Boston is famous for having one of the fastest-selling debut albums, Boston, in rock history. Record sales were driven by three hit singles, 'More Than a Feeling', 'Long Time', and 'Peace of Mind'. The 1978 follow-up, Don't Look Back, was unsurprisingly a number one hit. By the time their 3rd album, Third Stage, was released in 1986, only two members remained, Tom Scholz and Brad Delp. But just as before, the album topped the charts at number one for the third time in the band's history.
Scholz, who earned a masters degree in mechanical engineering from M.I.T, started Boston. He began his career working for Polaroid, but quickly joined a local band with lead guitarist Barry Goudreau. Tom agreed to be the keyboardist, but he learned to play the guitar and took over the band, while picking up vocalist Brad Delp, bassist Fran Sheehan, and drummer John 'Sib' Hashian. Scholz built a 12-track basement studio where they recorded demos of his stylized rock: Epic records signed them as soon as they heard the tapes in 1975.
They released Boston in 1976, a self-titled album with three hit singles. It racked up six million dollars in sales and remained the best-selling debut album in history until Whitney Houston's in 1986. Scholz spent over two years working on the follow-up Don't Look Back. His efforts paid off: the album sold three million copies and acquired a number one title track, but he was unsatisfied with the results of the album and promised to spend more time with the next album. Finally, in 1986, Third Stage was released with original members Scholz and Delp remaining in the band.
Boston did not resurface again until 1994 with Walk On, and Scholz was the only remaining member. Delp and Goudreau had reunited in 1992 to form RTZ, releasing the album Return to Zero. Eight years later, attempting a new angle, Scholz released a single to MP3.com in an effort to target an Internet audience. The song became the site's number one download and the popularity of his album thus increased rapidly. Another change in style was the addition of political lyrics focused on his criticism of Corporate America.
Boston, which might be accurately described as 'Tom Scholz,' has spanned across three decades. The sound associated with the name has changed over the years, but it is still popular enough to sell out venues across the country.
