Quiet Riot Singer Died of Overdose

The death last month of Kevin Dubrow has been ruled an accidental cocaine overdose.

By the Associated Press
December 10, 2007

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- The death last month of Kevin Dubrow, lead singer for the 1980s heavy metal band Quiet Riot, has been ruled an accidental cocaine overdose.

Clark County coroner spokeswoman Samantha Charles confirmed the cause Monday after toxicology results were received Monday.

Dubrow was found dead Nov. 25 at his Las Vegas home. He was 52.

Quiet Riot was perhaps best known for its 1983 cover of "Cum on Feel the Noize." The song, featuring Dubrow's powerful, gravelly voice, appeared on the band's album "Metal Health" -- which was the first by a metal band to reach No. 1 on the Billboard chart.

DuBrow recorded a solo album in 2004, "In for the Kill," and the band's last studio CD, "Rehab," came out in October 2006.

Will Zeppelin tour again, or is it just a trial balloon?

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Amy Sancetta / AP

Led Zeppelin bandmates Robert Plant, left, and Jimmy Page, as seen in 1985.

Word is spreading that the rock group might play Bonnaroo. Promoter says they're set to play a tribute concert in London, but that might open a door.

By Geoff Boucher, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 10, 2007

Will Led Zeppelin play Bonnaroo, the huge rock festival staged each June in Manchester, Tenn.?

That's the big rumor in the music industry leading up to the classic-rock demi-gods' performance Monday at a tribute concert in London and lead singer Robert Plant's recent comments advocating a full-scale reunion tour (which Rolling Stone has already dubbed "the biggest tour ever" on its cover).

Bonnaroo, which hosted a high-profile stop on the Police reunion tour this year, would seem like an ideal spot (and Zep bassist John Paul Jones even played there already as part of this year's bill) but we hear that Zeppelin will not be flying high at the jam-inclined festival.

"It's just a rumor, none of that is real," says Randy Phillips, chief executive of AEG Live, the concert promotion company that runs O2, the London arena where Zep will be playing in a tribute to Ahmet Ertegun, one of the most celebrated figures in the music industry as the co-founder of Atlantic Records. AEG is pushing hard for the Zeppelin tour; Phillips said today he was headed from Los Angeles to England to "meet with Bill Curbishly, the band's manager, and hand him a huge offer."

Plant has a tour on tap with Alison Krauss to promote their new duet album, "Raising Sand." The Zeppelin tour would have Plant, guitar hero Jimmy Page, Jones and drummer Jason Bonham (behind the kit in place of his late father, rock icon John Bonham), and, by all appearances, it seems to be girding up with the same positive inertia that recently carried the Police back on the road and the Eagles back into the studio.

"The reality is Zeppelin has not agreed to a tour," Phillips said. "They want to play this show and see how it goes, how it feels, and then go from there. There's nothing firm yet, but maybe afterward."

Zeppelin is the bestselling heavy-metal act ever, with nearly 110 million albums shipped, according to the Recording Industry Assn. of America. The group hasn't toured since 1980 (the year Bonham died), and their last full concert dates in the U.S. were in 1977. (The surviving members did perform a short set at the industry banquet for their 1995 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.)

How much appetite is there for a Zeppelin reunion? Industry sources compare the likely box office to the recent record-setting road-runs by the Rolling Stones or U2, but it may be even more: Organizers of the online ticket lottery for the Ertegun tribute said 20 million requests came in for a show with 16,000 seats.

geoff.boucher@latimes.com

Grammy Subplots

AFP / Getty Images

Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." from 1984 and "The Rising" from 2002 were both nominated for overall best album.

By Geoff Boucher, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 6, 2007

Is it finally time for Bruce Springsteen's magic Grammy moment? And how willing are Grammy voters to embrace the talented but troubled Amy Winehouse?

Those are two of the subplots Thursday (Dec. 6) at the announcement of nominations for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. Winners will be announced Feb. 10 at Staples Center in a ceremony to be broadcast on CBS.

Springsteen's album "Magic" is considered by many industry insiders to be a strong contender for album of the year -- a trophy Springsteen has been twice nominated for but never won.

Springsteen is deeply respected in the industry, and "Magic," which entered the U.S. album sales chart at No. 1 in October, has him back with the E Street Band. Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." from 1984 and "The Rising" from 2002 were both nominated for overall best album but the awards went instead to Lionel Richie and Norah Jones, respectively.

Winehouse, the British singer with an earthy, throwback soul style and the hit "Rehab," would seem to be a sure bet for best new artist nomination and possibly nods in the album and record of the year fields. But the 24-year-old also appears to be spinning out of control; she has just canceled a tour, her husband has been jailed and her drug issues have become daily fodder for the British tabloids.

Others who may vie for the album trophy include rapper Kanye West ("Graduation"), country veteran Reba McEntire ("Reba Duets"), Canadian art-rock band Arcade Fire ("Neon Bible") and alt-metal band Linkin Park ("Minutes to Midnight").

geoff.boucher@latimes.com