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Bad Company were an English hard rock band from London. Formed in 1973, the group originally featured vocalist and rhythm guitarist Paul Rodgers, lead guitarist Mick Ralphs, bassist Boz Burrell and drummer / percussionist Simon Kirke. The band's final lineup featured constant member Kirke, Rodgers (absent between 1986 and 1998), guitarist Howard Leese (joined 2008), and bassist Todd Ronning (joined 2012).

History

1973–1999

Bad Company were formed in late 1973 by former Free vocalist Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke, alongside former Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and former King Crimson bassist Raymond "Boz" Burrell. The band were active with their initial lineup until 1982, during which time they released six studio albums that brought them critical and commercial success. After recording sessions for Rough Diamonds led to arguments and confrontations between band members, particularly Rodgers and Burrell, the vocalist left Bad Company and the group disbanded.

In 1986, Ralphs and Kirke began working together on a new project with former Ted Nugent band vocalist Brian Howe. The group was later branded Bad Company at the request of their label Atlantic Records, with Steve Price performing on Fame and Fortune before Burrell returned for the European tour. Gregg Dechert was also added to the touring lineup on keyboards and rhythm guitar. Burrell left after the European tour, with Price returning for the American tour. Price played bass on the album 'Dangerous Age' and completed the American tour before leaving the band in 1990. in 1988, Dechert was replaced on tour by Larry Oakes. Paul Cullen joined on bass after the release of Holy Water in 1990, while Dave "Bucket" Colwell joined on second guitar. Geoff Whitehorn substituted for Ralphs during the tour.

Colwell remained part of the touring lineup in 1992 alongside new bassist Rick Wills, with both featured on the live release What You Hear Is What You Get. In the summer of 1994, Howe left Bad Company and was replaced by Robert Hart. The group released Company of Strangers the following year, on which Colwell and Wills were credited as full band members. In late 1998, Rodgers and Burrell returned for a reunion of the original lineup of Bad Company, recording four new tracks and touring throughout 1999. After the tour, the group disbanded again.

Since 2001

A third reformation of Bad Company took place in the spring of 2001, with Rodgers and Kirke joined by Colwell and Wills. Jaz Lochrie replaced Wills in 2002. In 2008, Ralphs joined the pair for a one-off show at Hard Rock Live. Rhythm guitarist Howard Leese and bassist Lynn Sorensen, both members of Rodgers's solo band, completed the lineup. The same lineup returned for a North American tour the following year, followed by UK and US shows in 2010. Another member of the vocalist's touring band, Todd Ronning, replaced Sorensen in 2012.

For a US tour in mid-2016, Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes substituted for Ralphs, who was "not feeling up for" the shows. He later returned, but was forced to leave later in the year after suffering a stroke.

Members

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	Simon Kirke	1973–1982 1986–1999 2001–2002 2008–2019	drums percussion backing vocals occasional lead vocals and guitar	all Bad Company releases
	Mick Ralphs	1973–1982 1986–1999 2008–2016	lead guitar keyboards backing vocals	all releases from Bad Company (1974) to Live in Concert 1977 & 1979 (2016), except Merchants of Cool (2002)
	Raymond "Boz" Burrell	1973–1982 1986–1987 1998–1999	bass backing vocals	all releases from Bad Company (1974) to Rough Diamonds (1982) The 'Original' Bad Co. Anthology (1999) – four new recordings Live in Albuquerque 1976 (2006) Live in Concert 1977 & 1979 (2016)
	Paul Rodgers	1973–1982 1998–1999 2001–2002 2008–2019	lead vocals rhythm guitar keyboards harmonica	all releases from Bad Company (1974) to Rough Diamonds (1982), and from Merchants of Cool (2002) onwards
	Brian Howe	1986–1994	lead vocals saxophone	all releases from Fame and Fortune (1986) to What You Hear Is What You Get (1993)
	Steve Price	1986 1987–1994	bass backing vocals	Fame and Fortune (1986) to Dangerous Age (1988)
	Dave "Bucket" Colwell	1994–1998 2001–2002 (touring 1991–1994)	guitar (lead 2001–2002, rhythm otherwise) keyboards backing vocals	What You Hear Is What You Get (1993) Company of Strangers (1995) Stories Told & Untold (1996) Merchants of Cool (2002)
	Rick Wills	1994–1998 2001 (touring 1992–1994)	bass backing vocals	What You Hear Is What You Get (1993) Company of Strangers (1995) Stories Told & Untold (1996)
	Robert Hart	1994–1998	lead vocals	Company of Strangers (1995) Stories Told & Untold (1996)
	Jaz Lochrie	2002	bass backing vocals	Merchants of Cool (2002)
	Howard Leese	2008–2019	guitar (lead from 2016, rhythm and lead otherwise) backing vocals keyboards	Hard Rock Live (2010) Live at Wembley (2011)
	Lynn Sorensen	2008–2012	bass backing vocals
	Todd Ronning	2012–2019		none

