The Coup, lost MTV-era New Wavers

 

For every Berlin, the Call, .38 Special, and Tommy Tutone with a huge MTV-era hit, there were those lesser rotated bands we loved the most; ones that inspired us to head off to the record store to find (used, cut-out) copies of their albums: the B’zz (“Get Up, Get Angry”), the Clocks (“She Looks a Lot Like You”), DFX2 (“Emotion”), the Look, (“You Can’t Sit Down”), Hilly Michaels (“Calling All Girls”), Phantom, Rocker & Slick (“Men Without Shame”), Steel Breeze (“You Don’t Want Me Anymore”), and so many more: another of those bands was The Coup, with “(I’ve Really Got to Use My) Imagination”—itself a forgotten post-script to one of MTV’s biggest bands, Tommy Tutone.

As is the case with any of the 45-rpms and 12-inch albums I’ve rescued from ratty boxes or milk crates in the forgotten corners of used book stores and thrift stores: every record has a backstory—some more than others. In this dusty tale, before we work our way out to the Coup, we need to head back to the 1960s with Ben Schultz. For when it comes to a “six degrees of separation” in the rock ‘n’ roll business: no one is more connected than Tampa, Florida, guitarist Ben Schultz—and, if you haunt our sister blog, Over the Edge Radio: you know we are all about Florida-based music around these parts.

Wizard

Ben Schultz is best known to regional-indie and private-press label aficionados for his hard-rock, psych-heavy power-trio, Wizard. The Tampa, Florida-based band’s much-sought, lone single release is an ultra-rare, 45-rpm that came with the original, self-titled, full-length album by Wizard. That single’s B-side, “Freedom”—an anti-drug song—also serves as the opening cut on the album; the single’s A-side of “Got Love”—a timely call for unity—is a non-album release. The album, issued in 1971 by the Marietta, Georgia-based Peon Productions, along with the 45-rpm issued by Penguin Productions, was reissued to compact disc by Gear Fab Records in 1999.

Produced by Bob Fletcher, known for his work with R&B/soul artists Tony Troutman, Clarence Mann, and Rubberband, Wizard’s lone album features Ben (sometimes credited Benjamin/Benji during his career) Schultz on lead and rhythm guitars and backing vocals, with Paul Forney on bass and lead vocals, and drummer Chris Luhn. The recording came as result of the group appearing at The Goose Lake Festival held just outside of Detroit, Michigan—which led many to assume Wizard was an obscure Detroit outfit. Impressed, Decca Record’s Bob Fletcher took the band to LeFevre Sound in Atlanta, Georgia, to record.

Sadly, the connection to Decca Records wasn’t enough: Wizard, which formed on the campus of the University of South Florida, existed for a mere 18 months. 

A Quest

Prior to Wizard, Ben Schultz got his start with another west coast Florida band, A Quest, which put out a mid-’60s single, “Message in a Bottle.” The band proved to be a stop-gap for fellow Tampa musician Mike Pinera, who found great fame with Blues Image, which reached #4 on the Billboard Top 40 with their 1970 single, “Ride Captain Ride.”

Pinera’s departure from Blues Images, as well as other band shakes ups, brought Angel Rissoff of Miami’s the Kollektion into the fold as the band finally dissolved in the summer of 1970 after the may release of their third and final album, Red, White & Blues Image. Pinera joined Iron Butterfly, and then formed Ramatam. Prior to joining Alice Cooper in the early ’80s, Pinera joined the outgrowth-reboot of Cactus, known as New Cactus Band.

While their “7/45-rpm is impossible to find, A Quest’s single, “Message in a Bottle,” is preserved as part of The Psychedelic States compilation series (Vol. 4: Florida in the ’60s) issued in 2015 by Gear Fab Records.

Ben Schultz: After Wizard

Going into session work, over the years, Ben Schultz worked with Buddy Miles, Stephen Stills, and Rod Stewart. In the mid-’70s he became part of the rotating roster of MCA Records’ fabricated “supergroup,” KGB.

An acronym for Kennedy, Goldberg & Bloomfield,” KGB was lawyer/executive-concocted as a vehicle to spotlight the writing and vocals of Ray Kennedy (later wrote the Baby’s debut hit, “Every Time I Think of You”; he also provided the voice of Beef with “Life at Last” in the 1974 film, Phantom of the Paradise). Kennedy’s songwriting partner in the KGB concern was Barry Goldberg of the Electric Flag. The band was rounded out by Carmine Appice on drums (ex-Vanilla Fudge), along with guitarist Mike Bloomfield (also of the Electric Flag), and ex-Family bassist, Rick Grech. Bassist Gregg Sutton—later of the early ’80s AOR concern, The Coup (one album on A&M Records), and Lone Justice (fronted by Maria McKee, their hit, “Ways to Be Wicked”)—replaced Grech. Ben Schultz was a replacement for the departing Mike Bloomfield.

