kevin dubrow

Kevin DuBrow, a gravelly voiced singer for Quiet Riot, a heavy-metal band that peaked in the 1980s, and who captivated decibel-tolerant fans with high-intensity musicality, quirky theatricality and a hint of menace, died on Sunday at his home in Las Vegas. He was 52.

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Tammie Arroyo/Associated Press, 2004
Kevin DuBrow
Samantha Charles, communications officer for the coroner's office of Clark County, Nev., said the cause of the death remains the subject of investigation.

Web sites and blogs quickly began buzzing with tributes and speculation about the cause of death. Frankie Banali, Quiet Riot's current drummer, wrote, "I am already having to deal with untrue rumors and speculation," and he asked for them to stop.

Mr. DuBrow's music evolved from an early love of British rock acts that included Small Faces, Spooky Tooth, Rod Stewart and Humble Pie. He favored suspenders and hats, splashy antics and no-holds-barred banter. As Quiet Riot changed in membership and style, Mr. DuBrow was the persistent driving force in the group's uninhibited aggressiveness.

Sometimes during concerts he dressed up in a strait jacket and metal face mask to appear as Quiet Riot's mascot, which is on the covers of almost all the group's albums.

Quiet Riot is credited with helping start the 1980s glam-metal scene and is probably best known for its take on Slade's "Cum On Feel the Noize," which appeared on "Metal Health" (1983) and eventually spent two weeks at No. 5 on Billboard's list of hits. The album sold more than 4 million copies and is considered by many to be the first heavy-metal record to climb high in the pop charts.

"Although bands such as Motley Crue get the lion's share of credit for popularizing pop metal in the 1980s, the first band of the genre to break through to a massive audience was Quiet Riot," Billboard.com said yesterday.

Kevin Mark DuBrow was born on Oct. 29, 1955. He grew up first in Hollywood, Calif., and then in suburban Van Nuys, in the San Fernando Valley.

Randy Rhoads, who assembled the group, auditioned Mr. DuBrow in his garage. Mr. Rhoads, who went on to establish a big reputation as the guitar player for Ozzy Osbourne, died in a traffic accident in 1982. The band's original lineup included Mr. Rhoads, Mr. DuBrow, the bass player Kelly Garni and the drummer Drew Forsyth.

The group first released two albums in Japan. After Mr. Rhoads left to join Mr. Osbourne in 1979, the band's name was changed to DuBrow. After Mr. Rhoads's death, the group was reconstituted as Quiet Riot.

After its success with "Metal Health," Quiet Riot's next album, "Condition Critical" (1984), was a disappointment in sales. The band continued to go through changes, and in 2004 Mr. DuBrow left to make a solo album, "In for the Kill." He later returned.

At the peak of the group's popularity, in the 1980s, Mr. DuBrow said he was making as much as $500,000 a year and delighting in "completely gorgeous women who are absolutely crazy," according to an interview with Rock Eyez, an online magazine specializing in heavy-metal music.

Information on survivors was unavailable, but Mr. DuBrow never married nor had children.

In 2006, Quiet Riot released an album called "Rehab." In 2001, Mr. DuBrow told The Birmingham (Ala.) Weekly that he eschewed alcohol, liked doing housework and exercised regularly.

He said in a 2004 interview in Worcester Magazine: "I've read interviews where certain guys are trying to escape their past. I am my past." Kevin DuBrow
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DuBrow performing.Kevin DuBrow (October 29, 1955 � November 25, 2007) was an American rock vocalist, best known as the lead singer of the heavy metal band Quiet Riot. During Quiet Riot's commercial heyday in the 1980s, Dubrow was known for his on-stage charisma, gravelly bluesy voice, and suspenders.

Contents
1 Biography
1.1 Early life
1.2 With Quiet Riot
1.3 Death
2 Discography
2.1 With Quiet Riot
2.2 Solo
3 References
4 External links



Biography

Early life
DuBrow grew up in Hollywood, California, before settling in the Los Angeles suburb of Van Nuys at age 13. By the time he was in his mid-teens he had developed an appreciation for a number of British rock acts including the Small Faces, Spooky Tooth, Rod Stewart and Humble Pie. It was the latter of those influences that would leave the biggest impact on DuBrow and act as a compass in his musical career.[1]


With Quiet Riot
The original band was started by Randy Rhoads in 1975, but broke up in 1979 when Rhoads went on to join Ozzy Osbourne's band. In 1980, DuBrow formed a band he named DuBrow, which also included brothers Tony and Carlos Cavazo. After Rhoads' death in 1982, Dubrow changed the name of the band to Quiet Riot, which his record company felt would allow the band to capitalize on wide name recognition. Rudy Sarzo ended up joining the band once again before the release of Metal Health, which stormed to the top of the charts, making Quiet Riot the first metal band to achieve number one status on their (U.S. release) debut album. Songs like "Cum on Feel the Noize" (originally written and recorded by English band Slade in 1973), and "Metal Health (Bang Your Head)" then launched them into national fame. Nevertheless, when asked to compose more successful albums, they were unable to do so. This, coupled with DuBrow's diatribes against contemporary metal bands, the press, and eventually his own record company led to the decline of Quiet Riot. DuBrow at one point was even fired from Quiet Riot during a tour's end at Hawaii in 1987; he was abandoned in a hotel while the other members of the band left on an earlier flight.

Quiet Riot continued through the 90's in several different incarnations. They released several albums including Terrified, Down to the Bone, Alive and Well and Guilty Pleasures.

In 2004, DuBrow recorded a collection of cover versions for his first solo album, In for the Kill.

During 2006, Quiet Riot worked on a new studio album that was expected to be released in either 2006 or 2007. The band stated that they had set no timetable for the release of the album, that they are financing the project themselves, and that it would be released when they see fit and on their terms.[2]

The album, Rehab, was released on October 3, 2006. The lineup on the album was DuBrow, Frankie Banali, Tony Franklin, and Neil Citron. Singer Glenn Hughes also made a guest vocal appearance on the album.


Death
On November 25, 2007, The Vegas Eye reported on its website that DuBrow was found dead on that day in his apartment in Las Vegas.[3] Drummer Frankie Banali confirmed DuBrow's death in an email to Spain's The Metal Circus.[4] Banali wrote:

"Please respect my privacy as I mourn the passing and honor the memory of my dearest friend Kevin DuBrow."

Friends and former bandmates are said to be shocked [5]

These initial reports were confirmed by local authorities and reported by major news outlets on November 26, 2007. The cause of death has yet to be reported.[6][7] According to local police, there was no forced entry and no suspicious circumstances were reported.[8]