Bob Walkenhorst,
Steve Phillips (later a member of The Elders),
Jeff Porter,
Rich Ruth,
Pat Tomek,
Michael Bliss (replaced Rich Ruth in 1995).
Missouri has long boasted of being the home of two of America's greatest artists, Mark Twain and Chuck Berry. However, it wasn't until The Rainmakers thundered into the national music spotlight in 1986, had anyone combined the guitar power of Berry with the social wit of Twain into a unique brand of Missouri rock n' roll.
Originally formed in 1983 as a 3-piece bar band known as Steve, Bob, & Rich, these Kansas City rockers became an instant favorite throughout the Midwest. Soon, fans were standing in line to see this trio they described as "energetic," "intense," but most importantly "fun." Within months of finishing their first independent release, Steve, Bob, and Rich had signed a multi-album contract with Polygram Records, added a fourth member, and had changed their name to The Rainmakers.
Heralded as "America's Great Next Band" by Newsweek Magazine, The Rainmakers were soon drenched in critical acclaim. Feature articles in Rolling Stone, CMJ, USA Today and others poured in singing the praises of this hard working Midwest band who provided new life to a traditional rock format.
Critics particularly enjoyed the unique writing style of Bob Walkenhorst, whose talent for choosing unusual and sometimes controversial subjects provided an eye-opening perspective of life, sprinkled with sarcastic humor. The Rainmakers received notoriety for their songs' lyrical content, including Music Connection's award for Lyric Line of the Year: "The generation that would change the world is still looking for its car keys," and in the unlikely source of author Stephen King, who twice quoted lyrics from Rainmakers songs in his best seller The Tommyknockers, and again in his 1991 novel Gerald's Game.
But success did not stop at the U.S. borders, as European countries supported the band increasingly with each new release. The song "Let My People Go-Go" gave the Rainmakers their first Top-20 single on the British charts in early 1987. Critics abroad sang the band's praises, with feature articles in New Musical Express, Kerrang!, Rock Power, etc. Frequently, The Rainmakers could be spotted on European television with live appearances on Top Of The Pops, and The Tube, and video play on MTV Europe.
European concert dates grew in number each year, with The Rainmakers often enjoying headline status on festival bills. Their reputation as an electrifying concert act eventually led to the recording of a live album at a sold-out show in Oslo, Norway for release solely in Scandinavian markets.
In 1990, after four albums, five videos, 500,000+ records sold, and concert dates too numerous to count, The Rainmakers put band business on hold to allow time for their personal lives and agendas. In 1994, the band returned to the studio to record a new album, entitled Flirting With The Universe - an album which achieved GOLD certification in Norway within 2 months of release.
Overwhelmed by the response to Flirting..., The Rainmakers reemerged from the studio in 1996 with Skin. With this effort, Bob Walkenhorst has again proved that no subject matter is too controversial by taking aim at pornography and its societal impact, via his unique perspectives - a Rainmakers trademark. A release, which in true Rainmaker form, is designed to provoke.
In 2011, the Rainmakers reformed and released another album, 25 ON, with bassist Rich Ruth returning to the group in place of Bliss, while long-time guitarist Steve Phillips was replaced by Jeff Porter. On March 5, the band was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame with a ceremony and concert at Liberty Hall in Lawrence, Kansas.
