Tora Tora

467 fans
Memphis four-piece Tora Tora brought some Southern twang and heartland grit to the world of soaring power ballads of the 1980s, but were ultimately shunned by the music industry when the grunge scene came along in the early 1990s. High school friends Keith Douglas, Patrick Francis and John Patterson originally started playing together in their teens in a garage band called Liken Throat, but recruited front man Anthony Corder in 1985 and, between lawn mowing jobs, they started out playing basement parties for beer money. Taking Iron Maiden, AC/DC and Van Halen as their main inspirations, they cut their teeth playing in Beale Street bars, before taking the top prize in a state-wide battle of the bands competition, which won them free recording time at Ardent Studios. It allowed them to cut their first EP 'To Rock to Roll' in 1987 and their reputation built when Memphis radio station Rock 98 took a liking to them and started giving them airplay, and they began putting on their own shows in the warehouse of a glue factory owned by the father of guitarist Keith Douglas. With little to do in the area for under-age kids at the time, their DIY shows would draw hundreds of fans and the band ended up attracting scouts from major record labels, landing a deal with A&M Records. They also opened for Alice Cooper, before their debut album 'Surprise Attack' went on to reach number 47 in the US charts in 1989 and singles 'Walkin' Blues' and 'Phantom Rider' received regular play on MTV. Their track 'Dancing With a Gypsy' also gained popularity thanks to its use on the soundtrack of hit Hollywood comedy 'Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure', and the raw, rough edges of their sound was gradually polished into glossy, stadium rock anthems on second album 'Wild America'. There were also occasional rootsy nods to Tennessee's rich musical history in their sound, but they failed to chime with the wave of ragged, alternative acts and more blistering, metal thunder that had begun taking over the US rock scene, deciding to disband in 1994 after their label refused to release their third album. Remaining good friends, they reformed in 2008 for club shows in Memphis and a performance at Rocklahoma Festival and ended up landing a deal with Nashville label FNA Records to release unreleased material on albums 'Bombs Away' and 'Miss B. Haven'. Four decades after their debut album, they returned again in 2019 with new material on 'Bastards of Beale' recorded at the legendary Sam Phillips Studio with producer Jeff Powell.

Artist biography compiled by BDS/West 10. All rights reserved

Top Tracks

06
Walkin' Shoes
Tora Tora
Before & After
03:48
04
Phantom Rider
Tora Tora
Before & After
04:50
01
Wild America
Tora Tora
Wild America
04:45
06
Shelter From the Rain
Tora Tora
Revolution Day
04:33
09
Blue Tommorrow
Tora Tora
Before & After
04:20
02
Mississippi Voodoo Child
Tora Tora
Revolution Day
03:38
05
Time and the Tide
Tora Tora
Revolution Day
04:03
03
Candle and the Stone
Tora Tora
Revolution Day
03:47
01
Revolution Day
Tora Tora
Revolution Day
06:02
03
Everbright
Tora Tora
Bastards of Beale
03:44
02
Giants Fall
Tora Tora
Bastards of Beale
04:13
08
All Good Things
Tora Tora
Bastards of Beale
04:11
01
Sons of Zebedee
Tora Tora
Bastards of Beale
04:21
07
Let Us Be One
Tora Tora
Bastards of Beale
03:56

