Kevin Dubrow--RIP

[Lee]

From MTV.com

Quiet Riot singer Kevin DuBrow died Sunday, drummer Frankie Banali confirmed in a post on his Web site. DuBrown was 52 years old and the official cause of his death has yet to be determined.

"I can't even find words to say," Banali wrote. "Please respect my privacy as I mourn the passing and honor the memory of my dearest friend Kevin DuBrow."

DuBrow's body was discovered on Sunday inside the rocker's Las Vegas home. According to those close to the singer, DuBrow celebrated his birthday last month in New Orleans and seemed to be in good health. Quiet Riot bassist Kelly Garni has asked fans to be patient for details on the singer's death.

"I ask this to all of you not only for myself but for other friends and family," Garni wrote, in a message posted to a Web site honoring the memory of Quiet Riot founding member Randy Rhoads. "I ask that no one here offer any speculation or opinions, theories or other things that could be construed as negative or, and I'm sorry for this, even sympathetic, right at this immediate time. I am already, within hours of this, having to deal with untrue rumors and speculation and that only adds fuel to that. There is a tendency for the subject of Kevin to incite flames on every board, and now is not the time for that. I will explain to everyone here the facts and the truth in the next 24 to 48 hours as I realize this will affect us all. So please, until then, be patient. All details and other pertinent info will be passed on to you here when it becomes available to me."

Bill Chavis, owner of Chavis Records, the label that issued Quiet Riot's last LP, 2006's Rehab, also confirmed the news.

"DuBrow's body was found by friends on Sunday, November 25, in his Las Vegas home," reads the label's site. "As I mourn his death with a heavy heart, I will remember hearing his voice and the music for the very first time on the radio back in 1983. I will remember all the great music Kevin and Quiet Riot gave to so many of us over the years and I will say, 'Thank you, Kevin. May you rest in peace.' "

Credited with helping to launch the 1980s glam-metal scene, Quiet Riot are perhaps best known for their cover of Slade's "Cum on Feel the Noize," which appeared on 1983's Metal Health and eventually peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was the first by a metal band to reach the chart's #1 position.

[Dave Allen]

I just watched a piece on 80's metal on VH Classic over the weekend. It was funny because DuBrow had little hair when Quiet Riot hit it big in '83 but suddenly he had mucho locks. I never knew till the other day that the first take on "Cum On Feel The Noize" was the first time they had ever recorded the song. They never wanted to record the old Slade song in the first place.

[Scott Reppert]

Slade had more talent in their toenail clippings than Quiet Riot could have ever wished for. NME Chart positions follow song title:

Get Down & Get With It (16)

Coz I Luv You (1)

Look Wot You Dun (4)

Take Me Bak 'Ome (1)

Mama Weer All Crazee Now (1)

Gudbuy T'Jane (2)

Cum On Feel The Noize (1)

Skweeze Me Pleeze Me (1)

My Friend Stan (2)

Merry Christmas Everybody (1)

Everyday (3)

Bangin' Man (3)

Far Far Away (2)

How Does It Feel (15)

Thanks For The Memory (Wham Bam Thank You Mam) (7)

In For A Penny (11)

Let's Call It Quits (11)

We'll Bring The House Down (10)

My Oh My (2)

Run Run Away (7)

That's 20 Top 20 hits, and that doesn't count the fact that "Merry Chrismas Everybody" hits the Top Ten again almost every year.

[Dave Allen]

I'm not debating their talent. I think Run Runaway was a great song. DuBrow told the story that when the record company as about to sign them, they insisted that Quiet Riot record a cover song so they could compare them better with other bands. QR at first refused, until their management told them they had to in order to be considered for the deal. DuBrow said he and the band went into the studio and recorded "Cum On" on the first take. He said in the rockudrama I saw that what you heard on the single and the album was the first take,and the record company loved it and it went on to be a huge hit. In fact, Metal Health became the first metal album ever to go to number one on the album chart. The would, of course, later go on to do another Slade song on their next album, "Mama We're All Crazy Now" from "Condition Critical". I dunno, I guess its all because that was the music of my youth (junior high) but I love that stuff. Hey, everybody's got their shitty music, you know?

[Bob Campbell]

Uh, those Slade hits were in Britain, not the U.S., correct? God, I loved Run Runaway.

[Scott Reppert]

Uh, those Slade hits were in Britain, not the U.S., correct? God, I loved Run Runaway.

Yep. Those were in Britain. In America it went down like this:

1972 Take Me Bak 'Ome #97
1973 Cum On Feel The Noize #98
1973 Gudbuy T' Jane #68
1973 Mama Weer All Crazee Now #76
1984 My Oh My #37
1984 Run Runaway #20
1985 Little Sheila Rock Tracks #13
1985 Little Sheila #86

Around 1980 a friend of mine was at work and had TCS on in the background. She was listening to the sales pitch from an out of town sales rep when right in the middle of his sell he paused and said "am I hearing Slade? On the radio?"

[cgarison]

This is such a sad day in the world of rock music. They may not have been the best group of the 1980s, but they certainly wrote songs that are a part of the musical score of my life.