Today (Oct. 29) we remember Quiet Riot frontman Kevin DuBrow who would have been 64. Other rock birthdays today include drummer Guy Gelso of Zebra (68) and drummer Steven Sweet of Warrant (54).
Quiet Riot was formed by Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni under the name Mach 1 in 1973.The band changed it’s name to Little Women before settling on Quiet Riot in 1975. The original lineup featured Rhoads and Garni with Kevin DuBrow on vocals and Drew Forsyth on drums. The most commercially successful lineup featured DuBrow along with guitarist Carlos Cavazo, bassist Rudy Sarzo, and drummer Frankie Banali. Sadly, Kevin DuBrow died of an accidental cocaine overdose in 2007. In 1983, the band released their breakthrough album Metal Health featuring the title track along with “Cum on Feel the Noize”. The album was the first heavy metal album to reach #1 on the Billboard 200. I was a big Quiet Riot fan and got to see the band many times over the years. Check out a photo of a time I met Kevin DuBrow below. It was taken after a show at Tuxedo Junction in Danbury, CT in the 90's. Kevin was a hell of a singer and he was super nice to me when I chatted with him. He is very much missed.