NightWing

Following the 1978 breakup of UK band Strife, bassist and vocalist Gordon Rowley assembled Nightwing alongside Alec Johnson on guitar, Eric Percival on guitar, Kenny Newton on keyboards, and Steve Bartley on drums. Their first release arrived in 1980 with Something In The Air, a sweeping AOR record echoing the approach of Styx, Kansas, or Journey. Percival departed soon after the album appeared, leaving the group to continue as a quartet while cutting Black Summer. That effort shifted toward a heavier sound aligned with the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal then dominating the scene. The lineup grew back to five members when vocalist Max Bacon joined for the more unpolished Stand Up And Be Counted. Bacon’s time proved brief before he joined Bronz, and Johnson exited not long afterward. Dave Evans and Glynn Porrino were brought in quickly to handle vocals and guitar, yet their songwriting skills fell short of Johnson’s. As a result, My Kingdom Come marked the lowest point in the band’s creative output. Nightwing’s decline was evident, and they abandoned any further efforts after the lackluster Night Of Mystery, Alive!, Alive!.