The rise and fall of Frenchy Fuqua

In the next hour on VH1's Behind the Music, we will take you through the rise and fall of Frenchy Fuqua, Americas Best Bad Band.

The Beginnings
The Rise
The Fall

The Beginnings
Sean Tyson and Dave Ramey started Frenchy Fuqua in a Lubbock Texas ghetto. They were both part of a Notorious Gang the "Loco Onces". After finding they both had a love for Taco Bell and pissing on patios, they formed as a wrestling tandem. After years of practicing full-nelsons and eye-pokes, they decided that music was their calling. Sean (Stick-Man, T-Bone) Tyson was the first to find his instrument, the spoons. After deciding that the spoons would not work with plastic spoons and Tupperware® he moved onto an easier instrument, the drums.

Dave "Ripper, Tripper, Captain D" Ramey, who was already an accomplished Techmo Bowl Player, decided to quit running Bo Jackson and Marcus Allen to death and pick-up his other dream, the air guitar. Since he never could tune an air guitar he started playing a Willie Nelson Cracker Jack® guitar. Together with Sean, they thought they were unstoppable, but yet they had no ... what do you call it "Creativity". Their songs were dry, unfunny and awfully reminiscent of the C.C. DeVille and Rick Allen bootleg tapes. All of the talent in the world with no direction.

Lauren "LTrain, WORD" Melton was living a tough street life as a hardened member of the "Rollin' 60's", the most dangerous gang in Lubbock. Even though Lauren and the other two were rival gangmembers, with the help of drugs and alcohol Sean and Dave decided that they needed Lauren’s creativity in order to make it into the big leagues. One problem was that Lauren did not have an instrument to play. That turned into their biggest asset because he can make a fool of himself without blinking an eye (as seen in the Daytona Beach Spring Break tapes of 1994). He was the singer, although a very unnaturally bad singer. With a voice like a Speak and Spell® and through many cans of Milwalkee’s Best Light and cases and cases of Boones Farm Strawberry Hill they formed the first roster of what was to become ... Frenchy Fuqua.

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The Rise
With no formal training they tore into a recording session. They became somewhat of a Sublime cover band, recording songs such as "What I Got" and "I Saw Red". The name of this critically acclaimed album is "The Train is Gone". With mediocre success they toured the southern Austins tour circuit including Threadgills and Lubbock's Buns Over Texas and Virgin Club. Then the big break came as the B-side of I Saw Red. A Longview Radio Station DJ on KYKX 105 decided to play Frenchy Fuqua's cover Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise". It was an instant hit on the club circuit through-out all rural areas across the country.

Frenchy Fuqua were so popular that while playing at the Ennis County Fair, the Hillbilly Hayride had to be cancelled. The first time it has been cancelled since the tornado tore through Trailer Park Alley. Then came the fame, money, the women, the cold medicine. All of it in large quantities, very large quantities. Something was bound to happen.

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The Fall
On a early August morning, the pyramid of power began to crumble. Lauren was flaunting the rise of "Bring the Noise" to Number One on the Billboard charts to relatives of Dave. He seemed to forget that Dave was not included in the recording of "Bring the Noise". This made Dave madder than Hell and he took off to a Eastern Corsicana bungalow. There he stayed in bed listening to "Framton Comes Alive" until Sean came to his side. Sean described to Dave that after he left, Lauren's ego got bigger than ever and became unbearable to work with. Dave sent the infamous insane rage letter to Lauren and matters got worse, Lauren swore that he would never work with someone that doesn't understand why there should not be any brown M&M's® in the bowl. He cut off all ties.

Dave and Sean finally regained the master tapes and began to piece together what was left of Frenchy Fuqua. They compiled an All-Star band with the legal great Rachel Nofke on keyboards and immediately recorded "Gotta Catch a Train". Then they had a minor hit with a rendition of "State of Love & Jessie's Girl". After touring most of the Holiday Inn circuit, they soon would forget the trials and tribulations of being on top, and enjoy the comfort of being an average band.

Frenchy Fuqua was a bad band during a great time.