Toseland

Double World Superbike champion James Toseland rose from the ashes of a career-defeating wrist injury to pursue his other main passion in life, hard rock. After stepping away from the race track, Toseland began assembling a band, featuring himself as vocalist and keyboard player, Zarub Melua -- brother of Toseland's wife Katie Melua -- and Ed Bramford on guitars, Roger Davis on bass, Matt Eldridge on drums, and Toby Jepson (the Answer, Virgin Marys, Little Angels) as co-manager and producer. In 2013, they released their debut album Renegade to critical acclaim, gaining them a much larger fan base in the process. After their debut release, the demand for live shows greatly increased, meaning that Matt Eldridge -- who had recently become a father -- couldn't commit to touring schedules; ultimately, he was replaced by Joe Yoshida. The band played in support slots for Aerosmith, Status Quo, Little Angels, and Reef. They also hit the U.K. rock festival trail, with appearances at Download, The Isle of Wight Festival, and Planet Rockstock. After the dust had settled from their busy live schedule, they re-entered the studio to work on album number two. The resulting record, Cradle the Rage, saw release in early 2016. ~ Liam Martin, Rovi