Trooper are a Canadian rock band who are widely regarded to be one of the country's most successful bands of all-time. With a career of platinum-selling records and sell-out tours across the country, they have been described as Canadian rock heroes of the first order.
Formed by vocalist Ra McGuire and guitarist Brian Smith, they went through the monikers Applejack and Winter's Green before settling on Trooper. They signed to Randy Bachman's Legend label and released their self-titled debut album in 1975. Moving to MCA Records, they added Frank Ludwig on keyboards to enhance their sound ahead of their second album 'Two for the Show' (1976) which reached a commercial audience in Canada and was their first gold-certified record.
The group began to gain interest in the USA and their 1978 single 'Raise a Little Hell' received significant radio play. It was in their home country that their success continued to grow, however, and in 1979 their greatest hits album 'Hot Shots' broke sales records and reached quadruple-platinum status. After signing to RCA Records, they released 'Money Talks' in 1982 before taking a short break in recording. Returning with 'The Last of the Gypsies' in 1989, the band achieved chart success yet again with this latest release again being certified gold.
Despite having not released new material since 1991, the band remain active and continue to tour regularly, receiving regular acknowledgements and awards for their contribution to music in Canada, including the SOCAN National Achievement Award, presented to McGuire and Smith in 2012.
