Lone Star -

Lone Star was the Welsh hard-rock band behind the 1976/77 CBS/Columbia albums Lone Star and Firing on All Six.

Members: Pete Hurley (bass), Tony Smith (guitar, 1975-78), Dixie Lee (drums, 1975-78), Rik Worsnop (keyboards, 1975-78), Paul Chapman (guitar, 1975-78), Kenny Driscoll (vocals, 1975-77, 1979), John Sloman (vocals, 1977-78)

Inception

Lone Star coalesced in May 1975 as an outgrowth of Iona, a Cardiff rock band with singer Kenny Driscoll and guitarist Tony Smith.

Lone Star

Lone Star released their self-titled debut album in 1976 on CBS.

The album presents a fusion of hard rock power and symphonic refinement, balancing heavy twin-guitar interplay with keyboard textures in the style of contemporaries Queen, Styx, and Rush. Produced by Roy Thomas Baker, Lone Star showcases the Welsh sextet’s balance of elaborate arrangements and strident delvery, with dramatic vocals from Kenny Driscoll and polished ensemble precision.

The lineup features vocalist Kenny Driscoll, lead guitarists Paul Chapman and Tony Smith, keyboardist Rick Worsnop, bassist Peter Hurley, and drummer Dixie Lee. Chapman—soon to join UFO—anchors the album’s guitar sound with Smith, while Worsnop’s synthesizer layers add color and dynamics to the group’s rhythm-heavy foundation.

Bassist Hurley and Driscoll wrote six of the seven songs. The lone outside number is an extended version of The Beatles’ “She Said She Said,” treated with new verses and instrumental passages in the manner of Yes’s adaptation of “America.”

The album opens with that cover, transforming the 1966 Lennon–McCartney piece into an eight-minute suite marked by rhythmic shifts, soaring vocal harmonies, and extended interplay between bass and drums. “Lonely Soldier” follows as a dramatic antiwar piece, while “Flying in the Reel” offers brisk rock momentum with layered guitars and multi-part backing vocals. On side two, “Spaceships,” “A New Day,” and “A Million Stars” form a continuous arc of progressive hard rock, uniting Worsnop’s keyboard embellishments with Chapman and Smith’s counterpoint leads. “Illusions” closes the set with Driscoll’s solitary voice over an echoing guitar motif that fades into the sound of the sea.

A1. “She Said She Said” (8:30) — originated on Revolver (1966) by The Beatles, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney; Lone Star extends the original with added verses and instrumental sections.
A2. “Lonely Soldier” (5:09)
A3. “Flying in the Reel” (4:58)

B1. “Spaceships” (6:45)
B2. “A New Day” (5:15)
B3. “A Million Stars” (3:50)
B4. “Illusions” (3:14)

Sessions occurred at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen with producer Roy Thomas Baker and engineers Freddy Hansson and Gary Lyons. Mixing took place at Sarm Studios, London, and mastering at Sterling Sound, New York, by George Marino. Baker producer Lone Star in sequence with albums by Be-Bop Deluxe (Futurama), Jet, and Pilot.

The album design by Roslav Szaybo features a metallic star emblem and the band’s angular logo (co-designed by Les May), aligning with the futuristic theme suggested by the title and music.

CBS promoted Lone Star with “Spaceships” (b/w “A New Day”), followed by “She Said She Said.” The album drew attention in the UK for its ornate production and the group’s musicianship, establishing Lone Star as a major Welsh contender in the era’s art-oriented hard rock scene.

Firing on All Six

Lone Star released their second album, Firing on All Six, in August 1977 on CBS.

The album marks a lineup change with the arrival of singer John Sloman, who replaced founding vocalist Kenny Driscoll. His high, dramatic delivery reshaped Lone Star’s sound into a more flamboyant hybrid of heavy rock and late-’70s pomp, still anchored by the twin guitars of Paul Chapman and Tony Smith and the fluid rhythm section of bassist Pete Hurley and drummer Dixie Lee. Keyboardist Rik Worsnop expanded the group’s tonal range with sweeping synthesizer passages and electric piano textures that lent a more expansive atmosphere to the band’s compositions.

