Loverboy

Loverboy
Company type	Private
Industry	Music
Founded	1979 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Founder	Mike Reno, Paul Dean, Doug Johnson, Jim Clench, Matt Frenette
Headquarters	Vancouver, Canada
Area served	Canada, United States
Products	Music albums, live performances
Number of employees	5 (band members)

Loverboy is a rock group originating from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, established in 1979. Renowned for tracks such as "Turn Me Loose" and "Working for the Weekend," their music continues to be a mainstay on classic rock and classic hits stations throughout both Canada and the United States.

After facing initial refusals from American record companies, Loverboy secured a deal with Columbia/CBS Records Canada and commenced work on their debut album starting March 20, 1980. The original lineup featured lead vocalist Mike Reno, formerly of Moxy; guitarist Paul Dean, previously with Scrubbaloe Caine and Streetheart; keyboardist Doug Johnson; bassist Jim Clench, who was soon succeeded by Scott Smith; and drummer Matt Frenette.

During the 1980s, Loverboy enjoyed multi-platinum acclaim, selling millions of albums across Canada and the U.S. Apart from a short break between 1988 and 1991, the band has maintained active touring schedules and is currently based in Vancouver.

1979–1983

The band's moniker came from a vision Paul Dean had, inspired by a Cover Girl advertisement he saw alongside his bandmates. Dean’s manager Lou Blair brought in Bruce Allen, a leading figure in Canadian rock management, who arranged their first live performance opening for Kiss at Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum on November 19, 1979.

Although American labels initially declined to sign them, Loverboy eventually inked a contract with Columbia Records Canada. Their self-titled debut album was produced by Bruce Fairbairn and engineered by Bob Rock. After its release in the U.S. in November 1980, the album sold over one million copies domestically and two million stateside. That year, they toured extensively alongside bands such as Cheap Trick, ZZ Top, and Def Leppard. The single "Turn Me Loose" climbed to No. 7 on Canadian charts and reached No. 35 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

Their follow-up album, Get Lucky, released in October 1981, included hits like "Working for the Weekend," "When It's Over," and "Lucky Ones." This became their highest-selling album in the United States, peaking at No. 7 on Billboard’s album charts and moving over four million units. In that same year, Loverboy set a Juno Award record by winning six trophies.

June 1983 saw the release of Keep It Up. The lead single "Hot Girls in Love" achieved a peak position of No. 11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Both its music video and that of the follow-up single "Queen of the Broken Hearts" received substantial airplay on MTV.

1984–1989

In 1984, Loverboy recorded "Nothing's Gonna Stop You Now," which served as the official theme for the United States Team at the Summer Olympics. This track appeared on The Official Music of the 1984 Games compilation but was not included on any of their own albums. The band frequently performed this song during live shows.

That same year, they contributed the track "Destruction" to the soundtrack accompanying a re-edited version of Fritz Lang’s film Metropolis (1927).

Their fourth studio album, Lovin' Every Minute of It, marked their first project without producer Bruce Fairbairn; Tom Allom—known for his work with Judas Priest—took over production duties. Released in August 1985, it featured two Top 10 Billboard hits: the title track written by Mutt Lange and "This Could Be the Night," co-written by Jonathan Cain from Journey.

In 1986, Loverboy recorded "Heaven in Your Eyes" for the soundtrack of Top Gun, which reached No. 12 on Billboard charts. Keyboardist Doug Johnson opted out of appearing in the music video due to his objections to the film's militaristic themes.

Their fifth album Wildside was released in September 1987. Although it produced a modest hit with "Notorious," co-written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, overall sales were disappointing. Growing discord between Paul Dean and Mike Reno culminated in the band's dissolution in 1988.

Paul Dean launched a solo career with his album Hardcore released in May 1989. Later that year, Columbia Records issued Loverboy’s greatest hits compilation titled Big Ones. The group briefly reunited for a promotional tour featuring keyboardist Geraldo Valentino Dominelli replacing Johnson but disbanded once more following that tour.

1991–1999

On October 6, 1991, Loverboy came together again for a charity concert in Vancouver, sharing the stage with Bryan Adams and others to raise more than $50,000 for Brian MacLeod's cancer treatment. This uplifting event sparked additional tours across Canada and a 64-show tour throughout the United States in 1993.

