Toronto born guitarist Pat Travers made quite an impression on the Rock scene in the late 70's and early 80's. Travers first acts were local bands RED HOT and MERGE. From club act MERGE the young Travers teamed up with 50's Rock n' Roll artist RONNIE HAWKINS for a year on the road. Following these gigs Travers decided Canada was not the place to make his fortune and so travelled to London in order to establish his new band.

Travers soon found his power trio complete with a band consisting of Englishmen Peter 'Mars' Cowling on bass (previously with GLENN TIPTON's FLYING HAT BAND and Progressive act GNIDROLOG) and drummer Roy Dyke of FAMILY, BADGER and ASHTON, GARDNER & DYKE. This line up secured a deal with major label Polydor for the eponymous 1976 album and put in a well received performance at the Reading festival as well as British support tours to THE GROUNDHOGS and SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY BAND. Onstage Travers wore a white jump suit decorated patriotically with the red Canadian maple leaf. Besides his obvious guitar abilities the British press had a field day with Travers as he performed onstage barefoot and always invited the audience, after cardboard Fender telecasters had been handed out, to jam along on air guitars!

Following the debut album Dyke departed and former AXE drummer Nicko McBrain was enlisted on a full time basis although Clive Edwards also contributed drums to 1977's 'Makin' Magic'. Edwards later teamed up with another guitar hero ex SCORPIONS man ULI JON ROTH in his ELECTRIC SUN band. Guest vocals on the album came courtesy of the esteemed ex DEEP PURPLE star GLENN HUGHES. The album, which included a cover of THE ALLMAN BROTHERS 'Statesboro' Blues', complete with a guest studio session from THIN LIZZY's Brian Robertson, just broke the British top 40.

Another album followed quickly on it's heels and in October of 1977 'Putting It Straight', Travers first album to break the American Billboard top 100, was issued. Guest guitar sessions came from THIN LIZZY's Scott Gorham and keyboards from RAINBOW's Tony Carey.

In mid 1978 McBrain departed for French Rockers TRUST (and later IRON MAIDEN) and in his stead came former BLACK OAK ARKANSAS man Tommy Aldridge. The band also added second guitarist Pat Thrall from AUTOMATIC MAN.

It was the live 1979 album 'Go For What You Know' which really was to establish Travers reputation among guitarists. West Coast US dates in August of that year saw Travers packaged with ROADMASTER and BLUE ÖYSTER CULT. The guitarist found himself adorning the cover of 'Guitar Player' magazine's January 1980 issue.

In 1980 Aldridge bailed out after that year's showing at the Reading festival to join GARY MOORE and subsequently OZZY OSBOURNE. Post his Ozzy stint Aldridge would later turn up in the hugely successful WHITESNAKE.His position was filled by erstwhile BLACKJACK man Sandy Gennaro. Keyboards were on hand now from former SANTANA man Michael Shrieve.

To promote 1981's 'Radioactive' Travers supported RAINBOW on their European dates. For 1982's 'Black Pearl' Don Harris took over the keyboard role. Riggs also founded his own band RIGGS releasing a 1982 album.

Beset with management problem Travers bowed out from recording for nearly a decade. Although he continued to tour on a low key basis many wondered what had become of him. One of these shows captured in Florida in 1984 with Riggs, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN bassist Barry Dunaway and drummer Pat Marchino was issued much later as part of the King Biscuit Flower Hour live sets.

Travers put in a guest session on the 1988 album 'Cut Loose' by THE BOBBY FRISS BAND. A favour repeated by Riggs for their 1990 follow up 'Fate'.

THE PAT TRAVERS BAND enjoyed a 1990 reunion with Travers sharing the stage with Cowling, Riggs and drummer Scott Zymowski and the resulting album 'School Of Hard Knocks'. For this release the band put in extensive touring in Britain, America and Canada recording a live album in Toronto 'Boom, Boom, Live At The Diamond Club'.

Travers signed to renowned guitar guru Mike Varney's Shrapnel label for subsequent releases. 'Blues Tracks', released in 1992 employed a rhythm section of bassist Brad Russell and drummer Joe Nevolo. Guest guitar came from MICHAEL LEE FIRKINS. 1993's 'Just A Touch' album had contributions from BADLANDS bassist Greg Chaisson and drums coutesy of ex-JOURNEY / JEFFERSON STARSHIP man Aynsley Dunbar. Touring in America during 1994 found former MICHAEL DES BARRES, LITA FORD and STEPPENWOLF guitarist STEVE FISTER within the ranks. Fister would rejoin STEPPENWOLF later the same year.

The late 90's found Travers as part of BIG PEOPLE, an all star band featuring former TED NUGENT and WHITFORD/ST. HOLMES singer DEREK ST. HOLMES, ex-.38 SPECIAL guitarist Jeff Carlisli, bassist Ben Orr of the CARS and BILLY JOEL band drummer Liberty DeVito. Travers was replaced in this band by Rob Wilson.

Travers drafted DIXIE DREGS and STEVE MORSE BAND bassist DAVE LARUE in 1998. The April 1998 album 'Blues Tracks 2' would witness the Canadian covering a collection of Rock and Blues standards such as JOHNNY WINTER's 'I Guess I'll Go Away', THE ALLMAN BROTHERS 'Whipping Post, THE BEATLES 'Taxman' and JIMI HENDRIX's 'Purple Haze'.

The 2000 album 'Don't Feed The Alligators' is another mix of Blues Rock cover versions including songs by ZZ TOP and JIMI HENDRIX. Studio performers were Tommy Carlton on guitar, bassist Larry Jacoby, ex-BLACKFOOT keyboard player Doug Bare and drummer Liberty De Vito.

Travers touring band presently consists of ex-DORIAN GRAY, MOLLY HATCHET, RICK DERRINGER bassist Kevin Rian with FLORIDA OUTBOUND and THE HELTONES drummer Sean 'The Cannon' Shannon. The latter subsequently joined MOLLY HATCHET and Travers band by late 2000 included bassist Rick Navarro and drummer Eric Frates.

Travers would feature as session guest on GLENN HUGHES 2001 album 'Building The Machine', cementing this relationship on the road in North America as a featured artist in the all star 'Voices Of Classic Rock' tour. He would still be active in 2004, scheduled to appear at the Sölvesborg 'Sweden Rock' festival that June. As a renewed focus was put on the guitarist the British label Majestic Rock re-issued a remastered crop of his classic Polydor albums. Travers announced the foundation of a new band project in union with drummer CARMINE APPICE, a veteran of VANILLA FUDGE and OZZY OSBOURNE amongst many others, and VANILLA FUDGE touring bassist TM Stevens. This band would initially go by the title of TNA ('Travers n' Appice') until just days after this announcement another band was discovered with the same name. The project switched to simply TRAVERS & APPICE for the album 'It Takes A Lot Of Balls'.

February 2010 saw the inclusion of Traver's 'Makin' Magic / Makes No Difference' included on the Swedish MOUNTAIN OF POWER album 'Volume 2'.