen Ghost
Frozen Ghost
Frōzen Ghōst was a Canadian rock band formed in 1985 by Arnold Lanni and Wolf Hassel who were previously with the band Sheriff. The band received a Juno Award for "Most Promising Group of the Year" in 1987....
. Moore was the principal songwriter and lead singer for 1992s Edge of Excess
Edge of Excess
Edge of Excess is the tenth studio album by Canadian hard rock band Triumph, first Triumph album released after original guitarist and lead singer Rik Emmett left the band in 1988...
, with additional help from guitarist-producer Mladen
Mladen
Mladen is a common name of Slavic origin used in South Slavic languages. The names stems from the Slavic root mlad, meaning "young".Mladen may refer to:-People:* Mladen I Šubić Bribirski, a Croatian member of the Šubić noble family...
. Rick Santers also remained on hand as touring keyboardist and singer for the 1993 North American tour, singing Rik Emmett's parts in fan favourites "Magic Power" and "Fight the Good Fight." Initial reception of the album from American radio seemed quite favourable, until Triumph's recording label, a subsidiary of Polygram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
, dissolved unexpectedly in 1993. After this downturn, the remaining members of Triumph effectively disbanded.
In 1998, Rik Emmett resisted overtures from his former band-mates for a potentially lucrative twentieth anniversary US tour, stating he was not interested. Nevertheless, Moore and Levine purchased and acquired back their entire album catalogue from MCA and launched their own label TML Entertainment
TML Entertainment
TML Entertainment is a record label launched by Canadian rock band Triumph in 2003.It is managed by Triumph's members Gil Moore and Mike Levine.The label was previously known as TRC from 1995 until 2003...
, and they continue to release live recordings and videos from their long career.
In 2003, TML released a live DVD album called Live at the US Festival
Live at the US Festival
Live at the Us Festival is a live album and DVD by Canadian rock band Triumph, released in 2003. The massive Us Festival took place over three day's outdoors in San Bernardino, California from May 28–30, 1983. Triumph appeared on May 29, which was billed as "Heavy Metal Sunday" and included ...
originally recorded in San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
at the US Festival
US Festival
The US Festivals were two early 1980s music and culture festivals sponsored by Steve Wozniak, formerly of Apple Computer. The first was held Labor Day weekend in September 1982 and the second was Memorial Day weekend in May 1983...
in 1983. This historic festival, attracting nearly 250,000 rock fans, also featured Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
and The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
. Triumph had earlier released this concert on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
following the Never Surrender tour, featuring two videos from the forthcoming Thunder Seven album. In 2004, TML released a second DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
concert, A Night of Triumph
A Night of Triumph
A Night of Triumph is a live album and DVD by the Canadian hard rock band Triumph. The concert was recorded on January 16, 1987, at the Halifax Metro Centre in Nova Scotia during Triumph's Sport of Kings tour. The bonus features included backstage footage from a Triumph concert at Wachovia Spectrum...
, filmed in 1987 at Halifax Metro Centre
Halifax Metro Centre
The Halifax Metro Centre was built in 1978, in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The building is next to the World Trade and Convention Centre, at the foot of Citadel Hill. It is the largest arena in Halifax. It originally featured a full ring of bright orange seats around the playing surface,...
during The Sport of Kings. The most comprehensive Triumph anthology, Livin' for the Weekend: Anthology
Livin' for the Weekend: Anthology
Livin' for the Weekend: The Anthology is a compilation album by the Canadian hard rock band Triumph. The most comprehensive Triumph anthology ever issued at the time of its 2005 release, this two-CD set draws material from most of the albums the band had issued, as well as adding a previously...
, was issued in 2005. A CD of extended versions of some of the band's most popular hits called Extended Versions: Triumph
Extended Versions: Triumph
Extended Versions: Triumph is a compilation album by the Canadian hard rock band Triumph released in 2006. The album contains extended versions of the bands most popular hits.- Tracks :# "When the Lights Go Down" – 5:08...
was released in 2006.
Gil Moore now owns and operates Metalworks Studios
Metalworks Studios
Metalworks Studios is a music recording studio in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1978 by Gil Moore of the Canadian rock group Triumph.-Music Artists:*Alexisonfire*Adriana Lombardo*Jason Dawson*Kate Voegele*Demi Lovato*Fair to Midland...
in Mississauga
Mississauga, Ontario
Mississauga is a city in Southern Ontario located in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and in the western part of the Greater Toronto Area. With an estimated population of 734,000, it is Canada's sixth-most populous municipality, and has almost doubled in population in each of the last two decades...
, originally opened in the early 1980s for Triumph's exclusive use, which also trains engineers and sound technicians for Canada's music industry.
On March 10, 2007, Triumph was inducted to the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame in a ceremony at Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York Hotel. All original members of the group were present for the event. This first meeting in nearly twenty years appears to have broken the long silence between Rik Emmett and his former band-mates, but a recent interview with the guitarist did not promise a Triumph reunion. Emmett cited Gil Moore's full-time career at Metalworks, plus the fact Moore has not performed as a drummer since 1993. Bassist Mike Levine also does not seem to have much interest in touring at this late date. But Triumph's one-time camaraderie seems to have rekindled, and there may still be future collaborations on some musical level. For example, Nick Blagona mastered Rik Emmett's latest hard rock project, Airtime (2007), in the Metalworks mastering suite.
