Metal Storm logo
Quiet Riot - Biography


Logos


1983-

1983-

1977-1978

Biography

Quiet Riot were one of the more successful hard rock acts in Los Angeles in the mid to late 1970s. They often opened for Van Halen in several L.A. clubs including the Starwood and KROQ's Cabaret nightclub, before either act had a record deal. Nonetheless, Quiet Riot was unable to procure a recording contract in the United States. By 1977 they were able to secure a deal with Sony, but their records would be released only in Japan. The original four members recorded their debut album Quiet Riot, or QR I, in 1977. Vocalist Kevin DuBrow and bassist Kelly Garni did not get along. According to Garni, "I was on a constant quest to get him out of the band and get a different singer. I hated him, he hated me and we could not find any way whatsoever to get along which caused a lot of tension in the band and it put a lot of stress on Randy to try to be neutral. Their second album Quiet Riot II, or QR II, was recorded at The Record Plant and released in Japan in 1978. Once recording was completed, Garni left the band. (Although Garni's replacement Rudy Sarzo was pictured and credited on QR II, he actually joined the band after the album was recorded.)[5] DuBrow claimed that this period of the band's existence was very frustrating. "We had one of the best guitar players ever in our band and we couldn't get arrested!" he lamented many years later.

In 1979, Rhoads auditioned for Ozzy Osbourne's band upon the recommendation of future Slaughter bassist Dana Strum. Osbourne himself has stated that he interrupted Rhoads' warm-up for the audition to hire him. Shortly thereafter, Sarzo also left Quiet Riot for Osbourne's band. Since no one expected Quiet Riot to reform at this point, according to Sarzo "a lot of the Quiet Riot songs ended up on the [Osbourne] albums under different titles. Obviously Randy thought we'd never use those songs again so he'd give the riffs to Ozzy who'd come up with new words." Sarzo went on to say that the Osbourne song "Suicide Solution" originated as a Quiet Riot demo called "Force of Habitt

Randy Rhoads died in a plane crash while on tour with Ozzy Osbourne in March 1982, after which Rudy Sarzo quit Osbourne's band. DuBrow contacted Sarzo and asked him to play on a track called "Thunderbird", which was a tribute to Rhoads. The lineup of DuBrow, Sarzo, Cavazo, and Banali had so much fun recording the track that they wound up recording half of an album in the process. The previous bassist for the band DuBrow was sacked to make room for Sarzo in the new lineup. There was some uncertainty over whether this incarnation of the band should be named DuBrow or Quiet Riot; in the end they decided on Quiet Riot "because although Randy wouldn't be in it, the original spirit of the band was back," according to Sarzo.

In September 1982, with help from producer Spencer Proffer, they were signed to CBS Records in America and completed recording the album Metal Health, which was released on March 11, 1983. This was Quiet Riot's American debut, as their two previous albums, QR I and QR II, have still not been released in North America, despite the band's subsequent success.

On August 27, 1983, Quiet Riot's second single "Cum on Feel the Noize" was released. A cover of the 1973 hit by Slade, the single spent two weeks at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in November 1983 and was the first heavy metal song to make the top 5 on that chart. The success of the single helped carry the album Metal Health to the top of Billboard album chart, making it the first American heavy metal debut album to ever reach No. 1 in the United States. On November 26, 1983 Quiet Riot became the first heavy metal band to have a top 5 hit and No. 1 album in the same week.[citation needed] Their success was aided in no small part by the "Cum on Feel the Noize" video's heavy rotation on MTV.Metal Health displaced The Police's Synchronicity at No. 1 and stayed there for just a week until Lionel Richie's Can't Slow Down took over the No. 1 spot.

