Cheap Trick

Cheap Trick is a U.S. power pop band from Rockford, Illinois that gained popularity in the late 1970s. The band members are Rick Nielsen (guitarist and main songwriter), Bun E. Carlos (born Brad Carlson) (drums), Robin Zander (vocals and guitars), and Tom Petersson (bass guitar). more...

While their stints of mainstream success tended not to last long, Cheap Trick has held a substantial following through regular touring and a hard-edged yet blissful pop sound that combined the tunefulness of The Beatles with the speed and energy of the emerging punk rock scene. The band's biggest hits over the years include "I Want You to Want Me", "Surrender", "Dream Police", "Don't Be Cruel", and "The Flame".

History

(1968-1974) Early years

Cheap Trick's roots lie in Fuse, a late-1960s Rockford, IL, band formed by Rick Nielsen and bassist Tom Petersson, who released an unsuccessful album on Epic in 1969. After the record failed to gain any attention, the band relocated to Philadelphia and changed their name to Sick Man of Europe. The group toured Europe unsuccessfully in 1972, returning to Illinois in 1973. Upon their return to Rockford, Nielsen and Petersson ended up naming their band Cheap Trick after adding drummer Bun E. Carlos and vocalist Randy "Xeno" Hogan. Hogan left the following year and ex-folk singer Robin Zander joined the group. Between 1974 and the band's first album in 1977, Cheap Trick toured constantly, playing over 200 concerts a year, including opening slots for Queen, The Kinks, Kiss, and Santana. During this time, the band built up a solid catalog of original songs that would eventually comprise their first three albums; they also perfected their kinetic live show.

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