Boston

Boston, American rock group that was as well known for the lengthy periods between its albums as for its unique heavy metal–pop sound. The original members were Tom Scholz (b. March 10, 1947, Toledo, Ohio, U.S.), Brad Delp (b. June 12, 1951, Boston, Massachusetts—found dead March 9, 2007, Atkinson, New Hampshire), Fran Sheehan (b. March 26, 1949, Boston), Barry Goudreau (b. November 29, 1951, Boston), and John (“Sib”) Hashian (b. August 17, 1949, Boston—d. March 22, 2017, on a cruise ship near Puerto Rico).

Boston burst onto the pop music scene in 1976 with the meticulously crafted single “More Than a Feeling,” which combined elements of progressive rock and 1960s pop. Generating three American Top 40 hits, the group’s eponymous first album became the biggest-selling debut in rock history. Guitarist Scholz, who had earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (and who later invented the popular Rockman compact amplifier), laboured for seven years in his home recording studio to craft the majestic guitar sound that, along with Delp’s distinctive high-register vocals, became the band’s trademark. Able to soften their sound on the occasional ballad, Boston appealed to a wide range of music fans. The group’s second album, Don’t Look Back (1978), was criticized for its resemblance to Boston but sold well. It took the group eight years to release Third Stage, the result of Scholz’s perfectionism and a legal battle that ended with the group switching record labels. By this time, only Scholz and Delp remained from the original members, but the band’s success formula remained intact, as both the album and the single “Amanda” topped the charts.

Boston was not heard from again until the 1994 release of the less successful Walk On. During the making of that album, Delp left the band, and, though he helped write two of the songs, he was not heard on the recording. He returned to the band for the supporting tour, however, and he sang on the politically oriented Corporate America, which appeared in 2002. Delp’s 2007 suicide occurred during the making of Life, Love & Hope (2013), and his vocals are on three tracks.