Kevin DuBrow

Kevin DuBrow, lead singer of Quiet Riot, passed away Sunday at age 52.

I'm not going to waste too much space on DuBrow, as Quiet Riot was at best a footnote in rock history. Their moment of glory was their 1983 release Metal Health, which topped the Billboard album chart, a rare feat for a metal album in any era. Their mediocre cover of Slade's "Cum On Feel The Noize" reached the Top 5 and is claimed by some to be the first metal single to achieve that, although one would have to have a narrower definition of heavy metal than I have to make that claim. (For what are "Whole Lotta Love" and "Smoke On The Water", both Top 5 hits as well, if not classic heavy metal?) Quiet Riot's best achievement by far was Metal Health's title track.

Strannix has a more generous assessment of DuBrow's talent than I do. Randy Raley didn't think too much of DuBrow, but his post does include a nifty Slade tribute.

Now grab something handy and bang your head one more time in memory of Kevin DuBrow.



UPDATE: Brian Holland piles on.