* En anglais uniquement
An unabashedly loud and proud hard rock band with a strong
AC/DC influence, Spanish rockers
'77 -- named for a year when they felt rock & roll was in especially great shape -- was formed in 2005 by brothers
Armand Valeta (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) and LG Valeta (lead guitar). The brothers had a hard time finding musicians who embraced their vision, and it wasn't until 2007 that they began playing out regularly, with bassist Raw and drummer Dolphin Riot. After releasing an EP in late 2007,
'77 began making their name as a live act in Europe, and in 2009, they released their self-produced and self-financed debut album,
21st Century Rock. The album was well-received by the European rock press, and in 2010, they were signed by the French heavy metal label Listenable Records, who promptly gave
21st Century Rock an international release.
'77 supported the reissue with extensive touring in Europe and Japan. In 2011, the band dropped their second album, High Decibels, which was produced by
Nicke Andersson of
the Hellacopters, who struck up a friendship with the band when they played some dates in his native Sweden.
Andersson and
Fred Estby shared production duties on
'77's third album, 2013's Maximum Rock 'n' Roll. In 2014, Raw and Dolphin Riot left the band, and the Valeta Brothers recruited a new rhythm section of bassist Guillem Martinez and drummer Andy Cobo. In March 2015,
'77 signed a new record deal with Century Media Records, and in late 2015, the group released their first album for the label,
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us. Martinez dropped out of the lineup in 2017 and was replaced by bassist Dani Martin, a longtime friend of the band. Martin made his recorded debut with
'77 on the 2018 release
Bright Gloom. ~ Mark Deming