Boston Biography

The musical genius behind the band Boston was Tom Scholz, born in 1947 in Toledo, Ohio. Tom began writing music while still attending MIT in pursuit of his master’s degree, and following graduation, he joined a local band as a keyboardist and guitarist. The band became Boston, and Tom’s belief in the band’s success pushed him to built his own recording studio in his home, which became the central location for most of Boston’s earliest recordings.

Alongside Barry Goudreau, Jim Masdea, Brad Delp, Fran Sheehan, and John Hashian, Boston submitted its demos to Epic Records and managed to land a contract in 1975. The group’s debut album, Boston, was released in 1976, and immediately spawned three of the group’s most long-lasting singles: “Long Time,” “More Than a Feeling,” and “Peace of Mind.” The success of the album gave it unique status – at the time, it was the most successful debut of a pop album in American music history.

Don’t Look Back followed in 1978, but Tom Scholz was not pleased with the result; he felt the album had been rushed and it did not meet his artistic standards. As a result, it would be 1986 before the next Boston album would be released, but Third Stage hit the top of the charts. By this time, only Delp and Scholz remained from the original lineup; the other original members of Boston had left the band. Walk On, released in 1994, was received to only moderate success, despite tours and other promotions established to support the album.

Another eight years passed before Boston released a new single in promotion of an upcoming album in 2002. Three years later, however, Boston faced the tragic loss of Brad Delp. A memorial concert for him took place in the summer of 2007, and members of Boston, past and present, performed, including Michael Sweet, Curly Smith, Kimberley Dahme.  In the following year, a new lineup for Boston was announced, which included Tom Scholtz, Michael Sweet, Gary Phil, Dahme, Neal, and Tommy DeCarlo.  In 2011, Michael Sweet left to pursue other ventures with the band Stryper, and David Victor came on board.

Boston continues to perform and record, with the current lineup of Tom Scholz, Gary Pihl, Curly Smith, Jeff Neal, Tommy DeCarlo, Tracy Ferrie, and Beth Cohen. The group’s sixth album—Life, Love & Hope—was released in 2013, in advance of an extensive tour of Japan and the United States. Another North American tour was completed in 2016. Thus far since its inception, Boston has sold over thirty-one million albums in the United States. In addition, Tom Scholtz has also founded Scholz Research & Design, which manufactures music equipment.  Boston continues to move forward well into the new millennium, with plans for future recordings and performances.