Runner (band)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Founder | Steve Gould, Alan Merrill |
| Defunct | 1980 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Music albums |
Runner was a British rock group with a brief existence, established in 1978 by Steve Gould from Rare Bird and Alan Merrill of the band Arrows. After the breakup of Rare Bird in 1976, Gould joined tours with Merrill's Arrows. Once Arrows ended in 1978, both musicians pursued new ventures and recorded a demo featuring bassist Mick Feat, then affiliated with Van Morrison, alongside drummer Dave Dowle of Whitesnake.
Following the demo's completion, Runner promptly secured contracts with Acrobat Records, a UK subsidiary of Arista Records, and Island Records in the United States. Their only album was produced by James Guthrie at The Manor located in Oxfordshire, England.
The album titled Runner entered the US market, spending four weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and reaching a peak position of number 167. Despite this moderate success, the group dissolved amid sessions for a follow-up album that was to be produced by Alex Sadkin, citing creative disagreements.
After the band's dissolution, Mick Feat and Steve Gould worked with Alvin Lee, Dave Dowle became part of Maggie Bell's Nightflyer, and Alan Merrill joined the band Derringer led by Rick Derringer.
Although Runner achieved chart recognition in America, they never embarked on a concert tour.
Discography
- Runner (Acrobat/Island, 1979)
- "Fooling Myself" (2:58)
- "Run for Your Life" (4:10)
- "Broken Hearted Me" (3:42)
- "Truly from Within" (3:21)
- "Dynamite" (4:22)
- "Sooner Than Later" (3:23)
- "Rock & Roll Soldiers" (3:29)
- "Gone Too Long" (5:42)
- "Living Is Loving You" (3:01)
- "Restless Wind" (4:11)