Player is a British-American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in the late 1970s. The group is best known for its 1977 No. 1 hit single "Baby Come Back" and several other charting singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
Overview
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Soft rock |
| Years active | 1976–1982, 1995–2003, 2007–present |
| Labels | RSO, Philips, Casablanca, RCA, RiverNorth, Frontiers Records, Atlantic |
| Current members | Peter Beckett, Ronn Moss |
| Notable past members | J.C. Crowley, John Friesen, Miles Joseph, Steve Farris, Dave Amato |
History
Formation and early success
Player first came together in Los Angeles. The original members included Peter Beckett (vocals, guitar), John Charles "J.C." Crowley (vocals, keyboards, guitar), Ronn Moss (vocals, bass), and John Friesen (drums). Beckett, an Englishman from Liverpool, had previously been in the progressive rock group Paladin and later Skyband. After Skyband broke up in 1975, Beckett met Crowley at a party, and they teamed up in a band called Riff Raff, which soon changed its name to Bandana.
When the Haven label folded, Lambert and Potter brought the group over to RSO Records in 1976, and Beckett and Crowley started anew as Player with manager Paul Palmer, who brought in Moss and Friesen.
"Baby Come Back" and peak popularity
Player's biggest hit, "Baby Come Back," was released in late 1977 and rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1978. The follow-up single, "This Time I'm in It for Love," peaked at No. 10 the same year. Player was named Billboard's Best New Singles Artist of 1978.
Eric Clapton invited the band to open for him during his 1978 North American "Slow Hand" tour. The band's sound shifted toward a harder rock style on their second album, Danger Zone (1978). They also toured with Heart and Kenny Loggins.
Later albums and dissolution
Player released four albums during their active touring years: Player (1977), Danger Zone (1978), Room With a View (1980, without Crowley), and Spies of Life (1981). After the band went inactive in the early 1980s, Moss pursued acting, originating the role of Ridge Forrester on the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful (1987–2012). Beckett worked as a songwriter for artists including Janet Jackson, Olivia Newton-John, and Kenny Rogers, and became a member of Little River Band from 1989 to 1997.
Reunions
Beckett and Moss reunited in 1995, releasing Lost in Reality (1996). A second reunion album, Too Many Reasons, was released in 2013 on Frontiers Records. The band has toured intermittently since the late 1990s, including appearances on the Sail Rock and Rock the Yacht tours.
Trademark dispute
In May 2018, Ronn Moss filed a lawsuit against Peter Beckett over rights to the band's trademark. A settlement was reached in November 2018, establishing that both Moss and Beckett owned common rights to the Player name. The court ordered that both artists add their own name in front of the Player mark when using it (i.e., "Peter Beckett's Player" or "Ronn Moss' Player") to avoid consumer confusion.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | US Billboard 200 peak |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Player | 26 |
| 1978 | Danger Zone | 37 |
| 1980 | Room with a View | — |
| 1982 | Spies of Life | 152 |
| 1995 | Electric Shadow (Japan) / Lost in Reality (US) | — |
| 2013 | Too Many Reasons | — |
Notable singles
| Year | Single | US Hot 100 peak |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | "Baby Come Back" | 1 |
| 1978 | "This Time I'm in It for Love" | 10 |
| 1978 | "Prisoner of Your Love" | 27 |
| 1980 | "It's for You" | 46 |
| 1981 | "If Looks Could Kill" | 48 |
Current status
As of the present, Player continues to exist as a performing entity, with Peter Beckett and Ronn Moss each touring under their respective variations of the band name.
