Shooting Star (band)
| Shooting Star | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Kansas City, Missouri |
| Genres | Rock |
| Years active | 1978–1987 1989–present |
| Labels | Arista, Virgin, Epic, Geffen, V&R, Enigma, Renaissance |
| Website | Official website |
| Members | Van McLain Steve Thomas Dennis Laffoon Todd Pettygrove |
| Past members | Charles Waltz Gary West Ron Verlin Bill Guffey Norm Dahlor Keith Mitchell Rod Lincoln Eric Johnson Terry Brock Christian Howes Shane Michaels Kevin Chalfant Ronnie Platt Janet Jameson |
Shooting Star is an American rock band from Kansas City, Missouri.
The band formed in the late 1970s. After gaining popularity in the Kansas City area, Shooting Star became the first American group to sign with Virgin Records. They recorded their 1979 debut album in England with producer Gus Dudgeon, best known for his work with Elton John and David Bowie. The band gained national exposure when a number of songs garnered moderate air-play on album-oriented rock radio stations in the US.
Shooting Star initially consisted of Van McLain (guitars, vocals), Bill Guffey (keyboards), Steve Thomas (drums), Ron Verlin (bass), Charles Waltz (violin, keyboards, vocals), and Gary West (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards).
Shooting Star was formed by childhood friends Ron Verlin and Van McLain in suburban Kansas City. They were next-door neighbors and instantly became good friends. They put a band together with their brothers, Craig McLain and John Verlin, and played along to Beatles records in Ron's dad's garage. Two years later, Van and Craig moved to a different school district and the band split up.
Upon entering Shawnee Mission South High School, Van and Ron met up again. With the 1950s nostalgia craze of 1971 brewing, they jumped at the opportunity to put together a band that played classic 1950s hits. After seeing Sha Na Na in the movie , they added three dancers to the act and called the band The Shooting Stars featuring The Galaxies, the name inspired by Bill Haley & His Comets. The band played its first gig at a local school. Sock hops were so popular they received offers over the next three years to play frat parties, country clubs and schools throughout the Midwest.
By 1974, Van began serious songwriting. The band decided to stop playing cover songs and perform their own music. Later that year, they recorded a four-song demo tape and planned a trip to London, England to shop their songs for a record deal. They left on January 6, 1975 and after three weeks of shopping their music to different record labels, they were offered a recording contract with Arista Records.
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