Keel

Following the breakup of his initial outfit Steeler, triggered by the exit of Swedish guitarist Yngwie J. Malmsteen, vocalist Ron Keel recruited guitarists Marc Ferrari and Bryan Jay, bassist Kenny Chaisson, and drummer Dwain Miller to launch the band bearing his own name, Keel.

Independent label Shrapnel Records issued the group’s debut Lay Down the Law, which drew the notice of Kiss bassist Gene Simmons. Simmons assumed a mentoring role and ultimately secured the act a contract with MCA Records. He further helmed production on 1985’s The Right to Rock; the album’s title track earned modest MTV exposure and earned Keel “best new band” honors from Circus and Metal Edge.

Progress continued, albeit modestly, with the 1986 follow-up The Final Frontier—again under Simmons’s guidance—which included a rendition of Patti Smith’s “Because the Night” and highlighted guitarist Ferrari’s emergence as an additional songwriting presence.

Shortly after the appearance of the self-titled fourth album, Keel secured an enviable opening slot on Bon Jovi’s blockbuster Slippery When Wet tour, yet the opportunity yielded limited new converts. Ferrari departed later that year, subsequently devoting the ensuing decade to Medicine Wheel and to soundtrack and outside songwriting projects, while the band itself dissolved after issuing 1989’s Larger Than Live. A short-lived reunion later yielded the 1998 collection Back in Action, assembled from archival outtakes and demos, after which Ron Keel shifted direction to become country artist Ronnie Lee Keel and formed the Rat’lers.