KGB’s debut, a self-titled effort (1976), featured “Sail on Sailor.” While it failed as a single for KGB, it became a hit cover for the Beach Boys. Their second and final album—released that same year amid the roster turmoil—was Motion.

Ben Schultz then formed another “supergroup,” called Pipedream. A forgotten, minor concern in the realms of the supergroup craze of the ’70s, Pipedream managed one album on ABC Records in 1979. Along with Schultz: the band featured Tim Bogert (ex-Vanilla Fudge and Cactus), Jan Uvena (Iron Butterfly; later of Alcatrazz, itself an early ’80s supergroup with Yngwie Malmsteen and Graham Bonnett of Rainbow), and Willy Daffern (Captain Beyond, itself an early ’70s supergroup with ex-Iron Butterfly, Deep Purple, and Johnny Winter members).

 

Another group forgotten on Ben Schultz’s resume is the blues-rock concern, Barefoot Servants, which issued a self-titled 1994 album on Epic. The band’s roster featured Jon Butcher (of Jon Butcher Axis and another lost and forgotten MTV hit, “Life Takes a Life”), and bassist Leland Skylar (Jackson Brown, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, and so many others . . . but we love him for “Children of the Sun”  by Billy Thorpe, the most). Ben then formed the Ben Schultz Band with Tim Bogert from the Pipedream days, issuing one early ’90s album on TVT Records—the home of the college rock bands the Connells and their biggest seller, Nine Inch Nails.

While Wizard’s drummer Chris Luhn vanished from the business, bassist Paul Forney ended up in the Jimmy Castor Bunch (the early ’70s novelty hit, “Birtha Butt Boogie”). Prior to that soul-funk concern, Forney was in a similar, Tampa-based band known as Bacchus, which lasted from 1972 to 1975.

The Coup with their lone, 1984 album on A&M Records.

The Coup

The Coup, with ex-KGB’er Gregg Sutton (died October 22, 2023, at the age of 74), was co-founded by Jim Keller of Tommy Tutone. The Coup also featured Barry Goldberg from KGB. Their drummer, Keni Richards, found later fame with Autograph (MTV hit: “Turn Up the Radio”), and then formed Dirty White Boy with David Glen Eisley (ex-Guiffria, ex-Sorcery) and Earl Slick (of the AOR-concerns Silver Condor and Phantom, Rocker & Slick). Ben Schultz Band’s singer, Paul Sisemore, fronted Tampa’s alt-rockers Sugarspoon, which issued one album on MCA in 1996.

You can learn more about Florida’s Sugarspoon over on our sister blog, Over the Edge Radio, which covers ’90s signed and independent artists from the state, with our Sugarspoon 1994–1996 (Tampa/MCA) posting.

So, do you remember watching this video by the Coup on MTV? I remember watching this one a video jukebox in an arcade, as well.

Kyf Brewer with the Ravyns of Baltimore, Maryland

Picture sleeve to the Ravyns split-single with Don Felder.

How can anyone wax nostalgic over the ’80s without mentioning the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High? The soundtrack was a big seller on equal with the film featuring popular radio hits from Sammy Hagar and Billy Squire that were exclusive to the film. Another, albeit, lesser hit from the film was “Raised on the Radio,” by a new-wave pop outfit out of Baltimore, Maryland, the Ravyns. Sadly, the Ravyns inclusion in the popular movie didn’t turn their 1984 debut album into big seller.

 

The Ravyns’ keyboardist Kyf Brewer eventually resurfaced as the leader of Company of Wolves, a band co-founded with ex-John Waite drummer Frankie LaRocka. A harder rocking concern, the Wolves managed to squeeze out one low-charting FM hit single, “Call of the Wild,” for Mercury Records before disbanding.

When John Waite left the Babys for a solo career, he recruited LaRocka, as well as guitarist Ivan Kral—both veterans of the New York rock scene—for his 1984 solo debut, Ignition. Pat Benatar’s guitarist Neil Geraldo produced the album, which featured John’s huge video hit, “Change” —that song was a cover of a failed single written by Holly Knight for her two-album, new wave concern, Spider, which experienced minor FM success with “In Between the Lines, the title cut from the second and final album; their self-titled debut featured the hit, “New Romance (It’s Always a Mystery).”

Company of Wolves.

After his membership in Waite’s band—and before teaming up with Kyf Brewer—LaRocka and Kral formed Eastern Bloc with ex-Holly and the Italians guitarist Mark Sidgewick, issuing one album in 1987. Kral was an ex-member of the Patti Smith group: he co-wrote Patti’s late’70s follow-up hit to “Because the Night,” later covered by U2 during their Rattle and Hum period: “Dancing Barefoot.”

As for Kyf, he returned with the Kyf Brewer Band, releasing the album, Me and My Big Mouth in 1997 on Ichiban Records. He also recorded and toured with Billy Squire and Michael Bolton. He got his pre-Ravyns start in the late 1970s in Baltimore with Climbadonkey; while never issuing an album proper, the popular local band placed songs on “locals only” compilation albums issues by WKTK 105 FM and 98 Rock.

The Ravyns have since reunited and thriving in 2025 on Facebook. They released two albums since, one in 1999, another in 2014, while Company of Wolves returned with three more in 1997, 2001, and 2025.

So, does anyone remember watching these videos on MTV or MuchMusic?  Good times! Where’s my Steele Breeze and Tommy Tutone albums?

The Brains of Atlanta, Georgia, on Mercury Records

Tom Gray, Rick Price and Keith Christopher formed Atlanta’s the Brains in the late ’70s;. Christopher eventually departed to form Keith and the Satellites with Dan Baird and Rick Richards. After a well-received single, “Money Changes Everything,” the Brains signed to Mercury Records. Steve Lillywhite’of U2 ’produced both of their albums: 1980’s The Brains and 82’s Electronic Eden.

Rick Price and the Brains’ drummer Mauro Megellan then joined Keith and the Satellites, which, upon the departure of their founder, Keith Christopher’ became the Georgia Satellites. After the success of their 1985 British release of “Keep Your Hands to Yourself,” the ‘Sats issued their debut album proper for Elektra; that album featured the aforementioned hit, along with follow up hits, “Battleship Chains” and “Railroad Steel.” The FM radio airplay continued with their cover of Swingin’ Blue Jeans 1964 hit “Hippy Hippy Shake” for the movie Cocktail. That led to the release of 1988’s Open All Night and 1989’s The Land Of Salvation and Sin.

In 1992, Satellite guitarist Rick Richards joined ex-Guns n’ Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin in the Ju Ju Hounds for the minor, active-rock radio hit, “Shuffle It All.” Meanwhile, ex-Brain and Satellite Rick Price joined the solo band of the Replacements Paul Westerberg for 1993’s 13 songs. As for Satellite vocalist Dan Baird: he started a solo career with the hit, “I Love You Period,” from 92’s Love Songs For The Hearing Impaired. Eventually Rick Richards and Rick Price reformed the Satellites’ without Baird’for the 1993 Elektra release, Let It Rock.

So, what happened to the Brains?

Well, ex-Blue Angels’ vocalist Cyndi Lauper covered “Money Changes Everything” on her 1985 solo debut; while the financial website Wingspan.com used the song in a commercial endorsement. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band of “Blinded by the Light” fame had a hit with a cover of “Heart in the Street” from Electronic Eden.

 

Max Bacon and GTR of Westminster, London

In 1986 you couldn’t turn on MTV without seeing the video for “When the Heart Rules the Mind” by GTR: a “supergroup” co-founded by ex-Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, and on his second supergroup go-around, ex- Yes and Asia guitarist Steve Howe. As result of Howe’s departure to GTR, guitarist Mandy Meyer, formerly with Nashville, Tennessee’s Cobra (featuring Jimi Jamison, later of Survivor), replaced Howe in Asia.

GTR’s lead vocalist Max Bacon got his start as member of the keyboard influenced, outfit Bronze. He appears on their 1984 album Taken By Storm, which featuring the European FM radio hit, “Loneliness is Mine,” as well as a cover of New England’s “Don’t Ever Wanna Lose Ya."

After his brief tenure in Bronze, Bacon took on vocal duties with another progressive rock outfit, Nightwing, which had British hit with “Out on the Streets,” from the album, My Kingdom Come. Impressed with the vocalist, that album’s producer, Steve Hackett, recruited the vocalist for GTR.

As for the rhythm section of New England: Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea joined a “supergroup” of their own: they backed up Yngwie Malmsteen and Graham Bonnett (of Rainbow and MSG) in Alcatrazz.