Ed Kuepper

Ed Kuepper co-founded the Saints alongside Chris Bailey in 1975 yet departed the group ahead of its greatest commercial breakthrough, although after its strongest recordings. As one of Australia’s leading punk outfits, the Saints featured Kuepper on two albums before his 1979 exit to launch the Laughing Clowns, whose jazz-inflected and markedly more experimental approach set the new ensemble apart from his previous band. The Laughing Clowns issued three EPs in the early ’80s, followed by their self-titled debut album in 1982. Kuepper guided the ensemble through four further albums before stepping out as a solo artist with the unexpectedly pop-styled Electrical Storm in 1986. A second pop effort, Rooms of the Magnificent, prompted Capitol to sign him, resulting in Everybody’s Got To, his third consecutive strong pop album. Despite the run, the record found little traction with broadcasters or listeners, leading Capitol to drop Kuepper and prompting the 1990 acoustic, pared-down release Today Wonder. The following year he assembled the Aints—a pointed reference to Chris Bailey’s continued use of the Saints name through the ’80s and ’90s—to record Ascension. Returning to solo work in 1992, Kuepper produced seven studio albums across the next four years, along with two mail-order-only titles and the best-of collection Sings His Greatest Hits for You. This Is the Magic Mile appeared on Hot Records in 2006. Although sustained by a devoted cult following and an intense output pace, Kuepper has yet to achieve broader mainstream recognition.