GRAND SLAM was borne out of THIN LIZZY driving force PHIL LYNOTT's attempts to resurrect his former act. THIN LIZZY undertook a short batch of Swedish dates during late 1983, after THIN LIZZY's official dissolution. The line-up for this tour was Lynott, drummer Brian Downey, guitarist JOHN SYKES together with MAGNUM keyboard player Mark Stanway and guitarist Doish Nagle.

With Sykes departing for WHITESNAKE, Lynott formed GRAND SLAM adding ex-STAMPEDE, LAUTREC and WILD HORSES guitarist Laurence Archer. The band undertook an Irish tour in 1984 although Downey quit in May 1984 to become a teacher and was replaced by ex-AUTO DE FAE man Robbie Brennan.

Archer and Lynott recorded sessions in America with HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS, including tracks which were later to gain Lynott a solo deal with Polydor Records, but once back in Britain GRAND SLAM split in early 1985 after inexplicably failing to find a deal. Although GRAND SLAM had swiftly gathered an ardent following and many believed the band's material to have been some of Lynott's strongest to date, his career record of substance abuse is generally believed to explain the reasoning behind the group's fruitless struggle to attain a deal.

Following the band's demise Lynott reunited with former THIN LIZZY guitarist GARY MOORE to record the successful 'Out In The Fields' single, putting the man straight back into the UK charts. The B side to this record featured the GRAND SLAM track 'Military Man'. Sadly, Lynott died of complications related to a drug overdose on 4 January 1986, having played his last gig at the Marquee a month earlier.

In 1986 LAURENCE ARCHER cut a solo album for Japanese release entitled 'L.A.'. This set featured his former band colleague Mark Stanway alongside Gary Liedermann on bass and Zak Starkey, son of THE BEATLES Ringo Starr, on drums. 

Doish Nagle and Brian Downey participated in the 1991 'Evening of THIN LIZZY music' concerts. Meantime, whilst their former GRAND SLAM colleague Archer founded the short-lived L.A. SECRETS and then joined up with Danny Peyronel's Spanish based outfit TARZEN in 1986 before joining UFO in the early 90s. Stanway had long since returned to MAGNUM. Archer was to successfully take legal action when a THIN LIZZY tribute single 'Dedication' was later released, proving it was in fact a GRAND SLAM demo co-written by Archer.

Much to fans relief a lavish box set of GRAND SLAM recordings emerged in September of 2002, issued through the Zoom Club label. Compiled from tapes assembled by Mark Stanway 'The Studio Sessions' collected together all the known GRAND SLAM sessions. The Majestic Rock label dug out some worthy live gems the following year dubbed 'Twilight's Last Gleaming - The Last Of Grand Slam', this release being compiled predominantly from the band's London's Marquee club on December 4th 1984.