Riot goes Quiet

......................................................Most of you know my addition to 80's hard rock and hair bands. I am ashamed that with all the Wii-search that I failed to mention the passing of Kevin DeBrow, frontman for the 80's hair metal band, Quiet Riot. Riot has been regarded as one of the bands that helped to launch the "hair metal trend". DuBrow was found dead of undetermined causes at his home on Las Vegas on November 25. Quiet Riot was most famous for the anthem, "Cum On Feel the Noize", a fist pounding in the air tune in which his razon sharp voice reached decibels that pierced through the stratosphere. The song, from the album, Metal Health, was the first modern metal album to top Billboard's chart. 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. Later the song "Bang your Head" also generated a sounding and rebelous beat.

Randy Rhoads, who assembled the group (& who I claim to be the best guitarist ever...), auditioned DuBrow in his garage. Rhoads, who went on to establish a big reputation as the guitar player for Ozzy Osbourne, died in an airplane accident in 1982. The band’s original lineup included Rhoads, DuBrow, the bass player Kelly Garni and the drummer Drew Forsyth. The group first released two albums in Japan. After Rhoads left to join Osbourne in 1979, the band’s name was changed to DuBrow. After Rhoads’s death, the group was reconstituted as Quiet Riot. And so the story goes...

In recent years it was reported that Debrow had adopted a lifestyle of healthy living, never married and lived alone with his beloved cats. Seems now, the riot has gone quiet....

Kevin DeBrow 1955-2007