Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Which Bad Company is your Bad Company?

Original vocalist Paul Rodgers joined Bad Company at this year’s fair.
Original vocalist Paul Rodgers joined Bad Company at this year’s fair.

Would you promote a Van Halen tour with original lead singer David Lee Roth by running radio ads featuring replacement singer Gary Cherone?

That’s what happened with the Bad Company show June 25 at the Del Mar Fair.

Local rock frontman Rik Pedro has fronted a number of bands in Boston and San Diego. He listens to KGB when he works as a painter by day. “I like KGB because Rock 105 plays the same old stuff over and over.... In the commercial, they played, like, two or three Bad Company songs from the Brian Howe era. I couldn’t believe they were advertising Bad Company with Paul Rodgers by using Brian Howe stuff. It blew me away.”

Paul Rodgers sang the leads on all of Bad Company’s biggest hits (“Can’t Get Enough,” “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “Bad Company”), all of which came out in the band’s early years (1974–’75). Rodgers cofounded Bad Company in 1973 and left in 1982. Many published reports say that Rodgers was sought out by Robbie Krieger and Ray Manzarek of the Doors to replace Jim Morrison after his death.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Rodgers rejoined Bad Company cofounders, guitarist Mick Ralphs and drummer Simon Kirke, five years ago, and the three have anchored Bad Company ever since.

Brian Howe fronted the band from 1984 through 1994. Pedro says he saw Howe’s Bad Company 20 years ago.

“I told Brian about this on Facebook,” says Pedro. “He asked me what station it was and if I could get a copy of that commercial.”

“We’ve had other calls on this,” says Steve Green, the Florida-based manager of Brian Howe. “Please see if you can get me a copy of that spot. I’ve heard about it, but I just never actually heard it. If it’s true, it’s completely wrong.”

Green admits that the deceptive ad may not have been the fault of the band. “It happens to us all the time. One of our shows may be billed by the promoter as ‘Bad Company with Brian Howe’ when we told them it should be ‘Brian Howe, formerly of Bad Company.’”

But there is friction between Howe and his former band.

“When Brian was with them, Bad Company had three gold albums and two platinum records. Plus, they had the most successful Bad Company tour ever. When they toured headlining with [Ted Nugent’s] Damn Yankees opening in ’91 and ’92, that tour was one of the top-five grossing tours in both 1991 and 1992, according to Pollstar.”

Green maintains that there are ’70s Bad Company fans who favor Rodgers and ’80s Bad Company fans who prefer Howe. “What I would like to see is at least one show where the two singers could play together. We have offered to do it and give 100 percent to charity. It would be nice if somebody from their side would show some decency and agree to this...maybe there is a reason [Rodgers] wouldn’t want to do this.”

Would that be because Howe would blow Rodgers away? “What other reason would there be? Please tell me.”

Could it be that the employee who makes commercials for KGB is too young to know that Bad Company with Paul Rodgers is not the same as Bad Company with Brian Howe?

Do the people who run KGB not listen to their commercials before they air?

A call to KGB program director Shauna Moran was not returned.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Secrets of Resilience in May's Unforgettable Memoir

Original vocalist Paul Rodgers joined Bad Company at this year’s fair.
Original vocalist Paul Rodgers joined Bad Company at this year’s fair.

Would you promote a Van Halen tour with original lead singer David Lee Roth by running radio ads featuring replacement singer Gary Cherone?

That’s what happened with the Bad Company show June 25 at the Del Mar Fair.

Local rock frontman Rik Pedro has fronted a number of bands in Boston and San Diego. He listens to KGB when he works as a painter by day. “I like KGB because Rock 105 plays the same old stuff over and over.... In the commercial, they played, like, two or three Bad Company songs from the Brian Howe era. I couldn’t believe they were advertising Bad Company with Paul Rodgers by using Brian Howe stuff. It blew me away.”

Paul Rodgers sang the leads on all of Bad Company’s biggest hits (“Can’t Get Enough,” “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “Bad Company”), all of which came out in the band’s early years (1974–’75). Rodgers cofounded Bad Company in 1973 and left in 1982. Many published reports say that Rodgers was sought out by Robbie Krieger and Ray Manzarek of the Doors to replace Jim Morrison after his death.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Rodgers rejoined Bad Company cofounders, guitarist Mick Ralphs and drummer Simon Kirke, five years ago, and the three have anchored Bad Company ever since.

Brian Howe fronted the band from 1984 through 1994. Pedro says he saw Howe’s Bad Company 20 years ago.

“I told Brian about this on Facebook,” says Pedro. “He asked me what station it was and if I could get a copy of that commercial.”

“We’ve had other calls on this,” says Steve Green, the Florida-based manager of Brian Howe. “Please see if you can get me a copy of that spot. I’ve heard about it, but I just never actually heard it. If it’s true, it’s completely wrong.”

Green admits that the deceptive ad may not have been the fault of the band. “It happens to us all the time. One of our shows may be billed by the promoter as ‘Bad Company with Brian Howe’ when we told them it should be ‘Brian Howe, formerly of Bad Company.’”

But there is friction between Howe and his former band.

“When Brian was with them, Bad Company had three gold albums and two platinum records. Plus, they had the most successful Bad Company tour ever. When they toured headlining with [Ted Nugent’s] Damn Yankees opening in ’91 and ’92, that tour was one of the top-five grossing tours in both 1991 and 1992, according to Pollstar.”

Green maintains that there are ’70s Bad Company fans who favor Rodgers and ’80s Bad Company fans who prefer Howe. “What I would like to see is at least one show where the two singers could play together. We have offered to do it and give 100 percent to charity. It would be nice if somebody from their side would show some decency and agree to this...maybe there is a reason [Rodgers] wouldn’t want to do this.”

Would that be because Howe would blow Rodgers away? “What other reason would there be? Please tell me.”

Could it be that the employee who makes commercials for KGB is too young to know that Bad Company with Paul Rodgers is not the same as Bad Company with Brian Howe?

Do the people who run KGB not listen to their commercials before they air?

A call to KGB program director Shauna Moran was not returned.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

3 Tips for Creating a Cozy and Inviting Living Room in San Diego

Next Article

At Comedor Nishi a world of cuisines meet for brunch

A Mexican eatery with Japanese and French influences
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader