Boston

Band

Photo: Premier Talent Associates · Public domain
Active 1976-present
Origin Boston, Massachusetts
Albums 6
Tracks 58
Most frequent collaborator David Sikes · 11 tracks
Genres Hard RockArena RockClassic Rock
Artist
93%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 54 of 58 tracks

Who writes Boston's songs?

Tom Scholz writes or co-writes nearly all of Boston's material and is the band's chief songwriter and composer. He also produces the recordings and plays most of the instruments himself. Brad Delp co-wrote some songs but the core catalog is Scholz's.

By the Numbers

6
Studio Albums
58
Tracks Credited
93%
Self-Written
75 million+
Records Sold
50
Years Active
29
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 54 / 58 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 58 tracks: how many Boston wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Boston has a writing credit93%
76%
17%
7%
Sole author44tracks76%
Co-written10tracks17%
Outside writers4tracks7%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Boston's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 58 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)93%
Composer (music)93%
Producer100%
Performer100%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 58 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
Tom Scholz 1975-present
88%
88%
100%
100%
Brad Delp Former 1975-1990, 1994-2007
14%
10%
0%
59%
Barry Goudreau Former 1975-1981
0%
0%
0%
28%
Fran Sheehan Former 1975-1983
2%
2%
0%
26%
Sib Hashian Former 1975-1983
0%
0%
0%
31%
Gary Pihl 1985-present
0%
0%
0%
21%
Fran Cosmo Former 1992-2006
0%
0%
0%
22%
Jim Masdea Former 1969-1975, 1986
2%
2%
0%
14%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Boston's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 93%
100%
100%
100%
100%
60%
100%
1976Boston
1978Don't Look Back
1986Third Stage
1994Walk On
2002Corporate America
2013Life, Love & Hope
Early · 100% written
Mid · 100% written
Late · 82% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%
1970s
Boston, Don't Look Back
100%
1980s
Third Stage
100%
1990s
Walk On
60%
2000s
Corporate America
100%
2010s
Life, Love & Hope

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Boston sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Boston
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Reba McEntire6%
Ricky Martin25%
Garth Brooks41%
Cyndi Lauper60%
Donna Summer68%
The Rolling Stones76%
Heart84%
93%Boston
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

More Than a Feeling
Boston
Written by Tom Scholz, Donald Thomas Scholz
Wrote it
Peace of Mind
Boston
Written by Tom Scholz, Donald Thomas Scholz
Wrote it
Don't Look Back
Don't Look Back
Written by Tom Scholz, Donald Thomas Scholz
Wrote it
A Man I'll Never Be
Don't Look Back
Written by Tom Scholz, Donald Thomas Scholz
Wrote it
Feelin' Satisfied
Don't Look Back
Written by Tom Scholz, Donald Thomas Scholz
Wrote it
Amanda
Third Stage
Written by Tom Scholz, Donald Thomas Scholz
Wrote it
We're Ready
Third Stage
Written by Tom Scholz, Donald Thomas Scholz
Wrote it
Cool the Engines
Third Stage
Written by Tom Scholz, Fran Sheehan, Brad Delp, Donald Thomas Scholz, Bradley Edward Delp
Wrote it
Can'tcha Say (You Believe in Me)/Still in Love
Third Stage
Written by Gerry Green, Tom Scholz, Brad Delp, Donald Thomas Scholz, Bradley Edward Delp
Co-wrote
I Need Your Love
Walk On
Written by Tom Scholz, Fred Sampson, Donald Thomas Scholz
Co-wrote
I Had a Good Time
Corporate America
Written by Tom Scholz, Donald Thomas Scholz
Wrote it

Discography 6 albums

Covers all six Boston studio albums, from the 1976 debut Boston through Life, Love & Hope (2013). Live releases and compilations are outside this studio-album scope.

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Boston58 tracks
DS11David Sikes, 11 tracks DH10Doug Huffman, 10 tracks JB8John Boylan, 8 tracks 7Kimberley Dahme, 7 tracks 4Tommy DeCarlo, 4 tracks AC3Anthony Cosmo, 3 tracks CS3Curly Smith, 3 tracks BD2Bradley Delp, 2 tracks FT2Frank Talarico, 2 tracks BC2Billy Carman, 2 tracks TM2Tom Moonan, 2 tracks JM2Janet Minto, 2 tracks JE1John English, 1 track JD1Jon DeBrigard, 1 track GG1Gerry Green, 1 track FS1Fred Sampson, 1 track BL1Bobby Laquidara, 1 track GT1Galen Toye Foulke, 1 track BC1Bob Cedro, 1 track JV1Julia Van Daam, 1 track DB1Dow Brain, 1 track BR1Bill Ryan, 1 track ST1Sean Tierney, 1 track JM1Janet Morrison Minto, 1 track BC1Beth Cohen, 1 track CF1Charlie Farren, 1 track DV1David Victor, 1 track LS1Louis St. August, 1 track JN1Jude Nejmanowski, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. DS David Sikes · DH Doug Huffman · JB John Boylan · AC Anthony Cosmo

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Boston is Tom Scholz's project in the credits as much as in the studio: he writes or co-writes nearly every song and appears in the composer column under his legal name, Donald Thomas Scholz, across all six albums. On the first two records the writing is almost entirely his, with lead singer Brad Delp (legal name Bradley Edward Delp) contributing a couple of co-writes and one solo song, 'Let Me Take You Home Tonight.' From Third Stage onward Scholz tightens his grip further, writing and producing the albums largely alone while the singers change around him, from Delp to Fran Cosmo and later a group of vocalists on the final album. Scholz also engineers and plays guitars, bass, and keyboards, so the authorship and the sound both trace back to one person. Where co-writers appear, they are usually the band's own singers on individual tracks, never outside songwriters, which keeps the catalog a self-contained body of work.

