Drive was a five-piece progressive, power metal band formed on the northside of Houston, Texas by Rick Chavez. They released two albums, Characters In Time (1988) and Diablero (1992).
The band initially came together in the early 1980’s when its original members were barely out of high school. After making a name for themselves in their home state of Texas they made the move to Los Angeles, CA which was quickly becoming the epicenter of the rock music scene. The band took to the World Famous Sunset Strip and quickly made a name for themselves and signed on with Rob Gordon and Vince Hans of LA’s Flash Management. After winning a radio contest with their song “I Need The Nights,” Drive landed on the KNAC Radio Best Of The West compilation released by Rampage Records, the hard rock division of Rhino Records.
Impressed with their intelligent, thought-provoking lyrics and signature sound, Rampage Records executive Bob Cahill signed the band, and in July 1988 Drive released their debut LP, Characters In Time. The album received rave reviews from the industry’s hard rock press, including the coveted 5 “K” rating from Kerrang! Magazine. The album also received airplay from hard rock stations around the country as the band toured across the USA.
At the beginning of the next decade, Zoo Records’ Lou Maglia made the Rampage owners an offer they couldn’t refuse and purchased the band’s contract. In 1992 Drive released the sonically advanced Diablero on Zoo Records. Sadly, a shake-up at the label along with the dawn of the metal-killing “grunge” scene left the album without much of a push, and although Chavez had already written and recorded demo tapes for what was to be the bands third album, title IDEFI, recording was put on hold and the band members moved back to Texas.
On June 30, 2009 vocalist David Taylor passed away after a fatal car accident on a San Antonio Interstate.
On February 25, 2017 founder, guitarist and songwriter Rick Chavez passed from an internal bleed that went undetected until it was too late.
Now, IDEFI, A Tribute to Rick Chavez and David Earl Taylor. The album includes, 15 unreleased songs with both Taylor and Chavez taking the lead on vocals. The bands signature style is intact with a sound that brims with pride, an unrelenting fighting spirit, and fierce determination. Although these songs were recorded over 20 years ago, the intelligent lyrics still resonate today with Taylor's dynamic vocals and a musical backdrop that roars with power and precision.
