Artists like Russ Ballard

Night Ranger is an American hard rock band from San Francisco, California. The band formed in 1982 and experienced a surge of popularity during the 1980s with the release of several successful albums and hit singles. Guitarist Brad Gillis and drummer Kelly Keagy have been the band's only constant members, though bassist Jack Blades performed on all but one of their albums. Other current members of the band include guitarist Keri Kelli and keyboardist Eric Levy.

Aldo Caporuscio, known by the stage name Aldo Nova, is a Canadian hard rock musician. He gained recognition with his 1982 debut album Aldo Nova, which peaked at Billboard's number 8 position, and its accompanying single, "Fantasy", which reached number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and boosted sales for its parent album. In 1997, he won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year as co-producer of Celine Dion's 1996 album Falling into You. He co-wrote four songs on the 2000 album Uno by La Ley, which won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album.

Tommy Roland Shaw is an American musician best known for his tenure in the rock band Styx as co-lead vocalist. In between his stints with Styx, he has played with other groups including Damn Yankees and Shaw Blades as well as releasing several solo albums.

Bad English was an American–English hard rock supergroup band formed in Los Angeles in 1987. It reunited Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain with singer John Waite and bassist Ricky Phillips, his former bandmates in the Babys, along with Journey guitarist Neal Schon and drummer Deen Castronovo. The band is known for their hit single "When I See You Smile", which peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1989.

Triumph is a Canadian rock band formed in 1975 that was popular during the late 1970s and the 1980s, building on their reputation and success as a live band. Between its 16 albums and DVDs, the band has received 18 gold and nine platinum awards in Canada and the United States. They were nominated for multiple Juno Awards, including the "Group of the Year Award" in 1979, 1985, 1986 and 1987. They were inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame in 2007, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2008 and Canada's Walk of Fame in 2019.

John Stephen Parr is an English musician best known for his 1985 single "St. Elmo's Fire " for the 1985 film St. Elmo's Fire, charting at No.1 in the US and No.6 in the UK, and for his 1984 U.S. No.6 rock single "Naughty Naughty". He has written and performed 12 major motion picture theme songs, including the themes for Three Men and a Baby and The Running Man. Parr was nominated for a Grammy award for "St. Elmo's Fire" in 1985.

Mike and the Mechanics are an English rock band formed in Dover in 1985 by Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford, initially as a side project during a hiatus period for his other group. They are known for the hit singles "Silent Running", "All I Need Is a Miracle", "Taken In", "The Living Years", "Word of Mouth", "Over My Shoulder" and "Now That You've Gone".

Whitesnake were an English rock band formed in London in 1978. The group originated as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed their own entity, Coverdale was the only constant member throughout their history.

Dare is an English rock band from Oldham, fronted by former Thin Lizzy keyboard player Darren Wharton. They formed in 1985 and have released twelve albums to date, eleven studio and one live. Their most recent album is the band's first compilation album, The Best Of Dare, this released in 2025. The band's most recent album prior to that release was originally due to be released in 2019, although it was later delayed with Road to Eden announced by the band in January 2022.

Atlanta Rhythm Section is an American Southern rock band formed in 1970 by Rodney Justo (singer), Barry Bailey (guitar), Paul Goddard (bass), Dean Daughtry (keyboards), Robert Nix (drums) and J. R. Cobb (guitar). The band experienced its greatest chart success with Ronnie Hammond as lead singer 1972–1982. Hammond returned again 1988–2001. The band's current lineup consists of Justo, along with guitarists David Anderson and Steve Stone, keyboardist Lee Shealy, bassist Justin Senker and drummer Rodger Stephan.

William Haislip Squier is an American rock musician, singer, and songwriter who had a string of hits in the early 1980s. His best-known songs include "The Stroke", "Lonely Is the Night", "My Kinda Lover", "In the Dark", "Rock Me Tonite", "Everybody Wants You", "Emotions in Motion", "Love Is the Hero", and "Don't Say You Love Me". Squier's best-selling album, 1981's Don't Say No, is considered a landmark release of arena rock, bridging the gap between power pop and hard rock.

Starship is an American rock band from San Francisco, California. Initially a continuation of Jefferson Starship, it underwent a change in musical direction, the subsequent loss of personnel, and a lawsuit settlement that led to a name change. Starship's 1985 album, Knee Deep in the Hoopla, was certified platinum by the RIAA, and included two singles that went to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart: "We Built This City" and "Sara". Their follow up album, No Protection, released in 1987, was certified gold and featured the band's third number one single, "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now". After a short hiatus in the early 1990s, the band reformed in 1992 as "Starship featuring Mickey Thomas" and resumed touring.

Sniff 'n' the Tears are a British rock band best known for their 1978 song "Driver's Seat", a moderate hit in many countries, including No. 15 on the American Billboard Hot 100, in September 1979. The band is led by singer–songwriter Paul Roberts, the band's sole constant member.

The Hooters is an American rock band, which was founded in Philadelphia in 1980. They combine elements of rock, reggae, ska, and folk music.

Loverboy is a Canadian rock band formed in Calgary, Alberta in 1979. Loverboy's hit singles, particularly "Turn Me Loose" and "Working for the Weekend", have become arena rock staples and are still heard on many classic rock and classic hits radio stations across Canada and the United States.

Red Rider, later known as Tom Cochrane & Red Rider, is a Canadian rock band popular in the 1980s. While they achieved significant success in Canada, the band never had a song in the top 40 in the United States, although "Lunatic Fringe" from their second album, 1981's As Far as Siam, became popular on US album-oriented rock radio. They also charted on the Billboard Hot 100 with "White Hot" from their debut album Don't Fight It (1979) and "Young Thing, Wild Dreams " from Breaking Curfew (1984), and charted comparably to "Lunatic Fringe" on Mainstream Rock (AOR) with "Big League", "Human Race", and "Power", the latter two tracks off 1983's Neruda.

Damn Yankees were an American rock supergroup formed in New York City, in 1989. Consisting of singer/guitarist Tommy Shaw of Styx, singer/bassist Jack Blades of Night Ranger, guitarist Ted Nugent of the Amboy Dukes, and drummer Michael Cartellone.