Canadian rock band Trooper says it will continue as two founding members exit | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Canadian rock band Trooper says it will continue as two founding members exit

Trooper guitarist Brian (Smitty) Smith and singer Ra McGuire are shown in this undated handout photo. Trooper says lead singer Ra McGuire and Brian (Smitty) Smith have retired from the "Raise a Little Hell" rockers. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Stan Pietrusik

TORONTO - The founding members of Trooper were here for a good time, but after a long time, they're calling it quits.

Lead singer Ra McGuire and guitarist Brian Smith say they've decided to officially retire from their posts in the Canadian rock band after spending the past year and a half off the road.

In a Facebook post, the Vancouver-founded band says both members have been "unofficially" retired since last year and "decided they're getting pretty good at it."

They say both have given their blessing for the rest of the band and crew to continue without them.

The Juno-winning Trooper became mainstays of Canadian rock in the late 1970s with their hits "Raise a Little Hell" and "We're Here For a Good Time (Not a Long Time)," which have since become staples of rock radio.

The young act was discovered by Randy Bachman, who signed them to his record label Legend before they exploded in popularity.

Trooper continued recording music and touring in the decades that followed.

Trooper's current keyboardist Paul Gogo, bassist Scott Brown and drummer Clayton Hill say they have named the band's longtime guitar tech Steve Crane as lead guitarist and David Steele as lead singer.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2021.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2021
The Canadian Press

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