(Oct 4/07) Rik Emmett, former member of legendary Canadian rock band TRIUMPH tells KayvonTV.com that band reunion is in the works at the 2007 Bell Celebrity Gala in Toronto. Triumph is a Canadian heavy metal band that was popular in the late 1970s through the 1980s. Eight of the band's albums were certified gold or higher, and Triumph was nominated for multiple Juno Awards, including Group of the Year Award in 1979, 1985, 1986 and 1987. The band was formed by Toronto music veterans Gil Moore (drums, vocals) and Mike Levine (bass, keyboards, producer), after meeting guitarist, singer, songwriter Rik Emmett in a manager's office in Toronto in 1975. Triumph's first record deal was signed with Attic Records in Canada. They later signed with RCA Records in the US covering all areas except Canada. After the RCA deal ended in acrimony, MCA Records picked up the band and re-released all their music to date in 1984. After the shift to MCA, the band began to work with outside producers, and their studio albums became increasingly difficult to replicate onstage. Rather than following the sequencer-laden path taken by Rush to remain a true power trio, Triumph later added Rick Santers, a Toronto guitarist, keyboardist, to support their last three tours. Triumph's first album (originally self-titled but later renamed In the Beginning) was extremely rare outside Canada, but their widely released second LP, Rock & Roll Machine, received some scattered airplay with Gil Moore's cover of Joe Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way". Incidentally, Rik Emmett's name was originally spelled Rick, but he changed it after it was misspelled on their first album as Rik. Triumph's third album, ‎Just a Game, featured a minor US radio hit, "Hold On", which reached the Top 40.[4] Their 1979 album eventually went gold in the US, their first glimmer of stardom. Both 1981s Allied Forces and 1983s Never Surrender attained gold record status in the United States[5]. Triumph also began releasing a string of moderate hit singles in the early 1980s. Allied Forces eventually sold over a million copies in the U.S.[6] Thunder Seven debuted on compact disc in late 1984, which stands as a misjudgement of the then-new technology's viability: Triumph's seventh album emerged at a time where relatively few could afford CD players. Despite two hit singles and videos, Gil Moore's "Spellbound" and "Follow Your Heart," the album failed to achieve expected levels, even though cassette and vinyl copies were soon released. In 1987, the band attempted a return to form with Surveillance. While Gil Moore and Mike Levine remained firmly planted in blues-rock, Rik Emmett took more of a modern progressive turn, even involving Dixie Dregs and Kansas guitarist Steve Morse. They collaborated on a dual-guitar solo for Gil Moore's angst-ridden "Headed for Nowhere." But the album's lead single, "Long Time Gone," vanished without a trace on most US radio with the possible exception of Texas (historically their strongest American market) where "On and On" ended up being the most frequently spun track. The ballad "Let the Light (Shine on Me)" only charted in Canada. The 1988 tour concluded amid growing disharmony over writing credits and artistic direction; however, their final concert on September 3, 1988 was a refreshing, clutter-free, spirited show on the Kingswood stage at Canada's Wonderland, just north of Toronto. In late 1988, Rik Emmett made a total break with Triumph, a costly move resulting from a long-standing agreement that if any one of the trio left, they would leave with only one ninth interest. He subsequently began a modest but distinguished solo career, with his first album, Absolutely, yielding four hits in Canada. Meanwhile, Triumph released 1989s Classics as their obligatory fifth album owed to MCA Records. In 1992, the remaining members of Triumph recruited Phil Xenidis, a Canadian guitarist known for his work with Aldo Nova and Frozen Ghost. Gil Moore remained the principal songwriter and lead vocalist for 1992s Edge of Excess, with additional help from guitarist-producer Mladen. Rick Santers also remained on hand as touring keyboardist, vocalist for the 1993 North American tour; he took over Rik Emmett's vocal spot in concert, singing fan favourites "Magic Power" and "Fight the Good Fight." Unfortunately, Triumph's comeback album proved to be a lackluster collection of rockers and ballads that lacked something of the melodic veneer of their earliest albums. Nevertheless, initial reception from American radio seemed quite favourable, until Triumph's recording label, a subsidiary of Polygram, dissolved unexpectedly in 1993. After this downturn, the remaining members of Triumph effectively disbanded.

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2. Vince D says:

   January 27, 2009 at 9:26 pm

   Blinding Light show, man!!!

   Gotta get some tickets.

   Have you seen this video

   http://video.google.ca/videosearch?q=persephonies+bees+home&hl=en&emb=0&aq=f#

   Reply
3. DickRichie says:

   October 8, 2007 at 8:44 pm

   Your a natural on the red carpet Kayvon. Way to scoop a story! lovin’ your channel.

   Reply
4. LuckyLisa says:

   October 8, 2007 at 12:16 am

   Triumph back together? Fight the good fight to be alive again? The best fuckin music news I’ve heard in a decade!

   Reply
5. StevieB says:

   October 7, 2007 at 10:31 pm

   I have waited almost 20 years to hear word that Triumph would reunited. Thank you for this video.

   Reply
6. Rob Messer says:

   October 5, 2007 at 10:03 pm

   ounds good,I would love to do a photo shoot of them,if they come to BC maybe.look at my photos of Mouthfullofbees on my web.www.westkphotos.com and tell me what you think .

   Reply
7. heidi says:

   October 5, 2007 at 3:44 pm

   That would really be something!!

   Reply
8. badabing says:

   October 5, 2007 at 1:24 pm

   I would be first inline to get tickets to a Triumph reunion. Allied Forces is the best Canadian rock album ever.

   Reply