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Having already made a name for himself with a variety of acts on the Hollywood, California scene, singer, guitarist and keyboard player Billy Coane would form RINGS OF SATURN in January, 1988. The fledgling act, which was influenced by bands as wide and varied as the Beatles, The Doors, Quiet Riot, The Cult and Led Zeppelin, would work Its way through numerous line-ups until settling in 1989 on the quartet of Coane, bassist Eric Swanson, drummer Mar Tercero and guitarist David Adjian.

A regular in the live arena, RINGS OF SATURN could be found on legendary Hollywood stages at the Whiskey, Roxy and Troubadour, while if you frequented, amongst many others, the Country Club in Reseda, Madame Wong’s West in Santa Monica or Goodies in Whittier, doubtless you’d be rocking out to Coane and his cohorts on almost a weekly basis as they rubbed shoulders with Night Ranger, Racer X, Hurricane, Poison and Warrant.

With lots of support in the press, and not just local publications like Bam, Screamer and Rock City News, but also Rip, Metal Forces and Sunset Strip, who between them reached audiences across America, Europe and Japan, it was no surprise that RINGS OF SATURN began to gain notice. In April, 1989, Arista Records’ A&R Executive Liz Levy brought label owner Clive Davis to one of the band’s shows at the Roxy, but Davis, who already had his eyes elsewhere, gave the nod to sign fellow LA hopefuls Tomorrow’s Child instead. Columbia Records and RCA would also show interest in adding ROS to their rosters, but with preferences moving in a rap and hip-hop direction, getting a solid offer proved just out of the band’s grasp.

With no major label deal emerging, RINGS OF SATURN hooked up with Lawless Records for the 1989 ten-track CD, ‘Early RINGS OF SATURN’, of which there was also a four-track cassette version released. Two of the CD’s best loved cuts would gain traction in Belgium, where “For Real” and “Can You Feel It Comin’” simultaneously hit #1 and #3 in Radio Aktief’s ‘Live Cassette Band’ chart. That release was followed up in 1990 by the six-song cassette, ‘For Real’, again in conjunction with Lawless, although a later CD version through Slamstone Records added four live recordings.

Eric Swanson would be replaced in the same year (1990) by Scott Swan but in August, 1991, the band decided to take a break. Coane was asked to handle lead vocal duties for Cherry Street on their summer tour of the American southwest, but on his return discovered that his old band-mates weren’t interested in getting back together, feeling their leader had already cut his ties with them.

With no band at his disposal Coane took on studio sessions and a host of other gigs, including commercials and TV work. However, as he explains, the singer would also have a near brush with super-stardom. “In 1993 I got a phone call from Steven Sweet of Warrant to come to his place and try out for the lead singer spot in the band after Jani Lane had left. We rehearsed and started to write a few songs, but suddenly they broke off communications. Not long after, I ran into them sitting at the bar at FM Station, a local rock club in North Hollywood. That’s when I found out that Jani had returned…. he was sitting with them having a beer!”

Later the same year Coane would begin working on his own songs again. A deal was struck with producer/engineer Brian Levi at Clear Lake Audio in North Hollywood and recording for the next incarnation of RINGS OF SATURN began.

When the band did return in 1994, it was only Coane who remained, with drummer Glen Sobel, bassist Jim Kleinman and guitarist Dave Chamberlain now on board, and this line-up would record the song “Last Rocket To Love,” which would feature on the 1995 CD, ‘Stonecrazy,’ with six-string man Scott Van Zen also helping out. Although, by the time the band finally called it a day in 1996 due to the slew of rap, hip-hop, grunge and country acts hogging the limelight, it was live drummer Chad Clark, bassist Paul Jaeger and guitarist Sean Colligan who would bring this much respected act to an end alongside its founder.

Ever active, in more recent times Coane has recorded two solo records, ‘Stay With You’ in 2001 and ‘Blue For You’ two years later, while his third solo offering, ‘21st Century Blues,’ nears completion. However, for many, the name Billy Coane will always be synonymous with the band Rings Of Saturn and when you hear the tracks that make up this self titled CD, it’s no wonder why.