Ed Kuepper

Though he formed the Saints with Chris Bailey in 1975, Ed Kuepper left the band before its biggest popular success (though after its best recordings). The Saints were one of Australia's premier punk bands, and Kuepper played on two albums before leaving in 1979 to form the Laughing Clowns, a band whose sound was jazzier and quite a bit more experimental than his former group. The Laughing Clowns released three EPs during the early '80s before their debut self-titled album appeared in 1982. Kuepper led the band through four additional albums, but became a solo act beginning with the surprisingly pop-oriented Electrical Storm in 1986. After another pop album, Rooms of the Magnificent, Capitol took a chance on Kuepper and signed him; his response was Everybody's Got To, his third great pop album in a row. Nevertheless, it failed to click with radio programmers or the public. Capitol later dropped Kuepper and he responded in 1990 with the acoustic, stripped-back Today Wonder. One year later, he formed the Aints — a jab at Chris Bailey, who continued to use the Saints name during the '80s and '90s — to release Ascension. He returned to solo status in 1992, and began a string of seven studio LPs over the next four years, plus two mail-order-only albums and a best-of entitled Sings His Greatest Hits for You. Next came This Is the Magic Mile, which was released in 2006 on Hot Records. Despite his very appreciative cult of fans and torrid release schedule, Kuepper has not managed a breakthrough to wide popular acclaim.