In 1994, Columbia issued two compilation albums, Loverboy Classics and Temperature's Rising; by 1998, during another U.S. tour, Loverboy Classics had earned Gold certification. The band followed up with the releases of Six and Super Hits in 1997.

During the latter part of 1996 through 1997, keyboard duties were handled by Richard Sera, who substituted for Doug Johnson.

2000–2009: Death of Scott Smith

The group maintained their touring schedule until November 30, 2000, when bassist Scott Smith tragically went missing after being swept overboard by a wave while sailing in San Francisco Bay at age 45.

In 2001, Loverboy released Live, Loud and Loose, a live album featuring remastered recordings from concerts held between 1982 and 1986. That same year included a tribute tour honoring Smith, with Ken "Spider" Sinnaeve—formerly associated with The Guess Who, Red Rider, and Streetheart—joining on bass.

Celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2005, the band performed selected shows extending into August 2006. They also appeared on the U.S. edition of Hit Me, Baby, One More Time, delivering performances of "Working for the Weekend" alongside Enrique Iglesias's "Hero."

In 2006, Loverboy reissued a remastered version of Get Lucky, which included previously unreleased material such as the original demo of "Working for the Weekend."

By March 2007, Mike Reno announced completion of a new studio album titled Just Getting Started, released in October with its lead single "The One That Got Away" promoted via MySpace. The band continued touring throughout Canada and the United States.

Loverboy received induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame during the 2009 Juno Awards.

2010–2019

On February 21, 2010, Loverboy performed at the awards ceremony for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

In June 2012, they revealed plans for the album Rock 'n' Roll Revival under Frontiers Records. From July through November that year, they toured alongside Journey and Pat Benatar/Neil Giraldo, later joined by Night Ranger who replaced Benatar.

Throughout most of 2013, Loverboy maintained an extensive touring schedule except for March. In June 2014, they announced their all-new original album Unfinished Business, which was released on July 15; its lead single "Countin' the Nights" was made available on iTunes. Their summer tour included several free concerts.

In 2016, singles "Hurtin'" and "Some Like It Hot" were released; Paul Dean described "Some Like It Hot" as their sole shuffle track dating back to the late ’70s era. Dean sifted through more than 230 analog tapes to resurrect this long-lost demo as a special offering to fans. The single’s video montage featured footage from their 1983 Keep It Up tour and paid tribute to late bassist Scott Smith.

That year also saw Loverboy starring in a National Car Rental advertisement with actor Patrick Warburton promoting complimentary upgrades using their hit "Lovin' Every Minute of It." Additionally, a digital short was launched featuring Warburton signing their remastered Get Lucky album.

In 2017, Loverboy released the single "Stop the Rain" and served as headliners at the Rockingham Festival held at Nottingham Trent University in the UK on October 22.

2020–present

In 2022, Loverboy unveiled the track "Release" and embarked on a tour alongside REO Speedwagon and Styx.

Musical style

Loverboy's sound is predominantly identified with arena rock, hard rock, and pop rock, while their initial recordings exhibit elements of new wave.

Band members

Current

Paul Dean – guitar, backing vocals (1979–1988, 1989, 1991–present)
Matt Frenette – drums, percussion (1979–1988, 1989, 1991–present)
Doug Johnson – keyboards, synthesizers, piano, saxophone, harmonica, backing vocals (1979–1988, 1991–present)
Mike Reno – lead vocals, occasional guitar (1979–1988, 1989, 1991–present)
Ken "Spider" Sinnaeve – bass guitar, backing vocals (2001–present)

Former

Jim Clench – bass guitar, backing vocals (1979; died 2010)
Scott Smith – bass guitar, backing vocals (1979–1988, 1989, 1991–2000; died 2000)

Touring

Geraldo Valentino Dominelli – keyboards (1989)
Richard Sera – keyboards (1996–1997)
Jerry Wong – guitar, backing vocals (2022)

Discography

Studio albums

Loverboy (1980)
Get Lucky (1981)
Keep It Up (1983)
Lovin' Every Minute of It (1985)
Wildside (1987)
Six (1997)
Just Getting Started (2007)
Rock 'n' Roll Revival (2012)
Unfinished Business (2014)

External links