Point Blank is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 rock and roll

Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...

 band hailing from Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

. The band formed in 1974 and recorded six album

Album

An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

s between 1976 and 1982. Garnering occasional airplay on AOR

Album-oriented rock

Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...

 radio stations, the band is best known for their 1981 hit single

Hit single

A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...

, "Nicole".

History

The band was discovered and managed by Bill Ham

Bill Ham

Bill Ham was the manager, producer, and image-maker of ZZ Top, from its inception in late 1969 until September 2006.-Career:...

's Lone Wolf Productions (ZZ Top

ZZ Top

ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...

, Eric Johnson

Eric Johnson

Eric Johnson is an American guitarist. Though he is best known for his success in the instrumental rock format, Johnson regularly incorporates jazz, fusion, gospel and country and western music into his recordings...

). Point Blank's sound is rooted in southern rock

Southern rock

Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music, and genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitar and vocals...

 and boogie

Boogie

Boogie is a repetitive, swung note or shuffle rhythm, "groove" or pattern used in blues which was originally played on the piano in boogie-woogie music. The characteristic rhythm and feel of the boogie was then adapted to guitar, double bass, and other instruments. The earliest recorded...

, but drifted towards hard rock

Hard rock

Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...

 and mainstream AOR

Album-oriented rock

Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...

 by the early 1980s. In 1981 they released their fourth album, American Exce$$, which included the song "Nicole". With strong air-play on AOR radio stations the track reached #20 on Billboard Magazine's Rock Tracks

Mainstream Rock Tracks

Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...

 chart. Subsequently, "Nicole" was also released as a 45 RPM single and peaked inside the Top 40, at #39 on Billboard's Hot 100. In their heyday, they were known for their relentless touring, sometimes playing more than 200 shows per year. In 1982 the band broke up.

The band's core members reunited for a benefit concert in 2005. After that, they continued touring and in late 2009, Point Blank released their first studio album in 27 years: Fight On!. Bassist Phillip Petty died from cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

 on June 7, 2010. Guitarist Kim Davis died on October 18, 2010 (born October 6, 1952).

New bassist from the 2010 is Kirk Powers (born November 24, 1957) (ex-American Tears).

Discography

• Point Blank
  Point Blank (1976 album)
  Point Blank is the title of the first album by southern rock group Point Blank.-Track listing:#"Free Man" - 5:07#"Moving" - 2:55#"Wandering" - 5:17#"Bad Bees" - 2:30#"That's The Law" - 3:40#"Lonestar Fool" - 4:17#"Distance" - 5:12...
  
  (Arista) 1976 - includes "That's the Law", and "Distance"
• Second Season (Arista) 1977 - includes "Stars and Scars" and cover of Bob Seger
  Bob Seger
  Robert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
  
  's "Beautiful Loser"
• Airplay (MCA) 1979 - includes "Mean to Your Queenie"
• The Hard Way (MCA) 1980, - includes cover of Deep Purple
  Deep Purple
  Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
  
  's "Highway Star"
• American Exce$$ (MCA) 1981 - includes "Nicole" and "Let Me Stay with You Tonight"
• On a Roll (MCA) 1982 - includes "On a Roll", "Great White Line", and "Gone Hollywood"
• Reloaded (Dixiefrog) 2007 - Live album recorded in 2005
• Fight On! (Dixiefrog) 2009 - first studio album in 27 years

Members

• Bold = Original members
• Italics = Past members that joined

1976

• Rusty Burns - Guitar
• Kim Davis - Guitar
• John O'Daniel - Vocals
• Buzzy Gruen - Drums
• Phillip Petty - Bass

1979

• Rusty Burns - Guitar
• Kim Davis - Guitar
• John O'Daniel - Vocals
• Buzzy Gruen - Drums
• Steve Hardin
  Steve Hardin
  Steve Hardin is an American songwriter, keyboardist, and harmonica and clavinet player. He is probably best known as the writer of top-ten country hits "I Love My Truck" and "Breakin' Down" , although his diverse career has included performing tours with Point Blank, Glen Campbell and...
  
  - Keyboards
• Bill Randolph - Bass

1980

• Rusty Burns - Guitar
• Kim Davis - Guitar
• John O'Daniel - Vocals
• Buzzy Gruen - Drums
• Bill Randolph - Bass
• Karl Berkebile - Keyboards
• Shannon Day - Keyboards

1981

• Rusty Burns - Guitar
• Kim Davis - Guitar
• Buzzy Gruen - Drums
• Bill Randolph - Bass
• Bubba Keith - Vocals
• Mike Hamilton - keyboards

2008

• Rusty Burns - Guitar
• John O'Daniel - Vocals
• Phillip Petty - Bass
• David Crockett - Drums
• Mouse Mayes - Guitar
• Larry Telford - Keyboards

External links

• pointblanksouthernrock.com - Point Blank's Official Website
• The Loss of Kim Davis - The Loss of Kim Davis