As lead guitarist for
Loverboy,
Paul Dean was a member of one of the most successful rock bands of the early '80s. However, it had taken him well over a decade to reach such platinum-selling heights. Born on February 19, 1946, in Canada,
Dean received his first guitar at age 14 and taught himself to play by listening to records with early influences being
Johnny Cash and
the Ventures. Joining his first band not long after,
Dean spent years bouncing from one band to another, before joining
Streetheart in 1977. The band released their debut,
Meanwhile Back in Paris, the next year, but
Dean found himself booted from
Streetheart shortly after its issue.
Introduced to
Mike Reno through his booking agent, the pair, along with ex-
Streetheart keyboard player
Matt Frenette, formed the core of
Loverboy. Signed to CBS quickly after solidifying their full lineup,
Loverboy's self-titled debut became an immediate hit upon its release in early 1981. For most of the '80s,
Loverboy had nothing but success with best-selling albums like
Get Lucky (1982),
Keep It Up (1983), and
Lovin' Every Minute of It (1985), and hit singles like "Working For the Weekend," "Hot Girls in Love," and "This Could Be the Night." When their popularity began to wane following 1987's
Wildside, both
Dean and
Reno announced intentions to do solo projects, putting
Loverboy on hiatus.
Dean issued
Hardcore in early 1989 to critical scorn and commercial indifference. By the late '90s.
Dean had joined up with the reunited
Loverboy and, although they had never respected by critics, they now found their sound to wield less clout with listeners in a musical landscape that had changed greatly. However, as the decade turned,
Loverboy, with
Dean on lead guitar, continued to record and tour.
–
Tom Demalon, Rovi