Pat Travers Band

Pat Travers was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. Soon after picking up the guitar at age 12, he saw Jimi Hendrix perform in Ottawa. Travers began playing in bands early in his teens; his first bands were the Music Machine (not to be confused with the Californian psychedelic/garage band of the same name), Red Hot, and Merge, which played in clubs in the Quebec area. 

While performing with Merge, he was noticed by rock artist Ronnie Hawkins, who invited Travers to perform with him. In his early twenties Travers moved to London and signed a recording contract with the Polydor label.[2] His self-titled debut album was released in 1976, and featured bassist Peter “Mars” Cowling, who would become a mainstay in Travers’ band for several years.[2] An appearance on the German TV show Rockpalast in November 1976 was later released on DVD under the title Hooked on Music. This performance showcases an early version of Travers’ band featuring Cowling and drummer  
During 1977, Travers added a second guitarist to his band, changed drummers twice including using Clive Edwards, and by the time Heat in the Street was released in 1978 had put together the Pat Travers Band.[2] This grouping featured Travers on vocals and guitar, Pat Thrall on guitar, Cowling on bass, and Tommy Aldridge on drums and percussion.[2] The band toured heavily, also supporting Rush on their Drive til You Die tour in support of A Farewell to Kings. 

 
The band’s next release was a live album entitled Live! Go for What You Know, which charted inthe Top 40 in the United States and included the tune “Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)” (originally recorded by Little Walter, credited to Stan Lewis), which climbed even higher on thecharts, entering the Top 20. “Snortin’ Whiskey” was a major American radio hit from 1980’s Crash and Burn. 

By 1990, he had gained a deal with a small European label and released School of Hard Knocks. The project was completely ignored by radio. A full-length concert video Boom Boom – Live at the Diamond Club 1990 was shot in Toronto to be released in audio version as CD Boom Boom 
next year, but Travers was still not able to return to the success he had ten years earlier, working only on indie labels, as with Lemon Recordings. Travers has not been able to regain the level of commercial success he once had, despite a large and loyal fan base who call themselves “Hammer Heads”. He tours regularly in the U.S. and has made several trips to Europe in the last decade as well. In 2001 he was part of the “Voices of 
Classic Rock” tour, and had a minor hit with Leslie West from the band Mountain called “Rock Forever”. In 2004 he started a project with the veteran drummer Carmine Appice and started touring the U.S.; as of now there are 3 albums released. Travers recorded cover tunes from 
bands such as Led Zeppelin, Montrose, Queen, and Trapeze under the album name P.T. Power Trio 2, and they toured Europe in November 2006.

 
In July 2013, The Pat Travers Band put out new album “CAN DO” released by Frontiers Records, a major label based in Italy for numerous artists in the field of classic rock. The CAN DO album was supported by PTB tours of the U.S., the U.K., and Europe during the later half of 2013. In January 2015, Frontiers Records released Pat Travers Band Live at the Iridium NYC, recorded in February 2012, which showed how deadly this line up was. Also featured Jon Paris playing blues harp on “If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day” and “Spoonful”. 

The Pat Travers Band (PTB) currently consists of Pat Travers (guitars, vocals, keyboards), Alex Petrosky  (drums), and David Pastorius (bass/vocals). 
Travers sang on Boston metal band Extreme’s “Get the Funk Out” on their 1990 album Pornograffitti.