In 1981 the world was on the brink of change. Punk had given birth to a new… Read Full Bio ↴In 1981 the world was on the brink of change. Punk had given birth to a new wave of modern music and MTV was ready to launch. All across America, music flowed from the clubs with a energy that had been missing for years. In Portland, Oregon a phenomenon was about to explode. ----- BILLY RANCHER & THE UNREAL GODS ----- THE GREATEST BAND YOU'VE NEVER HEARD ----- ----- Before the Gods played their first gig, they captured the medias attention and were heralded as The Next Big Thing. ----- Early shows were a resounding success. The band exceeded the hype. ----- Billy's songs and the bands presentation drew from the swagger of the Rolling Stones, the modernism of David Bowie propelled by the rhythms of Jamaican SKA and Reggae music. ----- September 81 - 3-months after their debut Billy Rancher was diagnosed with Lymphatic Cancer. ----- October 81 - 30 days after major surgery removing most of his lymph nodes, Billy was back and the band was better than ever. The audiences grew, spreading north to Seattle. ----- August 82 BOOM CHUCK ROCK NOW, The Unreal Gods first album is released. ----- October 82 - The band travels to the East Coast, recording at New Yorks legendary Power Station studios. ----- February 83 The band films its first video in Los Angeles for the song, POLICE TOLD ME. ----- August 83 Arista Records President Clive Davis flies to Portland to catch the Gods in front of a sold-out hometown audience. Billy Rancher is signed to Arista. ----- July 84 Billy and the band travels to Los Angeles to record their first release for Arista. During recording, Billy falls ill and is diagnosed with a relapse of the cancer he had beat 2-years earlier. Production is put on hold. ----- February 85 The Unreal Gods play their last show. Tore apart under the weight of Billys illness and the whirlwind pace of 200 plus shows a year, over 100 original songs and general craziness of life on and off the road, the Gods disband. ----- December 2nd 1986 Billy Rancher succumbs to the cancer he fought so bravely against. ----- BILLY RANCHER & THE UNREAL GODS THE LAST OF THE ROCKERS!
From www.myspace.com/Billyrancher