DEALER, a Cirencester, Gloucestershire NWOBHM band band was rooted in the earlier AXE VICTIMS, this antecedent outfit featuring vocalist Trev Short, bassist Pete Gentil and drummer Malcolm Hanselman.
Suffering membership changes, the band evolved into LONE WOLF.
However, due to the formation of a London based act of the same title, fronted by the high profile figure of ex-IRON MAIDEN singer Paul Di'anno, the name DEALER was struck upon.
Shortly afterwards, Hanselman was replaced by Andy Jones.
DEALER scored national media by appearing on the HTV television programme 'Best Band West' and scored valuable supports to GARY MOORE and MOTORHEAD.
1982 saw the release of "Boogie, Booze & Birds", a 9 song cassette recorded in the bands' rehearsal space, (Steve's Dads' shed), and mixed by Dave Short straight onto 1/4' stereo tape.
After a complimentary "Armed & Ready" piece in Kerrang! magazine, the band released the 1983 single "Better Things To Do", on the Windrush label.
A three song demo was recorded the following year containing 'The Final Conflict', 'Money Is Your Password' and 'Looking For A Reason'.
Guitarist Andy Dunne was enrolled but soon vacated his position, being substituted by a then 17 year old Ashley Jon Limer.
DEALER's solitary album "First Strike", emerged on Hull's Ebony Records in 1987. DEALER folded in 1988.
Subsequently, Trev Short, bassist Pete Gentil, guitarist Ashley Jon Limer and drummer Andy Jones went on to form the more melodic VAN DAMNE and Limer later turned up on a couple of SACK TRICK albums.
With the advent of the internet and the resurgence of interest in the NWoBHM, Dealer decided to remaster all their old recordings and self-released four full length CDs of archive material on their own Rock Factory label.
The CDs were the 1982 cassette "Boogie, Booze & Birds", the half live, half studio "For Old Time's Sake", "First Strike" and "One More Time!", an albums worth of unreleased 1988 recordings.
ONR Records from Greece then licensed the CD "Bootlegged", a collection of demos; compiled and re-mastered by Trev, and then released a remastered CD version of the band's "First Strike" album in 2010.
High Roller Records of Germany then reissued "Bootlegged" on vinyl with a superb full colour 4 page booklet of lyrics and photo's.
The record (available in black and limited edition while vinyl), sold out quickly, so High Roller then produced a second pressing.The band played a reunion gig in 2010, which yielded the live album "The Last Concert",
now available from http://www.dealer.uk.com/.