Booking Quiet Riot

Quiet Riot Biography

The heavy metal band known as Quiet Riot was among the most most popular groups in the genre throughout most of the 1980’s and into the 1990’s. Founded in the early 1970’s, Quiet Riot began its rise to fame as an opener for such notable bands as Van Halen before securing their first record deal with Sony in 1977. Shortly thereafter, the band’s debut album, Quiet Riot, was released, but their limited deal with the label lead to a release overseas instead of an album release in the United States, as they’d hoped for.

After switching to CBS Records in the early 1980’s, Quiet Riot released Metal Health in 1983.  Largely due to the strength of the single “Cum On Feel the Noize,” the album was a smash hit, rising to the top of the Billboard charts, reaching the number one spot, and eventually selling more than six million copies. The single also rose into the top ten, and set the stage for the follow-up albums Condition Critical (1984), Quiet Riot III (1986), QR (1988), Terrified (1993), Down to the Bone (1995), Alive and Well (1999), Guilty Pleasures (2001), and Rehab (2006.) The albums featured the singles “Don’t Wanna Let You Go,” “Mama Weer All Crazee Now,” “Sign of the Times,” “Party All Night,” “Winners Take All,” “The Wild and the young,” and “Little Angel.”

Shortly after Rehab was released, however, Quiet Riot suffered the tragic loss of their lead singer, Kevin Dubrow. The loss was a blow to the band, but after a few years, in 2010, Quiet Riot regrouped and established a new version of the band with the current lineup of Frankie Banali, Chuck Wright, Alex Grossi, and Scott Vokoun on lead vocals. Quiet Riot continues to perform, and there are talks of returning to the studio for another album release in the coming years.

In the meantime, the band’s legacy is notable; Quiet Riot’s music or references to its music appear in pop culture across a variety of mediums. The song “Band Your Head (Metal Health” currently appears in a variety of video games, including Grand Theft Auto and Guitar Hero. The band Ben Folds included a reference to Quiet Riot in their song “Rockin’ the Suburbs,” as did the Bangles in their song “Manic Monday.” The wrestler Necro Butcher also uses the song “Bang Your Head (Metal Health)” for his personal theme upon entering the ring.