Pat Travers COLLECTION
Pat Travers COLLECTION
Pat Travers was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. Soon after picking up the guitar at age 12, he saw Jimi Hendrix perform in Ottawa. Travers began playing in bands early in his teens; his first bands were the Music Machine, Red Hot, and Merge, which played in clubs in the Quebec area. While performing with Merge, he was noticed by rock artist Ronnie Hawkins, who invited Travers to perform with him. In his early twenties Travers moved to London and signed a recording contract with the Polydor label. His self-titled debut album was released in 1976, and featured bassist Peter “Mars” Cowling, who would become a mainstay in Travers’ band for several years.
The band’s next release was a live album entitled Live! Go for What You Know, which charted in the Top 40 in the United States and included the tune “Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)” (originally recorded by Little Walter, credited to Stan Lewis), which climbed even higher on the charts, entering the Top 20. “Snortin’ Whiskey” was a major American radio hit from 1980’s Crash and Burn.
Paul Gilbert has referred to Travers as a “guitar god,” and Kirk Hammett of Metallica has cited him as one of his favorite guitar players. Vito Bratta White Lion has stated Pat Travers is an influence to his soloing.
The Pat Travers Band currently consists of Pat Travers (guitars, vocals, keyboards), drummer Alex Petrosky, and David Pastorius (bass/vocals), who have been together for the last several years and recorded two studio albums together.
View tour dates here.
