Happy Birthday today (Oct. 11) to guitarist Andy McCoy of Hanoi Rocks. He's 57.
Guitarist Andy McCoy is best known for his work with Finnish glam punk band Hanoi Rocks. He and singer Michael Monroe rose to fame in the early 1980’s with Hanoi Rocks out of Helsinki, Finland. In his autobiography All Those Wasted Years, Michael Monroe stated that he was first exposed to rock and roll when he witnessed Black Sabbath’s 1970 Paris concert on television. Some of the band’s influences included Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin, The New York Dolls, and CCR. Hanoi Rocks were on the way to stardom, but that was cut short when a car accident took the life of drummer Razzle in 1984. The band broke up a year later. Andy McCoy and Michael Monroe reunited and formed a new version of Hanoi Rocks that was active from 2001-2009.
Hanoi Rocks developed a big cult following for their musical style and great live performances, despite ever achieving huge commercial success. Cheers to Andy McCoy on his birthday today!