The Rats (American band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Founder | Fred Cole |
| Headquarters | Portland, Oregon , United States |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
The Rats were a garage punk ensemble originating from Portland, Oregon, founded by Fred Cole of The Lollipop Shoppe fame. Fred took on guitar and lead vocals, while his wife, Toody Cole, contributed bass and backing vocals. The initial drummer was Rod Rat (Rod Hibbert). Their musical style fused gritty punk rock with sporadic influences of country.
Their inaugural album, bearing the band’s name, was issued in 1980 through Cole’s Whizeagle label. Shortly after this release, Rod Rat departed from the group and tragically died by suicide; he had also been the drummer for Portland’s power pop outfit Domino Theory between 1980 and 1981.
Drummer Sam Henry, previously associated with the Wipers, performed on the debut album but soon exited to join another Portland band, Napalm Beach. Louis Samora succeeded him for the 1983 Whizeagle release In a Desperate Red, then left in 1984 to dedicate himself to his rockabilly project, The Jackals.
After The Rats disbanded in 1984, Bill Barker from Profile Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia persuaded the group to reunite briefly and issue a single under the moniker The Desperate Edge. Subsequently, Cole launched the country-oriented band Western Front, and he later reunited with Toody in the band Dead Moon.
In 2008, Portland’s Mississippi Records reissued their debut album on vinyl format.
The two-part composition "The Rat's Revenge," which appeared on the 1983 compilation Back from the Grave, was originally recorded by an earlier band that shared the same name.