Quarterflash

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This article is about the American rock band. For the band's first album, see Quarterflash (album).
Quarterflash
OriginPortland, Oregon, U.S.
GenresPop rock, adult contemporary
Years active1980–1985, 1990–2019
LabelsGeffen Records, Epic Records
Websitewww.quarterflash.net
MembersRindy Ross
Marv Ross
Past membersJack Charles
Rich Gooch
Jon Propp
Brian David Willis
Rick DiGiallonardo

Quarterflash (previously stylized as QuarterFlash) is an American rock group formed in 1980 in Portland, Oregon. The band was originally made up of the two current members, Orinda Sue "Rindy" Ross (lead vocals and saxophone) and her husband Marv Ross (guitars), along with Jack Charles (guitars), Rick DiGiallonardo (keyboards/synthesizers), Rich Gooch (electric bass), and Brian David Willis (drums and percussion).[1] Having a lead singer who also played the saxophone made Quarterflash notable. In a 1982 interview, Rindy Ross said that she viewed the saxophone as an extension of her voice, enabling her to express things she could not express with her voice alone.[2]

Recording history[]

The group was formed by merging two popular Oregon bands, Seafood Mama (formerly Beggars Opera) and Pilot (not to be confused with the Scottish band of "Magic" fame).[3][4][5] Continuing under the name Seafood Mama, the band originally released the picture-sleeved single "Harden My Heart" on a local private label, Whitefire Records, in the spring of 1980 (with the B-side track being "City of Roses"). "Harden My Heart" was a big hit on Portland radio stations and got the band a one-hour TV special, Seafood Mama In Concert, on KOIN on June 5, 1980.[6] "Harden My Heart" would later be rerecorded by the band after they renamed themselves Quarterflash. The name came from an Australian slang description of new immigrants as "a quarter flash, three quarters foolish", which the Rosses found in a book at producer John Boylan's house.[1][7]

Quarterflash signed to Geffen Records and released their self-titled debut album Quarterflash in September 1981. It reached No. 8 on Billboard's Top LPs & Tapes chart, and sold over a million copies, earning RIAA platinum status on June 30, 1982. The album contained the new version of "Harden My Heart", which became their biggest single, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 (and the Top 20 in France). The follow-up single from the album, "Find Another Fool", reached No. 16. A second one-hour Portland television special, Quarterflash In Concert, was broadcast on KOIN on October 22, 1981, and simulcast on KGON. This concert was taped at the Paramount Theatre (the present-day Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall) on October 15, 1981.

In between albums, the band appeared on soundtracks of two of 1982's biggest films, charting the theme to Ron Howard's Night Shift up to #60 on the Billboard Hot 100, and landing one of their B-sides, "Don't Be Lonely", in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Quarterflash released their second album, Take Another Picture, in 1983. It reached No. 34 in Billboard, and scored the single "Take Me to Heart", which reached No. 14. At some point after this album was released, both Charles and DiGiallonardo left the group. Opting to continue as a four-piece, the group completed a third album featuring contributions from unofficial group keyboardist/guitarist Daniel Brandt; released in 1985, Back Into Blue peaked at No. 150 on Billboard. The group later disbanded after getting dropped from Geffen Records.

In 1990, Quarterflash reunited, hiring session musicians, including bassist–vocalist Sandin Wilson, drummer Greg Williams, guitarist Doug Fraser, Mel Weith and Mel Kubik on saxophone and keyboards. The group released Girl in the Wind on Epic Records. In 1991, Rindy and Marv Ross founded the historic music ensemble The Trail Band, which was formed at the request of the Oregon Trail Advisory Council to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Oregon Trail.[8]

In June 2008, Marv and Rindy Ross released a new Quarterflash album, Goodbye Uncle Buzz, but it did not chart.[9] In September 2013, the band released a new album, Love Is a Road.[10]

Quarterflash was among hundreds of artists who lost material in the 2008 Universal fire.[11]

Discography[]

Studio albums[]

Year Album US AUS[12]
1981 Quarterflash 8 22
1983 Take Another Picture 34 -
1985 Back Into Blue 150 -
1991 Girl in the Wind - -
2008 Goodbye Uncle Buzz - -
2013 Love Is a Road - -
2020 A better World - -

Compilation albums[]

  • The Best of Quarterflash: The Millennium Collection (1996)
  • Harden My Heart: The Best of Quarterflash (1997)

Singles[]

Year Song US Rock AC AUS[12] CAN UK[13] Album
1981 "Harden My Heart" 3 1 41 6 10 49 Quarterflash
1982 "Find Another Fool" 16 12 - - 21 -
"Right Kind of Love" 56 - - - - -
"Night Shift" 60 - - - - - Night Shift soundtrack
1983 "Take Me to Heart" 14 6 28 - 19 - Take Another Picture
"Take Another Picture" 58 - - - - -
1985 "Talk to Me" 83 41 - - - - Back Into Blue
"Walking On Ice" - - - - - -

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Clarke, SP. "Part 1: Introduction". History of Portland Rock. Archived from the original on 2011-10-04. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
  2. ^ Night Flight 1982 Archived 2017-02-06 at the Wayback Machine, concert clips and interviews, see esp. 4:04 into the video for Rindy Ross talking about what the saxophone adds to her music.[dead link]
  3. ^ Sundial, Tri-City Herald (Washington state), Cleveland (AP), Quarterflash burning hot, Dec. 8, 1981, page 22.
  4. ^ "Quarterflash". Allmusic. Archived from the original on September 8, 2011. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  5. ^ According to Alain Gardinier in Rindy, Marv and Jack's French interview, Coup de foudre ?, Rock, # 53, June 1982, p. 14, the name of the second band was "Union".
  6. ^ "Seafood Mama in Concert" Archived 2019-09-08 at the Wayback Machine on YouTube
  7. ^ Bradley, Clyde. "What Ever Happened to Quarterflash?". Classic Rock Revisited. Archived from the original on 2008-05-24. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
  8. ^ "Meet the Trail Band". The Trail Band. Archived from the original on 2008-04-24. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
  9. ^ "Marv & Rindy Ross / Quarterflash - Goodbye Uncle Buzz". Quarterflash. Archived from the original on 2008-11-21. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
  10. ^ Ham, Robert (September 30, 2013). "Quarterflash brings humility to 'Love is a Road', their first album in 20 years, plans Oregon Music Hall of Fame show". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  11. ^ Rosen, Jody (25 June 2019). "Here Are Hundreds More Artists Whose Tapes Were Destroyed in the UMG Fire". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 September 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 242. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  13. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 444. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

External links[]

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