Grand Prix

BIOGRAPHY

[Dashboard] [Referred Artists] [Search Options]

Grand Prix (1978-1984): a Hard Rock band from UK.

riginally founded in 1978 under the name Paris, they changed their name to Grand Prix in 1980 under the line-up of Bernie Shaw (lead vocals), Michael O'Donoghue (guitar), Ralph Hood (bass), Andy Beirne (drums) and Phil Lanzon (keyboards). All members also performed harmony vocals, with Lanzon contributing the occasional lead vocal, as illustrated on such tracks as Which Way Did the Wind Blow?, released as a single with their debut album.

In 1980, the band released their debut self-titled album on 'RCA Records'. Along with Which Way Did the Wind Blow?, the album also yielded their first music video for the same track, as well as for the singles Feel Like I Do and Westwind. The videos were basic, featuring only the band playing on a stage with no audience.

In 1981, Shaw left the band and was replaced by Robin McAuley, for There for None to See (1982) and their final set, Samurai (1983), before they disbanded in 1984.

Lanzon, McAuley and O'Donoghue briefly carried on under the name Operator recruiting former Motorhead drummer Phil Taylor and former The Sensational Alex Harvey Band and Michael Schenker Group bassist Chris Glen.

Despite Grand Prix attaining very modest success, its legacy would be in the events after it's disbandment with Shaw and Lanzon ending up joining Uriah Heep as that band's vocalist and keyboardist, respectively, in 1986; eventually holding the titles of that band's longest-serving keyboardist and vocalist.

Read All... ⏬

It would be McAuley who would receive the most notoriety by first forming GMT with former Operator band mates Phil Taylor and Chris Glen who released the One by One EP, consisting of four unreleased Grand Prix songs, in 1986. It was re-issued as War Games in 1991. McAuley was then recruited by German producer/songwriter Frank Farian for his all-star project Far Corporation who landed a UK Top 10 hit with a re-make of Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven in October 1985. In 1987, a cover of the unreleased Grand Prix song, One By One, with McAuley on lead vocals, was released as the advance single to a second Far Corporation album, titled Advantage, but the completed album was ultimately scrapped. By this time, however, McAuley had already teamed up with guitar virtuoso Michael Schenker to form the McAuley Schenker Group (M.S.G.) who recorded three studio albums between 1987 and 1992. McAuley would go on to front Survivor (2006-2011) when he was replaced by his predecessor, Jimi Jamison. McAuley then re-teamed with Schenker live in 2012 and is one of the vocalists to appear on the Michael Schenker Fest albums Resurrection (2018) and Revelation (2019). McAuley would then form Black Swan with Jeff Pilson and Reb Beach to debut with Shake The World (2020).