Songwriting on Firing on All Six was a collective effort by the group, with guitarist Chapman, bassist Hurley, drummer Lee, keyboardist Worsnop, and guitarist Smith credited on all eight tracks. Two numbers — “The Bells of Berlin” and “Hypnotic Mover” — date from sessions with Driscoll, who retains co-writing credit.

“The Bells of Berlin” opens the album on an epic scale with overlapping vocal harmonies, deep drum resonance, and a rising synth solo that underscores the track’s cinematic tension. “The Ballad of Crafty Jack” follows with a brisk, Western-tinged rhythm and honky-tonk piano. “Time Lays Down” and “Rivers Overflowing” explore the band’s funk-inflected side through syncopated bass and staccato guitar figures, while “Lovely Lubina” presents a swaggering character sketch of a streetwise woman.

“Seasons in Your Eyes,” arranged and conducted by Jeff Wayne, serves as the album’s reflective centerpiece — a stately ballad framed by electric piano and strings. “All of Us to All of You” closes the set with rallying choruses and twin-guitar interplay reminiscent of Deep Purple’s Burn era.

A1. “The Bells of Berlin” (6:57)
A2. “The Ballad of Crafty Jack” (3:41)
A3. “Time Lays Down” (4:50)
A4. “Hypnotic Mover” (4:28)

B1. “Lovely Lubina” (3:35)
B2. “Seasons in Your Eyes” (4:15)
B3. “Rivers Overflowing” (4:56)
B4. “All of Us to All of You” (4:54)

Sessions occurred at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen with producer and engineer Gary Lyons, who previously engineered Lone Star’s debut under Roy Thomas Baker. The album was mastered at Utopia Studios in London. Wayne, who produced the 1976 David Essex opus Out On the Street, subsequently masterminded the all-star rock-opera adaptation of The War of the Worlds.

Firing on All Six appeared in a silver reflective sleeve designed by Les May and Simon Cantwell for Shorewood Packaging.

CBS promoted the album with “The Bells of Berlin,” which received modest radio play and was the group’s best-known track.

Riding High (The Unreleased Third Album)

In 1978, Lone Star recorded a third album that went unreleased until 1999 when archivists Zoom Club issued the contents as Riding High.

Guitarist Paul Chapman and vocalist John Sloman steer the sessions, backed by Pete Hurley on bass, Dixie Lee on drums, and Rik Worsnop on keyboards.

Chapman wrote or co-wrote the majority of the material, contributing riffs and compositional structure across the ten tracks. Sloman delivers expressive, forceful vocals throughout, while Hurley and Lee underpin the tracks with taut rhythm. Chapman co-wrote select tracks with Hurley and Worsnop, blending layered guitar textures with organ and piano.

Songs alternate between riff-driven rockers like “Skytrain” and “Miss Demeaner” and more contemplative numbers such as “Riding High” and “Longer in the Night.” “The Writings on the Wall” and “The Fool’s Gold” combine extended guitar passages with keyboard flourishes, while “Travelling Man” and “Painted Face” explore slower, moodier dynamics. Chapman’s guitar dominates with sharp turns and sustained arcs, punctuated by Worsnop’s subtle piano and organ textures.

A1. “Skytrain”
A2. “The Writings on the Wall”
A3. “One for the Money”
A4. “Miss Demeaner”
A5. “The Fool’s Gold”
B1. “Riding High”
B2. “Can I Live the Night”
B3. “Travelling Man”
B4. “Painted Face”
B5. “Longer in the Night”

Sessions occurred in Pontllanffraith, South Wales, between January and August 1978 with production handled by Lone Star. Crusoe mastered the recordings.

The posthumous release preserves a snapshot of Lone Star’s late-70s sound, emphasizing Chapman’s agile guitar work and the band’s cohesive hard rock attack, finally presenting the ten tracks that remained shelved for over two decades.

Discography: