Died On This Date (March 24, 2012) Vince Lovegrove / Australian Singer, Manager & Journalist
themusicsover Vince Lovegrove
1948 – March 24, 2012
Vince Lovegrove was a famous Australian artist manager, television producer, journalist, and one-time pop star himself. As a singer, Lovegrove performed with several Perth bands during the early ’60s. In 1966, he founded the Valentines in which he sang co-lead with future AC/DC front man, Bon Scott. In fact, it was Lovegrove who ultimately introduced Scott to the other members of AC/DC who of course, went on to become a rock and roll dynasty. The Valentines scored several Australian hits before disbanding in 1970. Lovegrove went on to become a pop music journalist, writing for such magazines as Go-Set and Immedia!. As a manager, Lovegrove, at one point or another, oversaw the careers of AC/DC, Cold Chisel, Jimmy Barnes, and the Divinyls. During the mid ’80s, Lovegrove’s wife, Suzi Sidewinder, was diagnosed with HIV. Prior to this knowledge, Suzi passed the virus along to their then-unborn son, Troy Sidewinder, while he was in her womb. Suzi died of AIDS in 1987, while Troy passed away from it in 1993. Lovegrove forged on as an HIV awareness activist, educating people that the virus was much more than a “gay disease.” He made two very personal and critically acclaimed documentaries on the subject, Suzi’s Story, and A Kid Called Troy. Lovegrove continued writing and performing well into the 2000s. Vince Lovegrove was killed in an automobile accident on March 24, 2012. He was 64.
Thanks to Henk de Bruin at 2+ Printing for the assist.
Dave Devereaux was the owner of Force Of Habit Records, a popular independent record store in the Mission District area of San Francisco, California. As a teenager, Devereaux moved with his family from Montreal, Canada to Southern California where he became obsessed with hard rock and punk, with Metallica, AC/DC and the Ramones being among his favorites. He also did some DJing, which is when he came up with the nickname of Braindead Dave. Devereaux eventually settled in San Fransisco, opening Force Of Habit in 2004, after building a worldwide customer following on eBay. The store, which specialized in rare punk, vinyl and collectables, quickly became a local hang-out for area teens and music lovers of all ages. One such loyalist was Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys fame who liked to pick through the shop’s 7″ single bins. Devereaux liked to support the local music scene as well, often showcasing live bands at his store. On July 5, 2011, paramedics discovered 41-year-old Dave Devereaux dead in his apartment. Authorities initially speculated that he passed away either on that day or the one prior, while early autopsy tests proved inconclusive. Foul play was not suspected, and according to online reports, Devereaux had been suffering from gastroesophageal problems in recent months.
Michael Kenfner was a long time record company executive that got his start working for 
Frank C. Starr was a charismatic lead vocalist for hard rock bands, Alien, SIN, and most famously, the Four Horsemen. Raised on Long Island, NY, Starr eventually landed in Los Angeles to take his shot at the big time. After a short run in a band called Alien, Starr began to make a name for himself fronting a band called SIN through the mid ’80s, but struggled to get noticed in the same Sunset Strip scene that gave us Guns ‘n Roses, Ratt, and Great White. After the band called it quits in 1984, Starr landed in the Four Horsemen, a rock band that took its cue more from ’70s rockers like Lynyrd Skynyrd or AC/DC than such contemporaries as Poison or Faster Pussycat. After self-releasing a four-song EP in 1989, the band were snatched up by Rick Rubin’s Def American label and went into the studio with Rubin producing. The resulting album Nobody Said It Was Easy, garnered enough critical praise and fan support to land them on the road touring with the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Black Crowes as well as regular video rotation on MTV. But all this wasn’t enough to translate into significant album sales. At the same time, word was getting around that Starr was developing a reputation for his drug use and subsequent run-ins with the law, reportedly leading to a stint in jail on drug charges forcing the label to drop the band. But all were false claims according to the band, the only reason they were dropped was because of poor record sales. The sudden rise of grunge as well as some internal fighting seemed to be the end of the Four Horsemen, but after some personnel changes, they regrouped and began working on a new album in 1994. But after losing original drummer,