Biography
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Years Active
1977 – 2005 (28 years)
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Founded In
Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States
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Members
- Phil Seymour
- Ron Flynt
20/20 was formed in Tulsa, OK by high school friends Steve Allen (guitar, vocals) and Ron Flynt (bass, vocals). They're known today as a popular power pop band, preceding as well as being a part of the late 70s power pop boom among bands such as Cheap Trick, The Knack, and The Records. Tracks "Cheri" and "Yellow Pills" have been included in several multi-artist power pop collections, with the 'Yellow Pills' title becoming a sort of underground shorthand for the scene.
The band relocated to Los Angeles in 1977, adding Mike Gallo on drums, and they began playing local clubs. Greg Shaw, the head of 'Bomp! Records', felt impressed with their driving rock music and signed them to his label in 1978. The resulting single, "Under the Freeway", created enough interest in the band to secure a deal with Portrait Records, receiving interest for their bubblegum pop like take on the piano rock of the era.
20/20 added keyboardist Chris Silagyi and recorded their first full LP, '20/20'. Song "Cheri" saw some minor regional success due to their tuneful power pop sound, but the album was virtually ignored apart from critical acclaim. The follow-up, 'Look Out!' (1981), was equally strong in terms of talent but again failed. The band was dropped by Portrait in 1982 and effectively disbanded. They returned in 1982 with the independently released 'Sex Trap', but, by this time, their sound seemed out of style and the band finally called it quits.
A revived interest in the genre in the 90s inspired the band to reunite, contributing a few new songs to Big Deal's 'Yellow Pills' compilations. The group even recorded a new album, '4 Day Tornado', in the fall of 1995 on Oglio Records. 20/20 returned once again in August of 1998 with 'Interstate', but they called it quits soon afterwards.
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