Metal Health's title track, which had been released as the album's first single on March 11, 1983, finally charted in early 1984 and peaked at No. 31. This could be attributed to the song's appearance in the 1984 movie Footloose, as well as another heavily rotated video on MTV.[citation needed] The song was placed at No. 41 on VH1's Top 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs.[citation needed] The album Metal Health would ultimately sell over six million copies in the United States[12]

In support of Metal Health, Quiet Riot toured North America as the opening act for Black Sabbath on their Born Again tour from October 1983 through March 1984

The group's follow-up, Condition Critical, was released on July 7, 1984. Though successful, it was a relative critical and commercial disappointment, selling only 3 million units and reaching only No. 15 on the Billboard album chart.[citation needed] This release included yet another Slade cover, the single "Mama Weer All Crazee Now". Reportedly[by whom?] frustrated over the album's failure to duplicate the success of its predecessor, DuBrow began expressing his opinion in the heavy metal press that many bands in the Los Angeles metal scene owed their success to what he saw as the doors opened for them by Quiet Riot. At one point he even compared his band to The Beatles. DuBrow's verbal assaults angered many of Quiet Riot's musical contemporaries and alienated fans.

DuBrow's tirades led to fan backlash and clashes in the media with several other Los Angeles-based metal bands, which resulted in Rudy Sarzo quitting the group in January 1985.[citation needed] Despite this, in May 1985 all four Quiet Riot members participated in Hear 'n Aid, a charity project headed by Ronnie James Dio to raise awareness for the famine situation in Africa. Sarzo resurfaced in Whitesnake two years later, in time for their hugely successful 1987 tour. Sarzo was replaced in Quiet Riot by Chuck Wright (formerly of Giuffria) and the group temporarily added keyboardist John Purdell for their 1986 tour. That year the album QR III was released and became another commercial disappointment.

Fed up with DuBrow's antics and pressure from the band's management and record label, the rest of Quiet Riot fired DuBrow from his own band in February 1987 and replaced him with former Rough Cutt vocalist Paul Shortino, leaving no original members in the band. Chuck Wright left the band shortly thereafter and Sarzo was invited to return. Sarzo agreed but was committed to Whitesnake at the time. The group then recruited Sean McNabb for the bassist slot. The revamped band released their second self-titled album, Quiet Riot (also known as QR IV), in October 1988. The album failed to return the band to its commercial glory. In April 1989 the band members went their separate ways. A show from their final tour was later released on a DVD titled '89 Live in Japan. Frankie Banali resurfaced on the W.A.S.P. album The Headless Children, and played some shows with Faster Pussycat. Sean McNabb joined House of Lords in 1991, where he ironically replaced Chuck Wright, the bass player whom he also replaced in Quiet Riot. Kevin DuBrow subsequently fought in court to keep control of the band's name.

Having won the rights to the band's name, DuBrow teamed up with 21 year-old English born blues guitarist Sean Manning, bassist Kenny Hillery, and drummer Pat Ashby to reform Quiet Riot. Initially using the moniker Little Women (a name Rhoads and DuBrow used in the 1970s before settling on Quiet Riot) on tour to avoid any adverse publicity, DuBrow and Manning compiled songs for a new album, which would eventually become the 1993 release Terrified. The band played venues throughout the United States until 1990 when Manning left to join the band Hurricane.

By the early 1990s tempers had cooled between former bandmates Carlos Cavazo and Kevin DuBrow, and they started to communicate again. They eventually formed the band Heat in 1990 with bassist Kenny Hillery and drummer Bobby Rondinelli. This foursome reverted to the name Quiet Riot the following year and released the aforementioned Terrified in 1993 with Banali rejoining on drums. Chuck Wright then rejoined on bass for a 1994 tour in support of Terrified.

That same year, DuBrow released The Randy Rhoads Years, a compilation featuring remixed tracks from Quiet Riot's two Japan-only releases along with previously unreleased material, many of which featured newly recorded vocals. The band released the album Down to the Bone in 1995 and a Greatest Hits album in 1996. Greatest Hits covered only material from the CBS years, including three tracks from the 1988 album with Shortino and two previously promo-only live tracks. Former bassist Kenny Hillery, who had left the group in 1994, committed suicide on June 5, 1996.

Rudy Sarzo rejoined the band again in 1997, recreating the Metal Health lineup. During a tour that year, one angry fan sued DuBrow for injuries she claimed were sustained during a show.[citation needed] In 1999 the band released the album Alive and Well, which featured new songs and several re-recorded hits. The same lineup released the album Guilty Pleasures in 2001. In September 2002, the band teamed up with director Jack Edward Sawyers to shoot a concert video at the Key Club in Los Angeles. The live DVD Live in the 21st Century was released November 11, 2003. Quiet Riot officially broke up again in September 2003.


