The Radiators originated on January 28, 1978, when the group held its first rehearsal inside a bandmember's garage. By the close of the 1980s the ensemble ranked among New Orleans' leading rock & roll acts, blending blues, R&B, funk, and rootsy rock & roll into its performances. Keyboardist and vocalist Ed Volker joined forces with guitarist and vocalist Camile Baudoin during the 1960s, while drummer Frank Bua began collaborating with the pair in 1970. Guitarist Dave Malone and bassist Reggie Scanlan performed with various other Crescent City groups before uniting as the Rhapsodizers in the mid-1970s. The musicians adopted the name the Radiators in 1978 and issued their first album, Work Done on Premises, two years afterward on the independent Croaker Records label. Heat Generation appeared in 1982, and by the time percussionist Glenn Sears came aboard in the early 1980s—expanding the lineup to a sextet—the band had cultivated a devoted local audience. Its concerts earned notice for their demanding length, routinely stretching beyond three hours in the manner of the Allman Brothers and Little Feat, and the sets routinely stood out at the yearly New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, helping spread awareness of the group. The Radiators secured a contract with Epic Records in 1987 and delivered Law of the Fish, then followed two years later with Zig-Zaggin' Through Ghostland. After Total Evaporation in 1991, the ensemble put out Snafu 10-31-'91, issued New Dark Ages in 1995, and released Party On in 1996. Activity persisted into the next decade, yielding the self-titled The Radiators in 2001 and Dreaming Out Loud in 2006.
