{{Use American English|date=December 2022}} {{short description|American drummer}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}} {{BLP sources|date=April 2010}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Albert Bouchard | image = Albert Bouchard.jpg | image_upright = 0.9 | caption = Bouchard in 1977 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1947|05|24}} | birth_place = Watertown, New York, U.S. | genre = Heavy metal, hard rock, psychedelic rock | occupation = Musician | instruments = Drums, vocals, percussion, guitar, cowbell | current_member_of = The Dictators | past_member_of = Blue Öyster Cult }}
'''Albert Bouchard''' ({{IPAc-en|b|u|'|ʃ|ɑːr|d}}; born May 24, 1947) is an American musician. He is a founding member and one of the first and most prominent drummers<ref>{{cite web | title=Blue Öyster Cult - Record Collector Magazine | url=https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/blue-oyster-cult }}</ref> of the hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult and current drummer of The Dictators. He is the older brother of former Blue Öyster Cult bassist Joe Bouchard.
== Early years == Bouchard was born to Robert Bouchard and Francis Ryan.<ref name=":0" /> He was born in Watertown, New York,<ref>{{cite book|last=Strong|first=Martin Charles|title=The Great Rock Discography|date=2004|publisher=Canongate U.S.|page=158|isbn=978-1-84195-615-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_WoRAPJQ58sC&q=Albert+Bouchard+watertown+ny&pg=PA158}}</ref> and grew up in Clayton, New York. He is the older brother of BÖC member Joe Bouchard by 18 months.
== Career ==
=== Blue Öyster Cult === {{Text|''To read more on Bouchard’s career in Blue Öyster Cult, see Blue Öyster Cult''}}
He was a founding member of the hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult<ref>{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p58327|pure_url=yes}}|title=Biography: Albert Bouchard|last=Hill|first=Gary|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=April 11, 2010}}</ref> and a driving force through the band's first decade.
In 1981, Bouchard left Blue Öyster Cult. He began to work on an intended solo album that would become the album ''Imaginos'' (1988) released under the BÖC name.
=== Later works === He has also played on records for Mike Watt (a version of BÖC's "Dominance and Submission" for the flip side of Watt's 1995 single "E Ticket Ride"<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.discogs.com/Mike-Watt-E-Ticket-Ride/release/2628893 | title=Mike Watt - E-Ticket Ride | website=Discogs | date=1995 }}</ref>), and Richie Stotts (Plasmatics), Gumball and Fabienne Shine. Bouchard has produced records for many other musicians, including Maria Excommunikata, Heads Up! and David Roter.
Until 2006, Bouchard's main musical project had been Brain Surgeons, with whom he released several CDs on his own Cellsum Records label. Cellsum grew to host a number of other artists, including Les Vegas, The X Brothers, David Roter and Helen Wheels. In 2007, Bouchard formed Ünderbelly with original Soft White Underbelly singer Les Braunstein, Brain Surgeons bassist David Hirschberg, and guitarist Adrian Romero. They were featured on the 2008 Motörhead tribute CD ''Sheep in Wolves' Clothing'', and released the songs "Critical Mass" and "Astronomy" in 2011.
In 2008, Bouchard formed the band 'Blue Coupe' with his brother Joe and original Alice Cooper bassist Dennis Dunaway. Originally an Alice Cooper/Blue Öyster Cult cover act, 'Blue Coupe' has released three albums of original material: ''Tornado on the Tracks'' in 2010, ''Million Miles More'' in 2013, and ''Eleven Even'' in 2019. In 2014, Bouchard released his first solo record, ''Incantation'', which was followed in 2017 by a second album, ''Surrealist''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=albertbouchard.net – Bio|url=https://albertbouchard.net/bio|access-date=October 23, 2020|website=albertbouchard.net}}</ref>
=== Recent years === Bouchard released a new album in November 2020, titled ''Re Imaginos'', a mostly acoustic version of the album ''Imaginos'', and released a follow-up ''Imaginos 2: Bombs Over Germany (Minus Zero And Counting)'' in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|title=albertbouchard.net – Bio|url=https://albertbouchard.net|access-date=July 18, 2021|website=albertbouchard.net}}</ref> In 2023, Bouchard released the third and final album of his Imaginos trilogy, ''The Mutant Reformation.'' <ref>{{Cite web|title=albertbouchard.net – Home|url=https://albertbouchard.net|access-date=September 5, 2023|website=albertbouchard.net}}</ref>
Bouchard joined the reunited proto-punk band The Dictators, featuring original members Ross the Boss and Andy Shernoff, along with new lead vocalist and Ozzy's Boneyard host Keith Roth. The band released their first album in 23 years, ''The Dictators'', on September 6, 2024.<ref>{{cite web |last1=EIN Presswire |title=Proto-Punk Legends The Dictators Release First New Studio Album In 23 Years |url=https://www.benzinga.com/content/40804690/proto-punk-legends-the-dictators-release-first-new-studio-album-in-23-years |website=Benzinga |access-date=13 September 2024}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == *[http://www.albertbouchard.net/ Albert Bouchard's web page] *[https://archive.today/20130131174028/http://idhitthatpodcast.podomatic.com/entry/2012-05-23T11_22_37-07_00 2012 Audio Interview with Albert Bouchard from the Podcast "I'd Hit That"] *[https://bluecoupeband.com/ Blue Coupe web site]
{{Blue Öyster Cult}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bouchard, Albert}} Category:American heavy metal drummers Category:American male singer-songwriters Category:American rock singers Category:American rock songwriters Category:Blue Öyster Cult members Category:Living people Category:1947 births Category:People from Watertown, New York Category:People from Clayton, New York Category:20th-century American drummers Category:American male drummers Category:Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Category:The Dictators members Category:Drummers from New York (state)