Former Quiet Riot frontman Kevin Dubrow was born in Los Angeles in 1955 and formed Quiet Riot in 1973. The original lineup included Randy Rhoads on guitar and once he left to join with Ozzy Osbourne in 1979 the band changed their name to Dubrow. After Rhoads untimely death in 1982 the band changed their name back to Quiet Riot.
Believe it or not, Quiet Riot was at one time the most popular metal band in America. In 1983 the country was shaking off its collective disco hangover and metal music was gaining in popularity. Up to that point no metal album had reached #1 but that changed with Quiet Riot’s “Metal Health”. It went on to sell over six million copies and put Quiet Riot on top of the metal world for a short period of time.
“Metal Health” was the best selling metal album of the year which is even more impressive when you see who they were up against: Dio – “Holy Diver”, KISS – “Lick it Up”, Def Leppard – “Pyromania”, Iron Maiden – “Piece of Mind”, Motley Crue – “Shout at the Devil”, AC/DC – “Flick of the Switch”, Motorhead – “Another Perfect Day”, Metallica – “Kill ‘Em All”, Slayer – “Show No Mercy”, Accept – “Balls to the Wall”, Pantera “Metal Magic”, Ozzy Osbourne – “Bark at the Moon”, Black Sabbath – “Born Again”, Ratt – “Ratt”, Krokus – “Headhunter”, Dokken – “Breaking the Chains”. While many of these albums ended up surpassing “Metal Health” in sales or popularity, none of them is more important to metal history.
Much of Quiet Riot’s success was due to Dubrow. His singing style was much more blues-rock or classic rock oriented than many metal singers at the time. Dubrow was a fan of singers like Rod Stewart and Steve Marriott and they influenced his style. As a result, Quiet Riot’s hit singles “Metal Health” and “Cum on Feel the Noize” were more palatable to the average listener than many of the band’s contemporaries.
Quiet Riot released two more albums before Dubrow and the band started an on and off relationship. Their second album, “Condition Critical”, came in 1984 and went platinum while the third album “QR III” reached #31 on the album chart in 1986. Dubrow released albums with Quiet Riot through the 1990s and 2000s as well as a number of solo efforts. He also worked periodically as a DJ for the radio station KOMP in Las Vegas.
On November 25, 2007 Dubrow was found dead in his home. Friends became worried when Dubrow was unreachable and he failed to attend Thanksgiving festivities as well as a party at former Deep Purple and Black Sabbath singer Glenn Hughes’ house. It is estimated he died six days prior due to a cocaine overdose. While Quiet Riot never duplicated the success that “Metal Health” achieved, Dubrow remains an important link in the chain of metal’s evolution from underground to mainstream.
“Slick Black Cadillac” with Randy Rhoads off the album “Quiet Riot II” 1978:
“Metal Health” off the album “Metal Health” 1983:
“Condition Critical” off the album “Condition Critical” 1984:
“The Wild and the Young” off the album “QR III” 1986:
