Travis Biography
Along with Cast, Ocean Colour Scene, Kula Shaker, and Embrace, Travis was one of the most prominent British trad rock bands in the mid- to late '90s. Following Oasis' lead of crafting down-to-earth, heartfelt songs in the vein of classic British bands from the '60s, Travis was more successful and enduring than some of their peers due to their lively, impassioned songwriting and performances. The group formed in Glasgow around 1990 as something of a lark for its members, singer/songwriter Francis Healy, guitarist Andy Dunlop, drummer Neil Primrose, and bassist Dougie Payne. After finishing their studies at art school a few years later, the foursome became more serious about Travis' potential and moved to London in 1996. Their self-released debut EP, All I Wanna Do Is Rock, came out in the fall of that year; with its earnest vocals and soaring guitars, it captured the spirit of British rock at the time, which was retreating from some of Britpop's artiness to a back-to-basics sound. Their second single, 1997's "U16 Girls," was released by Independiente Records, the new label headed by former Go! Discs director Andy MacDonald; a few months later, their critically acclaimed full-length debut, Good Feeling, arrived. Recorded in a matter of days with top producer Steve Lillywhite, the album included hit singles like "Happy" and "Tied to the '90s" and immediately entered the Top Ten of the U.K. charts. The following year, Travis began sessions with star producer Nigel Godrich for the follow-up to Good Feeling, recording in six studios in as many months. Though it was a slower, darker affair, when The Man Who appeared in 1999 it eclipsed Travis' previous successes, going platinum six times in the U.K. and spawning more hit singles such as "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" and "Writing to Reach You." Nominated Select Magazine's Album of the Year (and finishing in the Top Ten of many other publication's year-end lists), The Man Who appeared on U.S. shores in early 2000, just in time for a tour with their musical big brothers, Oasis. Debuting at the number one spot on the U.K. album chart, The Invisible Band was issued in June 2001 just prior to stateside summer gigs with Dido. Two years later, the band issued 12 Memories, which was followed in late 2004 with the singles collection Singles. Travis finally returned with an album of all-new material in the spring of 2007 entitled The Boy with No Name, whose arrival was announced by the release of the single "Closer." ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
Popular Biographies:
Crumbsuckers Biography: Like New York City contemporaries such as Agnostic Front and the Cro-Mags, the Crumbsuckers were one of the original purveyors of 1980's crossover: the bridging of metal and hardcore...
Guided by voices Biography: Inspired equally by jangle pop and arty post-punk, Guided by Voices created a series of trebly, hissy indie rock records filled with infectiously brief pop songs that fell somewhere between the...
Dj clue Biography: One of the handful of DJs to make the jump from mixtapes to the major labels, DJ Clue? hooked up with Jay-Z's Roc-a-Fella Records camp for a bit in the late '90s, then moved on to his own camp,...
Lollies Biography: Pop never dies, it just finds various fun forms to mutate into. The Lollies embrace that particular principle, tackling everything from girl group sass to Britpop irony and distilling it through...
Tarkan Biography: A superstar in Europe and in his homeland of Turkey, dance-pop composer Tarkan mixes modern beats with Middle Eastern melodies and arrangements. Though he had been a fixture in the Turkish dance...
9 lazy 9 Biography: James Braddell and Keir Fraser spent a big chunk of the '80s playing in industrial bands throughout Europe and the United States before settling to Rome in 1992. By forming 9 Lazy 9 that same year,...
Megadeth Biography: After he left Metallica in 1983, guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine formed the thrash metal quartet Megadeth. Though Megadeth followed the basic blueprint of Metallica's relentless attack, Mustaine's...
Flogging molly Biography: Cruise down Fairfax Boulevard in Los Angeles, and if you're lucky, you'll spot a small Irish watering hole named Molly Malone's. It's a neighborhood pub smack dab in the middle of a big city....