Autograph

Turn Up the Radio

The band rose to prominence as an opening act for Van Halen on their 1984 tour, an act of distinction for an unsigned band. Autograph was signed to a deal with RCA Records following a performance at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1984.

The band’s debut album, Sign in Please, was completed and released in October of that year, but did not make any impact on the record charts until January of 1985. This album contained the band’s only major hit and signature song, "Turn Up the Radio". The song became a top-30 hit, pushing the album sales of Sign In Please past the gold mark (500.000 copies sold), and later the album went platinum. Labeled as a hair band, or glam rock, Autograph had the classic rock band looks from the 80s with big hair and cut off sleeves. The above video took advantage of lasers and at a futuristic setting.

A second album, That's the Stuff, saw its release in 1985, and the group went on tour in support of bands like Mötley Crüe and Heart. The record was a disappointment (Peaking at #92 in the Billboard album charts), but the record still achieved gold status, supported by the single, "Blondes in Black Cars." The band remained at RCA to record a third record, Loud and Clear, but due to poor support from the label (RCA), the album was not a big success. The band left the label and called it quits soon after.

In 1997, lead vocalist Steve Plunkett would release an album of previously unreleased Autograph material titled Missing Pieces. This CD was well received-by fans, and Plunkett would resurrect the name Autograph with a new lineup in 2002, and the group would release a new album, Buzz, the following spring.

Turn Up The Radio appeared in the 2002 videogame Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, playing on Rock station V-Rock.

Original Band Members
Lead Vocals: Steve Plunkett
Guitars: Steve Lynch
Bass: Randy Rand (born Randy Schuchart)
Keyboards: Steve Isham
Drums: Keni Richards

Discography
Sign in Please - 1984
That’s the Stuff - 1985
Loud and Clear - 1987
Missing Pieces - 1997
Buzz - 2003
More Missing Pieces - 2003

VH1 Profile