Kevin DuBrow released his first solo album, In for the Kill, in May 2004, which was followed by the announcement of a Quiet Riot reunion in October 2004. This reunion line-up included Kevin DuBrow, Frankie Banali, Chuck Wright, and new guitarist Alex Grossi. The band was featured on the 2005 Rock Never Stops Tour tour along with Cinderella, Ratt, and FireHouse. In December 2005, guitarist Tracii Guns of L.A. Guns briefly joined Quiet Riot. Guns left less than a month later after one rehearsal due to musical differences.

Wright and Grossi left the band in early 2006. During this period Quiet Riot also included guitarists Billy Morris and Neil Citron, and bassists Sean McNabb and Wayne Carver. During 2006, Quiet Riot worked on a new studio album that was expected to be released in either 2006 or 2007. The band stated that they had set no timetable for the release of the album, that they were financing the project themselves, and that it would be released when they saw fit and on their terms.[21] Ex-The Firm and Blue Murder bassist Tony Franklin worked with the band in the studio. Quiet Riot released the album Rehab on October 3, 2006; featuring a lineup of DuBrow, Banali, Franklin, and Neil Citron. Former Deep Purple bassist and singer Glenn Hughes made a guest vocal appearance on the album. By the end of 2006, Wright and Grossi were back in the band and toured in support of the album. In 2007, Quiet Riot were featured in radio promos for ESPN Radio, parodying their status as outdated rock n' roll icons, with commentary from DuBrow and Banali.

On November 25, 2007, Kevin DuBrow was found dead in his Las Vegas apartment. Frankie Banali confirmed the death in an e-mail to Spain's The Metal Circus
On December 10, 2007, media reports confirmed that DuBrow was pronounced dead on November 25, 2007, and was later determined to have died of a cocaine overdose approximately six days earlier. On January 14, 2008, Banali issued the following statement via his website regarding the future of Quiet Riot:

Despite his previous insistence that Quiet Riot could never return as a live performing entity, Banali announced a new version of Quiet Riot in September 2010 with himself on drums, Chuck Wright on bass, Alex Grossi on guitar, and newcomer Mark Huff (formerly of the Van Halen tribute band 5150) on vocals. The band has sought the blessings of the DuBrow family, and DuBrow's mother encouraged Banali to revive the band. In July 2011, this lineup toured Germany as support for Slayer and Accept.

On January 12, 2012, whilst Huff was awaiting brain surgery,[26] Quiet Riot released a statement, announcing that they had parted ways with Huff, and they were replacing him for upcoming dates with Keith St. John (formerly of Montrose). Huff found out about his firing online.[28] In March 2012, Banali hired unknown vocalist Scott Vokoun as the third Quiet Riot singer in a year and a half.

Original bassist and founding member Kelly Garni released his long-awaited autobiography in October 2012. The book covers the beginnings and early years of Quiet Riot, as well as details of Garni's friendship with founder Randy Rhoads.

In November 2013 it was announced that Scott Vokoun had amicably parted ways with Quiet Riot, and that his replacement was Love/Hate vocalist Jizzy Pearl, who played his first show with the band on December 31 in Flagstaff, Arizona. The band then were reported to be in the recording studio working on a new studio album which was set for release some time in 2014.

In December 2013 Frankie Banali was interviewed by Loudwire, during which he discussed the future of Quiet Riot as well as their upcoming album. He revealed that the album would feature six new songs recorded in the studio, with former bassist Rudy Sarzo and Rehab session bassist Tony Franklin playing on two songs each, as well as four live songs taken from Kevin DuBrow's final professionally-recorded shows with the band in 2007. Banali said of the song choices:

A Quiet Riot documentary movie, titled "Well Now You're Here, There's No Way Back" (named after a lyric in the band's hit song "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)") and directed and produced by Banali's fiancee Regina Russell, was completed around this time.[33] It premiered at the Newport Beach Film Festival on April 29, 2014.