Gloryhound was founded in 2006 by high school friends Evan Meisner, David Casey, Shaun Hanlon, Jeremy MacPherson, and Adam Baldwin as an alternative country band named Gloryhound and the Skyhawks. Described as "a poor man's El Torpedo", the group enjoyed local success opening for the likes of Dutch Mason, Matt Minglewood, and Matt Mays. After releasing an eponymous album in 2007, Gloryhound and the Skyhawks decided to regroup as a hard rock act under a new name.
Name change and ''Leave it Alone'' (2008-March 2010)
In 2008 the band condensed its name to Gloryhound, and began writing hard rock songs. Eschewing harmonicas and plaid shirts for guitarmonies and leather jackets, the name change also coincided with the amicable departure of Adam Baldwin. The result of these writing sessions would be Leave it Alone, the first album recorded under the name Gloryhound. Produced by Rob Crowell and recorded at the Sonic Temple in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Leave it Alone was released independently in December 2009. Subsequent touring throughout 2010 saw the group showcase at conferences such as Canadian Music Week, Junofest in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and NXNEfor the first time. Gloryhound was accompanied to these conferences by friend and advisor Gordon Lapp. Following Gloryhound's Junofest performance, the band signed a booking deal with The Agency Group in March 2010 and formally brought Lapp on as band manager.
''Electric Dusk'' (April 2010 - Sept 2012)
In the summer of 2010 Gloryhound temporarily relocated to Toronto, Ontario to begin working on new material. The result was Electric Dusk. Recorded over two days at Chemical Sound Studios and produced by Laurence Currie, Electric Dusk was released independently as a seven song EP in December 2010. The title track, "Electric Dusk", was released as a single to Canadian Rock Radio by Spincount in September 2011. The song would peak at No. 14 on the Canadian Active Rock charts the following March. During extensive touring, the band opened for Sam Roberts Band, Drive By Truckers, and as direct support for Thin Lizzy at the Sound Academy in Toronto on March 30, 2011. The album was nominated for Group Recording of the Year and Rock Recording of the Year at the 2011 Nova Scotia Music Awards. Electric Dusk was nominated for Rock Recording of the year at the 2012 East Coast Music Awards in Moncton, New Brunswick, an award which was won by fellow Nova Scotian act
Smoke on the Nation Tour 2012
In January 2012, Gloryhound was announced as direct support for Deep Purple on the Atlantic Canadian leg of Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Nation Tour". The tour included performances at Mile One Centre, Halifax Metro Centre and two nights at Casino New Brunswick. Gloryhound's sets received robust critical reception, prompting one reviewer at Mile One Centre to declare that "Gloryhound were the priests in a temple for old gods."
On 28 May 2012, eOne Music Canada announced the signing of Gloryhound to their independent label. T As part of the deal, the Electric Dusk EP was remixed and released nationwide on 21 August 2012. The summer EP release was supported by a follow-up single, "TKO Tokyo".
''Loaded Gun'' (2013 - present)
In September 2013, Gloryhound began preproduction for their debut full-length record. Producer Gggarth Richardson, songwriter Josh Guillame, and the band convened in Greenfield, Queens County to develop songs. After ten days, a field of over thirty compositions and ideas was narrowed down to sixteen potential tracks for the upcoming record. The band continued to flesh out song structures for two months before travelling to Vancouver, British Columbia in November to begin recording. Tracking was done from November to December at The Farm Studios in Vancouver. The upcoming record, titled Loaded Gun, was released on 23 June 2014. On December 21, 2016, the band announced the departure of original drummer Shaun Hanlon.