Grand Prix (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Defunct | 1984 |
| Products | Music albums |
Grand Prix was a British hard rock and pop rock ensemble active between 1978 and 1984, recognized for including two musicians who later joined Uriah Heep.
History
Originally formed in 1978 under the name Paris, the group adopted the name Grand Prix in 1980. The lineup featured Bernie Shaw on lead vocals, Michael O'Donoghue handling guitar duties, Ralph Hood on bass, Andy Beirne playing drums, and Phil Lanzon on keyboards. All members provided harmony vocals, with Lanzon occasionally taking the lead, notably on the track "Which Way Did the Wind Blow?".
Their self-titled debut album was released in 1980 through RCA Records and included the single "Which Way Did the Wind Blow?". The band produced music videos for this song as well as for "Feel Like I Do" and "Westwind," all showcasing performances on an empty stage.
In 1981, Shaw left the band and was succeeded by Robin McAuley. With McAuley as vocalist, Grand Prix recorded two further albums: There for None to See (1982) and Samurai (1983), before disbanding in 1984. Following this, Lanzon, McAuley, and O'Donoghue briefly formed Operator, enlisting former Motörhead drummer Phil Taylor and bassist Chris Glen from The Sensational Alex Harvey Band and Michael Schenker Group.
Post-Grand Prix activities
In 1986, Shaw and Lanzon became members of Uriah Heep, taking on roles as vocalist and keyboardist respectively, eventually becoming the longest-serving musicians in those positions within the band. Between 1985 and 1988, Lanzon also performed with The Sweet, managing commitments to both groups simultaneously. O'Donoghue joined Bronz and later worked with Ian Gillan during the early 1990s, contributing to the Naked Thunder album under the name Mick O'Donoghue. Hood became part of Tarzen, a multinational band led by Danny Peyronel of Heavy Metal Kids and UFO, participating in their 1985 debut release.
McAuley collaborated with former Operator colleagues Phil Taylor and Chris Glen to create GMT; they issued the One by One EP in 1986 featuring four previously unreleased Grand Prix songs. This EP was re-released as War Games in 1991. Subsequently, McAuley was recruited by German producer Frank Farian to join the supergroup Far Corporation, which attained UK Top 10 status in 1985 with a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven". In 1987, a single featuring McAuley's vocals—a rendition of the unreleased Grand Prix track "One By One"—was released for a planned second Far Corporation album titled Advantage, which was ultimately shelved. Prior to this, McAuley had partnered with guitarist Michael Schenker to establish the McAuley Schenker Group, releasing three studio albums from 1987 through 1992. Later, he served as lead singer of Survivor between 2006 and 2011 before being succeeded by former frontman Jimi Jamison. McAuley reunited with Schenker for live performances in 2012 and contributed to Michael Schenker Fest's albums Resurrection (2018) and Revelation (2019). His most recent venture is Black Swan alongside Jeff Pilson and Reb Beach, which released its debut album Shake The World in early 2020.
Discography
- Grand Prix (1980)
- There for None to See (1982)
- Samurai (1983)