Biography

The Canadian AOR rock band Boulevard did the majority of its work in the 1980s using the abbreviated name, Blvd. Members of the group were lead singer David Forbes, bassist Randy Burgess, guitarist Randy Gould, saxophonist Mark Holden, keyboardist Andrew Johns, and drummer Randall Stoll. Burgess stepped out of the lineup after a while and was replaced by bassist Tom Christianson. Between 1988 and 1990, the band released half a dozen singles and a pair of well-received albums, before officially calling it a day in 1991. Formed in Calgary in 1983 by Gould, Holden, and Forbes, the other members followed over time. Two years after its birth, Blvd had completed a few demos and gained the attention of MCA Records, but it would take two more years before the group landed a contract with the label. In 1988, Blvd released a debut single, "In the Twilight." In between a tour schedule that had the band opening for a number of big groups like Glass Tiger and Boston, Blvd finished a few other singles that year and topped it off with a self-titled debut album that carried ten tracks, including "Dream On," "When the Lights Go Down," and "Far From Over." In 1990, Blvd put together a few new songs and went to work on a second full-length effort, In the Streets. The sophomore album was released under the band's full name, Boulevard. The group did a couple more singles, but success stayed just out of reach. By this time, Burgess was already gone and a short spell later, Stoll decided to leave as well, and by 1991 the band had ceased operations. In late 2015, after a 25 year hiatus, the group released the concert DVD Live from Gastown, which was filmed earlier that February at Vancouver’s Warehouse studio. Two years later, with a lineup consisting of David Forbes (vocals), Dave Corman (guitar), Andrew Johns (keyboards, vocals), Mark Holden (sax), Cory Curtis (bass), and Randall Stoll (drums), the band returned with their long awaited third studio album, Luminescence, which was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, England, and released via Melodic Rock Records. ~ Charlotte Dillon, Rovi