Quick Facts

  • Best-selling debutThe 1976 debut album Boston sold over 17 million copies in the US and is one of the best-selling debut albums ever.
  • Engineer, not just a guitaristTom Scholz holds a master's degree in mechanical engineering from MIT and worked as a product designer at Polaroid before Boston broke.
  • Inventor of the RockmanScholz designed the Rockman headphone amplifier and founded Scholz Research & Development to build his guitar-electronics inventions.
  • Six albums in nearly 40 yearsBoston released only six studio albums between 1976 and 2013 because of Scholz's studio perfectionism.
  • The voiceBrad Delp's multi-tracked high tenor defined the band's harmony sound from the debut until his death in 2007.
  • US salesThe band has sold roughly 31 million records in the United States.

Creative Fingerprint

Boston is Tom Scholz's studio project: he writes or co-writes nearly every song, produces the records, and plays most of the guitar, bass, and keyboard parts himself.

The Story

Boston is an American rock band built around Tom Scholz, an MIT-trained engineer who wrote, produced, and played most of the instruments on the group's records. Their 1976 self-titled debut, largely recorded by Scholz in his basement studio, became one of the best-selling debut albums in history and produced the classic-rock staple 'More Than a Feeling.' The band's sound is defined by Scholz's layered guitars and the soaring voice of lead singer Brad Delp, who sang on most of the catalog until his death in 2007. Scholz's perfectionism kept the band's output small: just six studio albums across more than four decades, from Boston (1976) and Don't Look Back (1978) to the final Life, Love & Hope (2013). He writes or co-writes nearly every song and controls the production, which makes Boston one of rock's clearest single-author projects. The band has sold more than 75 million records worldwide.

Awards & Recognition

Debut album Boston certified 17x Platinum (Diamond) by the RIAA
Second album Don't Look Back certified 7x Platinum by the RIAA
Ranked 63rd-best hard rock artist by VH1

Frequently Asked Questions Boston

Who writes Boston's songs?
Tom Scholz writes or co-writes nearly all of Boston's material and is the band's chief songwriter and composer. He also produces the recordings and plays most of the instruments himself. Brad Delp co-wrote some songs but the core catalog is Scholz's.
Who wrote 'More Than a Feeling'?
Tom Scholz wrote 'More Than a Feeling.' He also co-produced the track with John Boylan. It is Boston's signature song and appeared on the 1976 debut album.
Who wrote 'Amanda'?
Tom Scholz wrote and produced 'Amanda.' He recorded the demos around 1980 and reworked the song before it appeared on Third Stage in 1986. It became Boston's only Billboard Hot 100 number-one single.
Is Boston really just Tom Scholz?
Boston is built around Tom Scholz, who founded the band and is its only constant member. He writes the songs, produces the albums, and plays most of the guitar, bass, and keyboard parts. Brad Delp supplied the lead vocals and harmonies that made the sound recognizable.
Who was Boston's lead singer?
Brad Delp, born Bradley Edward Delp, was Boston's original and signature lead vocalist. He sang on the band's biggest hits from the 1976 debut onward. He died on March 9, 2007.
How many albums has Boston released?
Boston has released six studio albums between 1976 and 2013. The slow pace comes from Tom Scholz's meticulous, self-produced studio process. The 1976 debut and 1978's Don't Look Back are the biggest sellers.
Why does Boston release albums so slowly?
Tom Scholz records and produces everything himself and reworks parts until he is satisfied, so albums take years. Eight years passed between the second album and Third Stage in 1986. Only six studio albums exist across nearly four decades.
Did Tom Scholz play the instruments on the early records?
Scholz performed most of the guitar, bass, and keyboard parts on the debut album, which he built largely in his home studio. He handled the arrangements and production as well. Other members joined mainly for touring and some studio parts.
What is Tom Scholz's connection to MIT and the Rockman?
Scholz earned bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from MIT and worked at Polaroid before Boston. He later invented the Rockman headphone guitar amplifier and founded Scholz Research & Development to market his designs. His engineering background shaped Boston's layered, precise studio sound.
Who replaced Brad Delp on lead vocals?
Fran Cosmo, born Francis Cosmo Migliaccio, shared and took over lead-vocal duties during the 1990s and 2000s. Brad Delp returned for stretches before his death in 2007. Scholz remained the constant songwriter and producer throughout.

Sources

Boston (band) - Wikipedia Boston discography - Wikipedia Boston (band) - Wikipedia Tom Scholz - Wikipedia Brad Delp - Wikipedia Sib Hashian - Wikipedia Fran Cosmo - Wikipedia Barry Goudreau - Wikipedia Fran Sheehan - Wikipedia More Than a Feeling - Wikipedia Amanda (Boston song) - Wikipedia