Touring

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Details
	Gregg Dechert	1986–1987	keyboards rhythm guitar backing vocals	Dechert performed on Fame and Fortune and the subsequent touring cycle, ending in late 1987.
	Larry Oakes	1988–1989		After the release of Dangerous Age, Oakes took over from Dechert as the touring keyboardist.
	Paul Cullen	1990–1992	bass	Cullen joined the touring lineup of Bad Company following the release of Holy Water in 1990.
	Geoff Whitehorn	1990–1991	lead guitar backing vocals	Whitehorn substituted for Ralphs on the Holy Water tour between June 1990 and April 1991.
	Rich Robinson	2016		Robinson substituted for Ralphs during a US tour between May and July 2016 due to illness.

Timeline

Lineups

References

1. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Bad Company: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "10 from 6 - Bad Company: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
3. DeRiso, Nick (14 August 2017). "35 Years Ago: Bad Company Disintegrates After Releasing 'Rough Diamonds'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
4. "On the Beat" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 18. New York City, New York: Billboard Publications, Inc. 3 May 1986. p. 22. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
5. Liveten, Sharon (27 December 1986). "Bad Company Is Back With Album, Tour" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 52. New York City, New York: Billboard Publications, Inc. p. 35. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
6. ^ DeRiso, Nick (22 October 2016). "30 Years Ago: Bad Company Stumbles Into Post-Paul Rodgers Era With 'Fame And Fortune'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
7. Longsdorf, Amy (26 November 1988). "Reformed Bad Company Is Now At That Dangerous Age". The Morning Call. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
8. ^ Fishman, Charles (19 July 1992). "Derek Trucks". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
9. "Pop's Foremost Authorities!" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 12. New York City, New York: BPI Communications, Inc. 20 March 1993. p. 81. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
10. ^ "Q&A with Dave Colwell". Bay of Plenty Times. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
11. ^ "Guitarist, Mr. Geoff Whitehorn". Procol Harum. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
12. "The Best of Bad Company Live...What You Hear Is What You Get - Bad Company: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
13. Churchill, Nick (16 September 2009). "Good times with Bad Company". Bournemouth Daily Echo. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
14. Company of Strangers (Media notes). Bad Company (Artist). East West Records. 1995. Retrieved 3 April 2019.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
15. Ginsberg, Geoff. "The Original Bad Company Anthology - Bad Company: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
16. Wall, Mick (28 May 2014). "Bad Company: The Bad Old Days". Classic Rock. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
17. Iwasaki, Scott (25 May 2001). "Bad Company, Styx are glad to be back in front of fans". Deseret News. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
18. Jurek, Thom. "In Concert: Merchants of Cool - Bad Company: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
19. Kreps, Daniel (2 July 2008). "Bad Company to Reunite for One-Night-Only Concert". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
20. "Hard Rock Live - Bad Company: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
21. Graff, Gary (31 March 2009). "Bad Company reuniting for summer tour". Reuters. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
22. Prince, Patrick (28 June 2010). "Bad Company announce 2010 North American tour with original members". Goldmine. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
23. Young, Michael (31 October 2017). "Full Circle with Bad Company". Artist Waves. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
24. ^ DeRiso, Nick (18 March 2016). "Bad Company Replaces Mick Ralphs With Black Crowes' Rich Robinson". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
25. DeRiso, Nick (4 November 2016). "Bad Company And Mott The Hoople Guitarist Mick Ralphs Suffers Stroke". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
26. www.paulcullen.rocks https://www.paulcullen.rocks/bad-company. Retrieved 2022-07-10. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

• Bad Company official website

• Bad Company members
• Lists of members by band