It's been long understood since the beginning that guitarist/songwriter/studio wiz Tom Scholz is Boston's undisputed leader. But frontman Brad Delp's instantly recognizable vocal histrionics played an integral part in the group's sound as well. Born on June 12, 1951, in Boston, MA, Delp developed his vocal style by singing regularly at various Boston-area clubs during the early '70s (while working at a factory during the day, making heating coils for Mr. Coffee machines). It was through a mutual friend, guitarist Barry Goudreau, that Delp came to the attention of Scholz, who needed a singer to complete some home demo tapes he was working on at the time. These were the same demos that would land Scholz a recording contract with Epic by the middle of the decade, and when he had to put a "real" band together, Delp was invited to be the group's singer (joining Scholz and Delp were also Goudreau, bassist Fran Sheehan, and drummer Sib Hashian). Boston scored one of rock's all-time best sellers right off the bat with their 1976 self-titled debut, as nearly every single track on the album has subsequently become a rock radio standard ("More Than a Feeling," "Peace of Mind," "Long Time," etc.). A sophomore album, Don't Look Back, was issued two years later, but after its ensuing supporting tour wrapped up, Boston went on hiatus due to a battle with their record company.