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Bachman–Turner Overdrive
Bachman–Turner Overdrive
Canadian band
1
Fred Turner
Fred Turner
Canadian musician
2
Robbie Bachman
Robbie Bachman
Canadian musician
3
Tim Bachman
Tim Bachman
Canadian musician
4
Randy Bachman
Randy Bachman
Canadian musician
5
Jim Clench
Jim Clench
Canadian musician
6
The Guess Who
The Guess Who
Canadian band
7
Burton Cummings
Burton Cummings
Canadian musician
8
Jim Kale
Jim Kale
Canadian musician
9
Trooper
Trooper
Canadian rock band
10
April Wine
April Wine
Canadian rock band
11
Chad Allan
Chad Allan
singer, songwriter, guitarist and musician
12
John Entwistle
John Entwistle
English musician, singer-songwriter and record producer, bassist for The Who
13
Tal Bachman
Tal Bachman
Canadian singer-songwriter
14
The Sheepdogs
The Sheepdogs
Canadian rock band
15
Denise McCann
Denise McCann
singer/songwriter
16
Ted Turner
Ted Turner
British musician
17
Little Feat
Little Feat
American band
18
Steve Miller Band
Steve Miller Band
American rock band
19
Daniel Amos
Daniel Amos
American Christian rock band
20
Howard Leese
Howard Leese
American guitarist, music producer, and musical director
21
Deric Ruttan
Deric Ruttan
Canadian singer
22
REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon
American musical group; rock band from Champaign, Illinois
23
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears
American rock music band
24
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy
Irish rock band
25
Dick Wagner
Dick Wagner
American rock music guitarist, songwriter and author
26
Bernie Leadon
Bernie Leadon
American musician
27
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
American rock band
28
Wishbone Ash
Wishbone Ash
British rock band
29
Carl Wilson
Carl Wilson
American musician; original member of The Beach Boys (1946-1998)
30
Mad at the World
Mad at the World
American rock band
31
Angry Samoans
Angry Samoans
American punk rock band
32
Don Felder
Don Felder
American rock musician
33
Zakk Wylde
Zakk Wylde
American guitarist and singer
34
Joe Lynn Turner
Joe Lynn Turner
American singer
35
Joe Walsh
Joe Walsh
American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor
36
Blondie Chaplin
Blondie Chaplin
South African musician; member of The Beach Boys
37
Deep Purple
Deep Purple
English rock band
38
Tanya Donelly
Tanya Donelly
American musician
39
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
American rock band
Blair Thornton
Canadian musician

Blair Thornton

Intro
Canadian musician
Genres
Music

Blair Montgomery Thornton (born July 23, 1950) is a rock guitarist and songwriter most widely known for his work with the Canadian rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO). He also played in the Vancouver-based band Crosstown Bus prior to joining BTO.

Thornton joined the group in early 1974 during the supporting tour for the Bachman-Turner Overdrive II album, replacing Tim Bachman shortly after that album was released. Thornton made his live debut with BTO at a March 1974 televised event for Don Kirshner's In Concert program hosted by Don E. Branker.

Thornton's first album with BTO was the highly successful Not Fragile LP, released in the fall of 1974. With Thornton's arrival, BTO began incorporating "dual-lead" guitar solos in many new songs, with Thornton playing the lead guitar parts along with primary lead guitarist Randy Bachman. Such solos were not a major feature on the band's first two albums. In interviews years later, Randy noted that Blair Thornton was a welcome addition:

He was known for playing in the Eric Clapton/Bluesbreakers style. [He] was more advanced on the guitar than my brother Tim, who was basically a rhythm player who left all the lead to me. I'm not that good. I would repeat myself, my vocabulary is limited and I didn't have time to go out and learn. So Blair brought in a new style. We now had twin lead guitars, and that made my job a lot easier; it gave us more versatility.

As a songwriter, Thornton contributed two compositions to the Not Fragile album: "Givin' It All Away" and an instrumental called "Freewheelin'" that also wound up as the B-side of the No. 1 hit "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet". He also co-wrote three songs for the follow-up 1975 album, Four Wheel Drive, including the title track (with Randy Bachman), and co-wrote the Top 40 hit "Take It Like a Man" (with Fred Turner) for the late 1975 album Head On. Two other songs on Head On, "It's Over" and "Wild Spirit", also credit Thornton and Turner as songwriters.

Following Randy Bachman's departure from the group in 1977, Thornton took over as primary lead guitarist on their next two albums: Street Action (1978) and Rock n' Roll Nights (1979), also contributing several compositions. Thornton rejoined the "classic" Not Fragile line-up (Randy Bachman, Rob Bachman, and Fred Turner) in 1988 for a reunion tour. In 1991, Randy Bachman left the group again and this time was replaced by Vancouver guitarist-singer Randy Murray. This version of BTO proved to be the most enduring, as they toured together until the latter part of 2004. In 2014 Thornton along with original band members Fred Turner, Rob and Randy Bachman were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Thornton currently enjoys a quiet semi-retirement with his wife, Shane.