Playlists

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  • Discography
Albums
22-02-2019
Bastards of Beale
01
Sons of Zebedee
Tora Tora
Bastards of Beale
04:21
02
Giants Fall
Tora Tora
Bastards of Beale
04:13
03
Everbright
Tora Tora
Bastards of Beale
03:44
04
Silence the Sirens
Tora Tora
Bastards of Beale
04:56
05
Son of a Prodigal Son
Tora Tora
Bastards of Beale
04:00
06
Lights up the River
Tora Tora
Bastards of Beale
06:00
07
Let Us Be One
Tora Tora
Bastards of Beale
03:56
Access the complete album info (11 songs)
2017 Household Digital
13-11-2017
Bounce Ep
01
Bounce (Original Mix)
Tora Tora
Bounce Ep
06:26
02
Lazy Sunday (Original Mix)
Tora Tora
Bounce Ep
06:49
03
Heaven (Original Mix)
Tora Tora
Bounce Ep
06:44
04
Heaven (Nils Hess Remix)
Tora Tora
Bounce Ep
07:36
(P) 2011 Tora Tora
07-02-2011
Revolution Day
01
Revolution Day
Tora Tora
Revolution Day
06:02
02
Mississippi Voodoo Child
Tora Tora
Revolution Day
03:38
03
Candle and the Stone
Tora Tora
Revolution Day
03:47
04
Blues Come Home To You
Tora Tora
Revolution Day
03:32
05
Time and the Tide
Tora Tora
Revolution Day
04:03
06
Shelter From the Rain
Tora Tora
Revolution Day
04:33
07
Living A World Away
Tora Tora
Revolution Day
04:21
Access the complete album info (12 songs)
2009 Tora Tora
01-12-2009
Bombs Away
01
Bad
Tora Tora
Bombs Away
03:35
02
Bringing Me Down
Tora Tora
Bombs Away
03:02
03
Lost In Paradise
Tora Tora
Bombs Away
04:04
04
When the Wind Blows
Tora Tora
Bombs Away
03:25
05
All the Same
Tora Tora
Bombs Away
03:25
06
Breakin' All the Rules
Tora Tora
Bombs Away
03:16
07
Gotta Get Away
Tora Tora
Bombs Away
03:34
Access the complete album info (11 songs)
2009 Tora Tora
01-12-2009
Before & After
01
Wasted Love
Tora Tora
Before & After
03:53
02
To Rock to Roll
Tora Tora
Before & After
03:04
03
Time On the Edge
Tora Tora
Before & After
04:33
04
Phantom Rider
Tora Tora
Before & After
04:50
05
Love's a Bitch
Tora Tora
Before & After
03:54
06
Walkin' Shoes
Tora Tora
Before & After
03:48
07
That's Not the Way Love's Supposed to Be
Tora Tora
Before & After
04:11
Access the complete album info (10 songs)
2009 Tora Tora
01-12-2009
Miss B. Havin'
01
Take It As You Like It
Tora Tora
Miss B. Havin'
03:06
02
Ain't Nothin to It
Tora Tora
Miss B. Havin'
03:36
03
B-Song
Tora Tora
Miss B. Havin'
04:48
04
Bite the Bullet
Tora Tora
Miss B. Havin'
03:03
05
Ride the Wind
Tora Tora
Miss B. Havin'
03:27
06
Can You Take My Blues Away
Tora Tora
Miss B. Havin'
03:54
07
Mary Wants Some
Tora Tora
Miss B. Havin'
03:18
Access the complete album info (13 songs)
An A&M Records Release; â„— 1992 UMG Recordings, Inc.
11-02-1992
Wild America
01
Wild America
Tora Tora
Wild America
04:45
02
Amnesia
Tora Tora
Wild America
04:50
03
Dead Man's Hand
Tora Tora
Wild America
04:06
04
As Time Goes By
Tora Tora
Wild America
04:25
05
Lay Your Money Down
Tora Tora
Wild America
04:07
06
Shattered
Tora Tora
Wild America
02:58
07
Dirty Secrets
Tora Tora
Wild America
03:52
Access the complete album info (11 songs)
Singles
21-02-2019
Son Of A Prodigal Son
01
Son of a Prodigal Son
Tora Tora
Son Of A Prodigal Son
04:00
17-01-2019
Silence The Sirens
01
Silence the Sirens
Tora Tora
Silence The Sirens
04:56
06-12-2018
Rose of Jericho
01
Rose of Jericho
Tora Tora
Rose of Jericho
03:15