Bio
Glenn Hughes emerged on the music scene in 1969 with Trapeze, the British group for which he was lead vocalist, bassist and chief songwriter. Trapeze was signed to open for the Moody Blues 1969 tour of America and went on to release four albums: Trapeze, Medusa, You Are The Music, We’re Just The Band and Final Swing featuring Glenn Hughes.
In 1973, Hughes, born and raised in Cannock, England, was invited by Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Paice and Jon Lord to join Deep Purple at a time when the group’s classic, "Smoke On The Water", was a worldwide hit. Hughes immediately put his stamp on Purple’s sound, sharing lead vocals with other newcomer, David Coverdale, playing bass and writing songs on such LP’s as Burn, Stormbringer and Come Taste The Band. The result was a series of multi-platinum record awards and massive international concert tours.
In 1975, Hughes was voted No.1 bassist by England’s Melody Maker, topping such artists as Jack Bruce and Greg Lake. After leaving Deep Purple, Hughes recorded a solo LP, Play Me Out, released in 1977. Made with one-time Trapeze sidemates Mel Galley and Dave Holland plus guests like Pat Travers, the LP charted high in Japan, Germany and England. Shortly thereafter, Hughes settled in Los Angeles where he could write, relax and wait for the right moment to jump back in.
The result was the formation of the Hughes/Thrall band, and their August 1982 debut album, Hughes/Thrall. Recorded in Los Angeles at Shangri La and United Western studios, the LP was produced by Hughes, Thrall, Rob Fraboni and Andy Johns, who, as either a producer or engineer, has worked with such artists as the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney and Rod Stewart. Hughes/Thrall features eight songs co-written by Hughes and Thrall and one by Hughes. Throughout the LP, Hughes vocally soars through a four and one half octave range and distinctively weaves his bass lines.
"I think our soul is what separates us from a lot of bands. Pat, for instance, is one of the warmest guitarists I’ve ever heard…Right now, we’re looking forward to going out there and destroying audiences", said Glenn at the time. "Now you’ve really got to be on the ball to make it – you have to be a good musician. We may not be newcomers to rock & roll, but we’re as energetic and hungry as any new band".
In late 2015, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame based in the USA, announced that Deep Purple, were finally to be inducted after several previous nominations over the years and in Spring 2016, Glenn and David Coverdale were inducted as part of the MKIII line-up of the band.
Since 1982 Glenn has had over 20 solo projects released and has been involved in close to 100 session projects. Highlights include working with his good friends, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath (Seventh Star, The DEP Sessions, Fused) and Chad Smith, John Frusciante and Dave Navarro, who of course, are current and former members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers (Soul Mover, Music For The Divine), as well as new band projects such as Hughes Turner Project (“HTP”), Black Country Communion (“BCC”), California Breed and The Dead Daisies. His most recent and to date, his best selling solo album, is the 2016 release, Resonate.
Pat Thrall was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Northern California and began attracting attention as a guitarist in 1976 while working with Stomu Yamashta’s Go. Adventurously blending elements of rock, jazz, funk and Latin music, the group also included Stevie Winwood and the original Santana drummer, Michael Shrieve. Go released two albums, Go and Go: Live In Paris. While with Go, Thrall and Shrieve formed Automatic Man, a rock quartet which released two albums. Automatic Man and Visitors, both of which advanced the guitarist’s reputation.
Studio and sideman work in the fusion field followed, with musicians like Narada Michael Walden and Alphonso Johnson. Thrall’s guitar is an integral part of Walden’s Awakening LP and Johnson’s Spellbound. In 1978, Thrall was chosen from seventy auditioning guitarists for the co-lead spot with Pat Travers. He recorded on three LP’s with Travers: Heat In The Street, Go For What You Know and Crash And Burn. The latter LP featured the FM hit, "Snortin’ Whiskey and Drinkin’ Cocaine", which Thrall co-wrote with Travers.
Pat was singled out by the readers of Guitar Player magazine in 1980, when they named him that year’s best new talent for his guitar work with the Pat Travers Band. Previous winners have included Dicky Betts, Robin Trower and Eddie Van Halen.
Thrall’s high visibility and onstage dynamism with Travers brought him to the attention of Glenn Hughes, and the chemistry between the two clicked immediately when they formed the band in 1981 in Los Angeles. On Hughes/Thrall, Thrall’s fiery, inventive guitaring, which intermittently incorporates a variety of synthesized effects, charges the group’s sound with as much heart and clout as Hughes’ vocals and bass work.
"This is the first time I’ve had the chance to totally express myself musically. The music on the album takes a lot of twists and turns because Glenn and I like to weave a variety of textures. The idea was to diversify the music as much as we could without getting esoteric. Most of all, we wanted to keep everything on the edge", Pat said upon the debut release in 1982.
Since 1982, Pat has performed live with such high profile bands such as Asia and Meatloaf, but found his niche and phenomenal success as producer and engineer, becoming a tecnology leader, pioneering the use of Pro Tools for studio recordings. He’s worked with artists in all genres of music such as Elton John, Tim Rice, Beyonce, Dave Stewart (The Eurythmics), Bono & The Edge (U2), Peter Gabriel, Tina Turner, Joe Satriani, Dream Theater, Joey McIntyre, Queen and Patti Scialfa (Bruce Springsteen’s wife) and has been involved with remixing classic artists such as Miles Davis and Sly Stone, to name just a few! In addition, he’s lent his talent and support behind initiatives such as Nelson Mandela’s foundation to fight AIDS in Africa.