Boston is a classic rock band that hails from the city of the same name in Massachusetts. Lead guitarist Tom Scholz started the band after he made some homemade demo tapes in his basement. Scholz graduated from MIT, and worked by day at a large corporation. At night, he worked with bar bands, playing guitar. His demo tapes got noticed, and he and his new band got signed to Epic Records. The band included vocalist Brad Delp, guitarist Barry Goudreau, drummer Sib Hashian, and bassist Fran Sheehan.
Their debut album Boston, released in 1976, was at one time the best selling debut album in rock and roll history, including the hits "More Than A Feeling" and "Let Me Take You Home Tonight". Their second album, Don't Look Back (1978), included the hit title track and "A Man I'll Never Be". The band then disappeared for eight years. Guitarist Goudreau released a solo album in 1980, then left Boston completely, and formed the band Orion The Hunter.
By the time the third album, Third Stage, was released, only Delp and Scholz were all that remained of the original band. Scholz was sued by all three of the other original members. Goudreau took him to court due to damages to Goudreau's solo career, but the case was settled out of court. Scholz then fired Sheehan and Hashian in the early 80s, and both of them sued Scholz for breach of contract, but these cases were also settled. Scholz vowed that he would never work with these former members again, and also that he would release albums when he felt that they were ideal to his satisfaction. This led to a lawsuit from Epic Records, who complained that Scholz was taking too long to release albums. Boston was signed by MCA Records after the Epic lawsuit was settled.
Another eight years passed before the fourth album, Walk On, was released. According to the liner notes, Scholz spent the time building a new recording studio, which wasn't completed until 1990. Then it took three years to record the new album. During that time, singer Brad Delp became frustrated with the long wait for Scholz, so he joined Goudreau's new band, RTZ, which released their debut album in 1991. Scholz ironically recruited former Goudreau/Orion The Hunter vocalist Fran Cosmo to substitue for Delp on the "Walk On" album, although Delp was given a songwriting credit for the title track. Boston then released a greatest hits compilation with three new songs in 1997.
In 2002, eight years after the release of "Walk On", Boston's fifth studio album, Corporate America, was released on Artemis Records. The new album featured the return of Brad Delp alongside Fran Cosmo on vocals, along with new members Kimberley Dahme on bass and Fran's son, Anthony Cosmo, playing guitar. This lineup toured in support of the new album in 2003 and 2004.
Currently, the members of Boston are all pursuing outside projects. Fran Cosmo has formed his own band, Cosmo. Kimberley Dahme is working on a solo album. Tom Scholz is supposedly working on the next Boston album.
On March 9, 2007, the band and fans were shocked to learn that Brad Delp had died in his home at the age of 55. There were no signs of foul play in his death. What this means for the future of Boston is uncertain. Delp was truly the voice of Boston, and finding someone to replace him would be a daunting task. If the band releases another album in the future, it will most likely feature Fran Cosmo handling all the vocals, as he did for the "Walk On" album. At any rate, the loss of Brad Delp marks a sad ending chapter to the legacy of Boston.