Many point to
Billy Squier as early-'80s rock personified -- an era when he and many of his peers tempered hard rock with pop melodicism -- and by adding just the right amount of posing and posturing for the newly constructed MTV set, he scored a string of arena rock anthems and power ballads. But
Squier did not enjoy overnight success as it took many years and several failed bands before he hit paydirt as a solo artist. Born on May 12, 1950, in Wellesley Hills, MA,
Squier began playing piano and guitar at an early age, but didn't become serious with music until discovering
Eric Clapton (via the renowned British guitarist's stints with
John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers and
Cream) in the late '60s and deciding to pursue music full-time. After playing in several local bands in the Boston area,
Squier spent the early '70s relocating back and forth between Boston and New York City, during which time he contributed to a troupe that combined music with poetry (called Magic Terry & the Universe), attended the Berklee College of Music, and played in a pair of rock groups (N.Y.C.'s Kicks, which included future
New York Dolls drummer
Jerry Nolan, and Boston's
the Sidewinders).
But it wasn't until
Squier's next band,
Piper, that the singer/guitarist fronted a group that inked a recording contract, issuing a pair of underappreciated albums for A&M (1976's self-titled debut and 1977's
Can't Wait), before splitting up. Undeterred,
Squier soldiered on as a solo act, issuing his solo debut,
Tale of the Tape, in 1980, which spawned a moderate rock radio hit with "You Should Be High Love," setting the stage perfectly for his big commercial breakthrough. Looking to the bombastic rock of early
Led Zeppelin for inspiration,
Squier's sophomore release,
Don't Say No, became a monster hit on the strength of the
Zep carbon copy "The Stroke," as well as such other rock radio staples as "In the Dark," "My Kinda Lover," and "Lonely Is the Night," all of which enjoyed heavy rotation on the newly founded MTV, helping
Squier expand his audience even further.
Squier's hit parade continued with 1982's
Emotions in Motion, another big release that spawned an additional monster radio/MTV hit with "Everybody Wants You," as
Squier supported the album with a tour of U.S. arenas (with an up-and-coming
Def Leppard opening). But on his next release, the 1984
Jim Steinman-produced
Signs of Life,
Squier hit a snag in his career. Although the album was another sizeable U.S. hit, the video for the album's single, "Rock Me Tonite," alienated some of
Squier's hardcore rock following, as the singer was filmed flamboyantly prancing around his apartment in time to the music (and in a moment of great delight, ripping off his shirt) -- resulting in the clip often being considered one of the most inadvertently hilarious videos of all time.
Squier continued to issue albums throughout the '80s (including such titles as 1986's
Enough Is Enough and 1989's
Hear & Now), but it wasn't enough to prevent his audience from moving on to such younger, similarly styled acts as
Bon Jovi and
Mötley Crüe, as the hits eventually dried up.
Squier continued to release albums in the '90s (1991's
Creatures of Habit, 1993's
Tell the Truth, and 1998's
Happy Blue), but the hard rock audience, who became more interested in such unpretentious rockers as
Nirvana, had deemed the majority of '80s rockers passé. . ~ Greg Prato