Died On This Date (March 24, 2012) Vince Lovegrove / Australian Singer, Manager & Journalist

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.

 

Died On This Date (February 19, 1980) Bon Scott / Lead Singer Of AC/DC

Ronald “Bon” Scott
July 9, 1946 – February 19, 1980

bon-scott

Bonn Scott was the second lead singer of hard rock juggernaut, AC/DC.  In 1964, Scott formed his first band, the Spektors as their drummer. They eventually morphed into the Valentines, a pop band who scored a bubblegum hit or two in Australia.  For a good laugh, check out their video for “Build Me Up Buttercup.”  That’s Scott on back-up vocals to the right.  After that band broke up in 1970, Scott joined Fraternity, a moderately successful rock band that took him down a more deserved rock path than he was on with his earlier bands.  When Fraternity went on hiatus in 1973, Scott found work as a driver of up-and-coming hard rock band, AC/DC.  At the time, brothers, Angus Young and Malcolm Young who were looking for someone to replace original lead singer, Dave Evans.  Meanwhile, Scott was pestering them about becoming their drummer, but the Youngs soon decided to hire Scott as their lead singer, his gutteral snarl being a better match for their sonic guitars.  The group released their first album, High Voltage in Australia in September of 1974.  By 1979, the band were building a fan base throughout Europe and North America, so when their sixth album, Highway to Hell came out in July of ’79, AC/DC were well on their way to becoming one of the biggest rock band’s of their generation.  The album became their first to crack the U.S. album charts, eventually peaking at #17.  Sadly however, Scott wouldn’t live to enjoy the fruits of the group’s hard work.  On February 19, 1980, he was placed in a parked automobile to sleep off a night of heavy drinking.  When a friend went to check on him some hours later, he found Scott unresponsive, so he was taken to a local hospital where he was listed as dead on arrival.  Bonn Scott died at the age of 33, having choked on his own vomit.  Official documents indicated that he died of acute alcohol poisoning and suffered “death by misadventure.”

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