This is a fan page, put together in tribute to a band that never got the notoriety it deserved.
Baton Rouge was a melodic hard rock band originally formed in Louisiana in 1986 under the moniker Voices. The line-up of Voices consisted of Kelly Keeling (guitar and keyboards), Lance Bulen (vocals), Keith Harrison (bass) and Harold Knappenburger (drums). Kelly and Lance switched their roles in the band during the recording of demos with David Foster and Mike Clink.
By the fall of 1988, the band had changed their name to Cheetah and bassist Keith Harrison and drummer Harold Knappenburger were gone. Corky McClellan was brought in to replace Knappenburger and Bryan Scott filled the vacancy left by Harrison.
A publishing deal was signed with MCA Records shortly after Scott joined the line-up, and in October of that year the band holed up in REO Speedwagon's rehearsal studio to record demos for MCA. Shortly before that, Bryan Scott spotted a realty company sign while on vacation in Manhattan Beach, and thought that the realty comany's name, (Meridian), was preferable to Cheetah. Apparently, the others agreed and Cheetah became Meridian, (at least until something better came along).
November brought a trip to New Jersey for Kelly and Lance, as they were to sit down for the first time with producer/co-writer Jack Ponti. This first encounter produced the song "Baby's So Cool". Something better eventually came along in the name department and Meridian changed it's moniker one last time - to Baton Rouge.
Bryan Scott departed the band in January of '89, and Scott Bender was brought in to replace him.
After a mere six live shows on the Sunset Strip they were signed to Atlantic Records and met up with co-producer Vic Pepe. Their debut album, Shake Your Soul, debuted in 1990 and reached number 160 on the Billboard charts. Keyboardist David Cremin appeared on the album artwork, but didn't actually join the band until recording for the debut was finished.
For the follow-up album, ex-Keel guitarist Tony Palmucci was brought in so that Keeling could focus solely on the vocals. Keyboardist David Cremin left the band during this time. Lights Out On The Playground was a commercial failure and the band promptly broke up when Keeling was offered the lead vocalist slot in Blue Murder.
A self-titled Baton Rouge album was released in 1997, but was really nothing more then Keeling supplying vocals to some Jack Ponti demos and was never really considered a group project.
Keeling went on to perform with the Michael Schenker Group, George Lynch and as a solo artist and is currently in the band O2'L . Bulen joined a couple of former XYZ members in a band called Puzzle Gut before forming KingBaby. In 2001 Cremin (as vocalist) released an album with the band Roulette and Palmucci toured with Twisted Sister's Dee Snider.
(Special thanks to Sleaze Roxx.Com and former BR bassist Bryan Scott for their assistance with this bio.)
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