The A's
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , United States |
| Products | Music albums, singles, EPs |
The A's were a rock group originating from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, composed of Richard Bush (lead singer), Rick DiFonzo (guitarist), Rocco Notte (keyboardist), Terry Bortman (bassist), and Michael Snyder (drummer). Established in 1978, the band produced two albums under the Arista Records label: The A's in 1979 and A Woman's Got the Power in 1981.
History
The A's built a dedicated regional fan base through their dynamic live performances, which led to their contract with Arista Records. Their first album, released in 1979 and produced by Rick Chertoff, drew critical comparisons to the Boomtown Rats' A Tonic for the Troops due to its combination of clever lyrics, urban edge, and sophisticated hard-pop sound. Gary Hill from Allmusic praised the group for merging punk’s rebellious spirit with humor. Although singles such as "After Last Night" and "Parasite" were issued, the debut album failed to achieve notable commercial impact.
Their follow-up record, A Woman's Got the Power (1981), also produced by Chertoff, managed to enter the U.S. Billboard charts. The album’s title track reached number 18 on the Top Rock Tracks chart in the United States and climbed to number 26 in Canada. This particular song was later covered by Clarence Clemons & the Red Bank Rockers on their 1983 release Rescue. In 2004, Philadelphia Weekly included this album in its list of "100 Best Philly Albums of all Time."
Despite adopting a more mainstream approach on their second album, Arista Records decided to part ways with the band. Subsequently, The A's independently released an EP titled Four Dances in 1982 before ultimately disbanding. After the breakup, Richard Bush continued his music career by joining other ensembles and forming The Peace Creeps. Meanwhile, guitarist Rick DiFonzo pursued session work with prominent artists such as Bob Dylan, Cyndi Lauper, Roger Waters, and Joan Osborne.
Rocco Notte died from pancreatic cancer on July 26, 2025, at the age of 72.
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Highest chart positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | |||||||||||
| The A's | — | ||||||||||
| A Woman's Got the Power |
|
146 | |||||||||
| "—" indicates releases that did not chart. | |||||||||||
Extended plays
| Title | EP details |
|---|---|
| Four Dances |
|
Singles
| Song | Year | Peak chart rankings | Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
US Mainstream Rock |
CAN | |||||||||
| "After Last Night" | 1979 | — | — | — | The A's | ||||||
| "Parasite" | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "A Woman's Got the Power" | 1981 | 106 | 18 | 26 | A Woman's Got the Power | ||||||
| "—" indicates singles that did not chart. | |||||||||||