On January 18, 2008, Triumph announced they had united to play at the Sweden Rock Festival
Sweden Rock Festival
Sweden Rock Festival is an annual rock/metal festival held in Sweden since 6 June 1992. While having a clear rock/metal focus, the festival is noted for its diversity across these genres, having featured southern rock bands such as Molly Hatchet to death metal legends like Obituary.The first...
in June 2008, and following on from the announcement, it was reported that the band might play a few dates in July 2008, then would be gearing up for a full scale world tour in 2009. Triumph added Toronto guitarist/vocalist Dave Dunlop
Dave Dunlop
John David “Dave” Dunlop John David “Dave” Dunlop John David “Dave” Dunlop (born September 18, 1965 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada is a guitarist, composer, producer, recording engineer, and vocalist. Dunlop was a member/writer/guitarist/back-up singer in Canadian rock band The Full Nine (Disney’s...
to support their shows in 2008 and beyond.
On April 6, 2008, Triumph was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame
Canadian Music Hall of Fame
The Canadian Music Hall of Fame honors Canadian musicians for their lifetime achievements in music. The ceremony is held each year as part of the Juno Award ceremonies. Members of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame represent many of the world's great talents...
as part of the Juno Awards.
On November 8, 2008, during a show in Elgin, Illinois, Rik Emmett told the crowd that Triumph might tour in 2009. This was reiterated at the Tin Angel in Philadelphia on November 22. The plan never developed, however, as the American economy went into a tailspin, and the market for Triumph concert promotion, headlining with their renowned production values, never materialized on the scale that the band members had hoped for.
"Lay It on the Line" was released as a DLC song for Guitar Hero 5 on October 22, 2009.
In a very candid interview with QMI Media in June 2010, Emmett clarified that any future activities for the band are up to Gil Moore and Mike Levine. “It’s really their thing now,” he says. “They own the name. I’m kind of out of it. When I participate in things, they just make a deal with me for my time.” (Emmett comes clean on Triumph, By DARRYL STERDAN, QMI Agency, June 6, 2010)
According to http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/Rik-Emmett-713/, in an interview with Gibson, Rik mentions the small possibility of a Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
/Triumph tour that Live Nation
Live Nation
Live Nation is a live-events company based in Beverly Hills, California, focused on concert promotions. Live Nation formed in 2005 as a spin-off from Clear Channel Communications, which then merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 to become Live Nation Entertainment....
might pitch to them for 2011. As of May 2011, nothing significant has materialized.
The band released a greatest hits package - Greatest Hits Remixed in Sept 2010 & talks about touring behind it remain ongoing. However the band appear to have ruled out any new material.
Set for Tuesday, September 22 2011, the band is re-issuing their classic breakthrough album Allied Forces
Allied Forces (album)
Allied Forces is the fifth studio album by Canadian hard rock band Triumph, released in 1981. The album reached #23 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart assisted by the singles "Magic Power" and "Fight the Good Fight," which hit #8 and #18, respectively, on the Mainstream Rock chart of 1981...
as a vinyl package for their 30th anniversary.
On July 14, 2011 Triumph Lane, in Mississauga ON, was officially dedicated in honour of the band. The band members gave thanks for all the support they received , both in Canada and the USA, particularly Texas.
Current members
- Rik EmmettRik EmmettRichard Gordon Emmett is a vocalist, guitarist, and founding member of the Canadian rock band Triumph. Emmett left Triumph in 1988 to pursue a solo career. His first solo album, Absolutely, was released in 1990 and became a moderate hit across North America thanks to the hits "When a Heart...
– lead vocals, guitars (1975–1988, 2008–present) - Michael Levine – bass, keyboards, backing vocals (1975–1993, 2008–present)
- Gil MooreGil MooreGil Moore is most famous for being the drummer and vocalist of the Canadian power trio, Triumph...
– drums, percussion, lead vocals (1975–1993, 2008–present)
Former members
- Phil XPhil XPhilip Xenidis, better known as Phil X , is a Greek-born guitarist and co-founder of the Los Angeles-based turbo pop band Powder. He also has a second band, the Drills. He is best known as the guitarist who replaced Rik Emmett in the Canadian rock band Triumph, for the Edge of Excess album and tour...
– guitars, backing vocals (1992–1993) - Rick Santers – guitars, keyboards, backing vocals (1984–1993)
See also
- Canadian rockCanadian rockCanadian rock describes a wide and diverse variety of music produced by Canadians, beginning with American style rock 'n' roll in the mid-20th century. Since then Canada has had a considerable impact on the development of the modern popular music called rock...
- Music of CanadaMusic of CanadaThe music of Canada has influences that have shaped the country. Aboriginals, the British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has subsequently been heavily influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between...
- Canadian Music Hall of FameCanadian Music Hall of FameThe Canadian Music Hall of Fame honors Canadian musicians for their lifetime achievements in music. The ceremony is held each year as part of the Juno Award ceremonies. Members of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame represent many of the world's great talents...