Artist · chart history
Tora Tora
Band Memphis United States Formed 1985 hard rock band formed in Memphis, TN in 1985
Tora Tora formed in 1985 in Memphis, United States. Tora Tora has 2 chart appearances on 1 radio countdown from 1 station on RockLists, spanning 1990. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Walkin Shoes”, which appears on 1 list with a best position of #538. The station that charted Tora Tora most often is Z-Rock (United States (syndicated network)), with 2 appearances.
Tora Tora started out in Memphis in 1985 as a local garage band called, of all things, Free Beer. The new name came from a list of 60 or 70 options a friend drew up; as singer Anthony Corder and bassist Patrick Francis told Headbangers Ball in 1989, it simply jumped off the page. "Tora" is Japanese for tiger, and the phrase echoes the Imperial Navy's attack signal at Pearl Harbor, though the likelier inspiration is the Van Halen track of the same name from Women and Children First.
Winning a local Battle of the Bands bought them studio time, and they cut an independent EP, To Rock to Roll. Memphis station Rock 98 played the daylights out of two of its songs, "Phantom Rider" and "Love's A Bitch", and A&M Records signed them. Keith Douglas and John Patterson rounded out the lineup.
Surprise Attack, their 1989 debut for A&M, is hard rock with a glam metal edge, and "Phantom Rider" made the trip over from the EP, joined by "Walkin Shoes". It's the sound of a club band that earned its deal the old-fashioned way, one local gig and one radio spin at a time.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by Tora Tora on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walkin Shoes | 1 | #538 | – | – | |
| 2 | Phantom Rider | 1 | #845 | – | – |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
Every countdown appearance
| Year | # | Song | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 538 | Walkin Shoes | Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) |
| 1990 | 845 | Phantom Rider | Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) |
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