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Triumph
hard rock trio | formed 1975
Formed inToronto, Ontario, Canada
Biographyby Nathan Whitlock
Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, stadium-ready rock anthems by this Toronto power trio were the unofficial soundtrack of cruising around with the windows rolled down. Founded by Moore and Levine, who recruited hotshot local shredder Emmett, the band started releasing albums and playing outdoor shows for thousands of people within a year of forming. Their 1977 cover of Joe Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way” got them noticed outside of Canada, and two years later, the singles “Hold On” and “Lay It On the Line”—both hard-rocking, self-consciously epic anthems that drew equally from The Who and Led Zeppelin—became massive hits, as well as perpetual classic-rock radio staples. In 1986, Triumph released The Sport of Kings, their most commercial album to date. Shortly thereafter, the tensions of a decade’s worth of touring and recording prompted Emmett to leave the group; he went on to have a successful solo career throughout the late ’80s. The original trio was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame in 2007. They reunited for a handful of concerts, living reminders of the era when bands aimed to be larger than life, and holding lighters aloft in a darkened arena was the most sincere form of musical appreciation.
Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, stadium-ready rock anthems by this Toronto power trio were the unofficial soundtrack of cruising around with the windows rolled down. Founded by Moore and Levine, who recruited hotshot local shredder Emmett, the band started releasing albums and playing outdoor shows for thousands of people within a year of forming. Their 1977 cover of Joe Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way” got them noticed outside of Canada, and two years later, the singles “Hold On” and “Lay It On the Line”—both hard-rocking, self-consciously epic anthems that drew equally from The Who and Led Zeppelin—became massive hits, as well as perpetual classic-rock radio staples. In 1986, Triumph released The Sport of Kings, their most commercial album to date. Shortly thereafter, the tensions of a decade’s worth of touring and recording prompted Emmett to leave the group; he went on to have a successful solo career throughout the late ’80s. The original trio was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame in 2007. They reunited for a handful of concerts, living reminders of the era when bands aimed to be larger than life, and holding lighters aloft in a darkened arena was the most sincere form of musical appreciation.
amplifier-maker, electronic engineer, musician | 1921 - 2006