[1] Guitarist Brad Gillis and drummer Kelly Keagy have been the band's only constant members, though bassist Jack Blades performed on all but one of their albums.

"[2] After their success waned in the late 1980s, the band split up in 1989, and its members pursued other musical endeavors, including group and solo efforts.

Other critics were even less flattering, with terms such as "poseurs" and "pomp-rockers" put forth in various music guides, but favorable critics, such as Hit Parader, underscored Jack Blades' puppy-dog appeal, which won over female fans, while Gillis and Watson's dueling guitars pleased the same male audience that guitar-driven bands such as Van Halen had already begun to cultivate.

Dawn Patrol's first single, "Don't Tell Me You Love Me", received a boost through its MTV video airplay, and peaked modestly at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Night Ranger's popularity rose sharply with their second album, 1983's Midnight Madness, which pushed the band from opening act to headliner status by the summer of 1984.

[4] According to a later interview with Gillis, "Sister Christian" was actually completed in 1982, but he said the band chose not to release it on Dawn Patrol because they were afraid of losing their hard rock credibility.

In 1985 Night Ranger continued headlining tours in support of their third album 7 Wishes, which followed a very loose concept of the band flying across the ocean in a WWII B-25 Mitchell bomber.

According to a 2001 TNN interview, Blades wrote "Goodbye" in memory of his older brother, James, who had died from a heroin overdose several years before.

"Rumours in the Air" from Midnight Madness appeared on the former, while the latter featured "Wild and Innocent Youth", a rollicking Blades-Keagy composition that has still never been released on a Night Ranger album or compilation.

[11] Big Life featured some fairly mature Blades-Keagy songwriting, including the nuanced fan favorite "Rain Comes Crashing Down", inspired by a stormy California afternoon.

Their label expected another top-10 ballad, like "Sister Christian" or "Sentimental Street", but despite Keagy's passionate vocals, "Hearts Away" failed to catch on, peaking at number 90 on Billboard's Hot 100.

The band embarked on a vigorous series of tour dates across North America and the Caribbean, featuring The Outfield as the opening act.

"I Did It for Love" (written by Russ Ballard) fared poorly, even with a cameo appearance by popular actress Morgan Fairchild in the video.

In 1999, they joined other 1980s bands in the second installment of the Rock Never Stops Tour, which also happened to feature Blades' former Damn Yankees bandmate Ted Nugent.

Hoekstra was also a member of Trans-Siberian Orchestra and performed in the Broadway production of Rock of Ages concurrently with his membership in Night Ranger.

In January 2008, the band played a special show in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for U.S. Navy and Marine troops stationed on the island.

In early 2011, Cullen was replaced by Garaj Mahal keyboardist Eric Levy in time for the recording of the band's new album Somewhere in California.

[15] The song "Growin' Up in California" was released as a single[16] and the band took part in a summer package tour that included Journey and Foreigner.

Night Ranger guitarist Joel Hoekstra also did double duty for a stretch of the tour filling in for Mick Jones of Foreigner on several shows.

On March 25, 2012, they gave an a cappella performance of the Star-Spangled Banner before the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

In late 2012, guitarist Keri Kelli (whose resume includes stints with Alice Cooper, Slash, Skid Row, Vince Neil Band, Ratt, Warrant, L.A.

Hoekstra left the band in August to join Whitesnake alongside former Night Ranger touring guitarist Reb Beach.