Kevin Dubrow found dead

[SouthernN'Proud]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Kevin DuBrow, lead singer of the popular U.S. 1980s heavy metal band Quiet Riot, has been found dead from unknown causes at his home in Las Vegas, authorities said on Monday.

DuBrow, 52, was found dead at about 5:20 p.m. on Sunday, a spokeswoman for the Clark County Coroner's Office said. She said an autopsy was under way on Monday to determine the cause of death.

"I can't even find the words to say," Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali said on his Web site. "Please respect my privacy as I mourn the passing and honor the memory of my dearest friend, Kevin DuBrow."

Quiet Riot, which was founded in Los Angeles in the mid-1970s, shot to the top of the Billboard charts with their smash 1983 album "Metal Health." It sold more than 6 million copies and is considered by many to be the first heavy metal record to top the pop charts.

The album's sales were spurred on by the band's monster hit, "Cum on Feel the Noize," featuring DuBrow's powerhouse vocal, and the song's video, which was played in heavy rotation on MTV.

Quiet Riot's follow-up albums did not sell nearly as well and DuBrow was essentially fired from the band amid the ensuing rancor.

DuBrow regrouped Quiet Riot in the 1990s and the band has since played sporadically, last releasing an album in October 2006.

Link

Damn. I never was all that crazy about the guy, but QR being Randy Rhoads' first band I had some of their stuff. I've replaced all but one of theirs I wanted since the fire.

Just...damn...




edit: can a mod fix the typo in his name in the title? thx

 

[JJR512]

Re: Kevin Bubrow found dead

That's too bad.

I wonder how many people who know the song Cum On Feel The Noize and think of it as Quiet Riot's greatest hit know that it's actually a cover song? Another band (Slade) originally performed it years earlier. Of course, the Slade original is total crap, and what Quiet Riot did with it is totally amazing, given what they had to start with.

 

[Inkara1]

Re: Kevin Bubrow found dead

I knew that... I'd actually just heard about it within the past couple of weeks, too.

 

[BeardofPants]

Re: Kevin Bubrow found dead

Of course, the Slade original is total crap, and what Quiet Riot did with it is totally amazing, given what they had to start with.

That's a fucking sacrilege right there. Do you even know what Slade DID to the music industry?

"Slade was certainly our greatest influence; not only in the crafting of rock songs but also as performers. Before Slade, no one really knew shit about how to make an audience riot. We really got off on that. There would probably never have been us without them." - Gene Simmons (Kiss)

"I spent most of the early 70s listening to Slade Alive thinking to myself, "Wow - this is what I want to do. I want to make that kind of intensity for myself. A couple of years later I was at CBGB's doing my best Noddy Holder." - Joey Ramone (The Ramones)

"Slade never compromised. We always had the feeling that they were on our side. I don't know but I think we were right." - Steve Jones (Sex Pistols)

"I couldn't do the heavy rock thing anymore. Noddy Holder was around kicking every singer in the ass. I never wanted to be a pop singer. Christ, how I hated Noddy!" - Tom Jones

"Slade was the coolest band in England. They were the kind of guys that would push your car out of a ditch." - Alice Cooper

"Slade was never pretentious. It was just music to them. Pop, rock, soul....it was all the same to Slade. They wrote great songs. And, besides, I'd like to raid their wardrobe." - Noel Gallagher (Oasis)

"The whole punk rock thing really happened because of bands such as Slade and the like; rock bands that wouldn't back off." - Paul Weller (The Jam/The Style Council)

"Absolutely. Slade! A band that would never bend over." - Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)

"Slade was pretty much the only thing metal about glam rock in the 70s." - Nikki Sixx (Mötley Crüe)

"Whatever happened to bands that rocked liked Slade? Y'know, that no-bullshit, fuck you, in your face, we're bad-as-hell-and-we-know-it kind of band?" - David Coverdale (Whitesnake)

 

[SouthernN'Proud]

Re: Kevin Bubrow found dead

QR made another Slade song into a hit, "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" as well, and introduced Slade's style to millions. Other bands then covered Slade's material. QR's 1983 hit played a huge role in Slade's comeback with the hit, "Run Runaway" as well.

Much the same way Guns n' Roses introduced millions to a band called Hanoi Rocks, a truly underappreciated band. I've always contended that no matter what style music you like, you never hear the best of it. Ratt, Crue, Poison, and Dokken were OK; Smashed Gladys, Spread Eagle, Babylon A.D., and Johnny Crash were incredible.

Dubrow long had a reputation for being hard to get along with, and somewhat annoying personally. I never met him. He wasn't the greatest singer I ever saw, but he wasn't the worst either. I'll say this much for him - he knew a guitar player when he heard one, and the song "Thunderbird" on the Metal Health album, a tribute to Randy Rhoads, still makes me weep every time I listen to it.

 

[JJR512]

Re: Kevin Bubrow found dead

That's a fucking sacrilege right there. Do you even know what Slade DID to the music industry?

My comment was solely in reference to that one song, and was not about the band itself or their influence or anything else. I'm aware of Slade's relevance in music (particularly to glam rock) history. I still maintain that, in my opinion, it amazes me that anyone saw any potential in the original Slade version of that song to begin with.

 

[Gonz]

Slade was one of the bands that only musicians appreciate. There are more of them than anyonne knows.

My wife wanted to know if Kevin died of ugly. When people hang out in the same crowds, it can get rough. Didn't know him personally but went to several parties where he was also there. His singing was atrocious but he got rich with it.