Music Flashback: Night Ranger

Night Ranger was one of the premier Rock Bands of the 1980′s.

The group started in San Francisco in 1979 but did not hit the national spotlight until the 1982 release of the album “Dawn Patrol“.

“Dawn Patrol” produced their first hit, “Don’t tell me you love me” which became a staple on Album-Oriented Rock Stations and the songs video was frequently played on MTV.

The band went on to release hits such as:

You can still rock in America
Sing Me Away
Don’t tell me you Love me
Sister Christian
Four in the Morning
When you close your eyes
The Secret of my success
Goodbye
Sentimental Street
Rumours in the air
I did it for Love

The peak years for the group was from 1982-1988. During that time, it’s members were:

Jack Blades – Bass, Vocals
Kelly Keagy – Drums, Vocals
Jeff Watson – Guitar
Brad Gillis – Guitar
Allen Fitzgerald – Keyboards

The top hit for the group was the 1984 smash “Sister Christian” which hit #2 on the Rock charts and #5 on the Billboard Top-40 Charts.

The song was written and sung by drummer Kelly Keagy as an ode to his younger sister Christine.

In 1990, Jack Blades left the group to form the new group “Damn Yankees” with Ted Nugent and “Styx’s” Tommy Shaw. Night Ranger went through a number of lineup changes until Blades returned to the group in 1996. The group continued with a number of different lineups and is still performing and touring today. The only current members left from the peak years are Blades, Keagy, and Gillis.