Piece of History: Autograph comes to Cedar Rapids

About 100 excited teenagers and at least one grandmother packed into the Record Bar at Lindale Mall in Cedar Rapids on April 17, 1985, hoping to meet the rising "melodic metal" band Autograph. The Los Angeles–based group drew a long line of fans eager for their autographs before their evening concert at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Autograph, known for weaving humor into their metal performances, played for an audience of roughly 700 that night. The Cedar Rapids Gazette described the band as more accessible than many of their heavy-metal peers and “harmless in appearance” in an article published the next day. Keyboardist Steve Isham was credited with adding musical depth not always found in guitar-driven metal acts.

Formed in late 1983, Autograph first gained national attention after David Lee Roth heard their demo and invited them to open for Van Halen. The band would later tour with KISS, Mötley Crüe, Heart, Aerosmith, Whitesnake, and others. After leaving RCA Records in 1988, the group stopped touring the following year.

Autograph reunited in late 2013 when original members Steve Lynch, Randy Rand, and Keni Richards came together again and resumed touring in 2014. Their final album was released in 2022, with bassist Randy Rand as the last remaining founding member at that time.

Tara Templeman is curator at The History Center. Comments: curator@historycenter.org