Alpha Centauri (2)

Alpha Centauri was formed in Greeley, Colorado, USA in 1971. The three founding members included: Jess Redmon) (lead guitar / vocals ), Randy Thompson (lead vocals/keyboards), and Kurt Smith (drums/vocals ). Garth Hannum (bass guitar), originally from Wyoming, joined the band during the years 1975 through 1979. Except for a brief period when Jess performed and recorded with Canadian musician Chad Allen (of the original Guess Who), Alpha Centauri remained together for 12 years. During this period, the band performed its characteristic “hard driving” rock at various clubs and concert halls throughout the Midwestern US. While most of these gigs were as the main act, the band did open for artists such as Styx and Uriah Heep, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. After gathering a strong following of fans in the US, the band moved to Canada and performed extensively. It was there that the band began to write more and more of its own original material. This culminated with the release in 1977, of their long awaited first album simply entitled ‘Alpha Centauri." With the release of the album came more concerts as well as several radio and television appearances. The highlight of this activity was the Canadian TV special Alpha Centauri In Concert," which was shown in 1978. At this point the band had hopes of entering the UK market, but after problems in management coupled with road burnout," the band returned to their homebase in the US. After an appearance on Denver’s Rock and Roll America," the band continued performing and writing until 1983, when they broke up. Garth Hannum resides in Oklahoma, but the rest of the band continue to live in or near Greeley. All four members continue to be involved in music to varying degrees including the occasional reunion show. The legend of Alpha Centauri can be traced directly back to Derek Oliver. As one of the writers of the "International Encyclopedia of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal", his statement that Alpha Centauri are "The world’s best undiscovered pomp band" started fans scowering the globe for copies of the album.