The Rainmakers are: Bob Walkenhorst (Vocals, Guitar); Jeff Porter (Lead Guitar, Vocals); Rich Ruth (Bass, Vocals); Pat Tomek (Drums)
Website
Rainmaker
The Rainmakers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So they became a bunch of bullies
In the Assorted Sizes War
And they sailed around the global block
Looking for some heads to knock
And most of them came home heroes
Heroes in a box
And the people got what they wanted
The rainmaker came to town
And everybody got what they need
The rain came falling down
Cats and dogs and buckets
And the rainmaker sailed away on a flood of relief
The people wanted beauty and prettiness and all
So they stretched and they dressed and they made up
And put mirrors on every wall
Till they all went blind from eyestrain
From the thing they wanted most
Now everybody's so isolated
A good-looking bunch of ghosts
CHORUS
The women just wanted their food to keep
Instant potatoes and rubber meat
The kids just wanted to watch TV
Now the girls can't spell and the boys can't read
The men just wanted a steady job
Now they've got to pay the union mob
And everybody wanted to be free
Laws and rules should keep it that way
Hey hey hey
Everybody wants to be happy
Everybody wants to be warm
And be loved and liked and wanted
And have some kind of home
But getting it is work
And keeping it is tough
But destroying it's the easy bit
We've all got the magic touch
The Rainmakers' song Rainmaker is a poignant commentary on human desires and the lengths people go to achieve them. The lyrics highlight how people crave power and recognition, leading them to become bullies trying to assert their dominance in the Assorted Sizes War. The imagery used in the line "sailed around the global block looking for some heads to knock" portrays a sense of aggression and violence. However, these people come back as heroes in a box, which signifies that the price of glory is often high and sometimes at the cost of one's own life.
The song proceeds to paint a contrasting image of people who want beauty, prettiness, and all the material things they can desire. However, the line "till they all went blind from eyestrain from the thing they wanted most" metaphorically showcases how people lose their perspective in the pursuit of desires, which traps them into a cycle of superficiality. The chorus of the song brushes off the dichotomy that is set through the verses and ends on a hopeful note, calling upon the Rainmaker to provide nourishment to the starving and bring relief through the flood.
Overall, the Rainmaker evokes the idea that human beings are looking for happiness and comfort but in the process of achieving it, they often lose the essence of being human. The song points out how desires can lead us astray and we need to be mindful of the price we might end up paying for fulfilling them.
Line by Line Meaning
The people wanted power and reputation galore
The people desired great power and reputation
So they became a bunch of bullies
The people became aggressive and used force to achieve their goals
In the Assorted Sizes War
The conflict was fought by people of different sizes
And they sailed around the global block
They traveled around the world
Looking for some heads to knock
They were searching for someone to intimidate or harm
And most of them came home heroes
Many of them returned as celebrated figures
Heroes in a box
Their actions were limited by established social norms
And the rainmaker came to town
A person who could bring rain to a drought-stricken area arrived
And the people got what they wanted
The people received the rain they desired
The rainmaker came to town
The person who made rain arrive was present
And everybody got what they need
Everyone obtained the necessary rainfall
The rain came falling down
Precipitation descended from the sky
Cats and dogs and buckets
There was a significant amount of rainfall
And the rainmaker sailed away on a flood of relief
The rainmaker left, having provided relief to the people
The people wanted beauty and prettiness and all
The people desired beauty and aesthetic qualities
So they stretched and they dressed and they made up
They expended considerable effort on enhancing their appearance
And put mirrors on every wall
They installed reflective surfaces in many locations
Till they all went blind from eyestrain
They looked at themselves so much that their eyes became tired
From the thing they wanted most
Their incessant desire for attractiveness caused them harm
Now everybody's so isolated
The individuals are disconnected and separated from each other
A good-looking bunch of ghosts
The people are physically attractive but lack vitality and substance
The women just wanted their food to keep
The women desired food that would last a long time
Instant potatoes and rubber meat
They ate processed, low-quality food
The kids just wanted to watch TV
The children wanted to watch television programs
Now the girls can't spell and the boys can't read
The children's education has suffered as a result
The men just wanted a steady job
The men desired consistent employment
Now they've got to pay the union mob
They are required to pay union dues
And everybody wanted to be free
The people wished to be independent and unconstrained
Laws and rules should keep it that way
Regulations and limitations should be implemented for that purpose
Hey hey hey
An exclamation used to punctuate the stanza
Everybody wants to be happy
People desire a state of joyfulness
Everybody wants to be warm
People long for a sense of comfort and security
And be loved and liked and wanted
People seek affection and acceptance
And have some kind of home
People desire a safe, familiar space to live in
But getting it is work
Obtaining these things requires effort and dedication
And keeping it is tough
Maintaining these things is difficult
But destroying it's the easy bit
Wrecking these things is much simpler
We've all got the magic touch
All people are capable of causing destruction
Contributed by Kaelyn K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.