Road Crew Magazine
Music Magazine with News, Reviews, Photos and Video

Raise Your Glass In Remembrance

 Sometimes, it's hard to put situations into words to do them any justice. Sometimes our mouths (or fingers) can not convey what is truly in our hearts to give honor to those musical talents that have given us reason to admire them and look up to them. Such is the case with today's This Day In Rock.

When I was a kid, I cut my teeth on music from so many different genres giving me a well rounded taste in music. But out of them all, rock has always been a driving force for me. I remember while other kids were singing "The Wheels on the Bus", I was belting out "Barracuda" by Heart. I remember going to a restaurant called Molly Murphys and to my older cousin's house and hearing "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen and singing along, knowing all the words. I remember being in my mother's ex-husbands mother's house...(that was a mouthful, huh?) and being in the basement listening, on 8 track, to the individual albums that the members of Kiss had put out. There were 4 of us kids and my mom had gotten one for each of us. Mine was Paul Stanley's and I was very jealous of my brother who had gotten Gene's. I remember watching "Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park" in that very basement as well. Now, you may be asking yourself, what does any of this have to do with This Day In Rock. And here is where I will try my best to honor two great men of rock.

It's hard to absorb the shock of one great rocker dying, but even more so when two die on the same day. Both Freddy Mercury, lead singer of Queen and Eric Carr, drummer for Kiss passed away On This Day back in 1991.

We all remember the flamboyant front man for Queen with his amazing 4 octave vocal range and ability to wow the crowd. I was always amazed by Queen and have viewed them as Rock and Roll meets Theater. They were unique in their musical styles and you never knew what turn their music would take next.

On November 22, 1991 , Freddy Mercury called Queen's manager to discuss a public statement about his illness. On November 23, 1991, the following announcement was made to the press on his behalf.

"Following the enormous conjecture in the press over the last two weeks, I wish to confirm that I have been tested HIV positive and have AIDS. I felt it correct to keep this information private to date to protect the privacy of those around me. However, the time has come now for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth and I hope that everyone will join with my doctors and all those worldwide in the fight against this terrible disease. My privacy has always been very special to me and I am famous for my lack of interviews. Please understand this policy will continue."

Sadly, within 24 hours, on November 24th, Freddy Mercury passed away at the age of 45.

 From oven repair man to drumming for a legendary rock band, Eric Carr will never be forgotten by any Kiss fan. For his Kiss alter ego, Carr was first made up as The Hawk, but didn't like that, so later took on the persona of The Fox.

Carr's musical influences included: John Bonham of Led Zeppelin and Ringo Star of the Beatles. He also played guitar, bass guitar, piano and sang background vocals as well as playing the drums.

On the "Hot In The Shade" tour, Carr began having problems with his health. Doctors diagnosed him with an extremely rare condition of heart cancer. After undergoing several surgeries and aggressive treatment, Carr's cancer went into remission and his health began to improve. However, he soon suffered from an aneurysm, which he did recover from. A few days later he suffered from a brain hemorrhage, caused by cancer cells carried in his bloodstream to his brain. He passed away On This Day at the age of 41.

These are two men whose musical genius I continue to admire. Their contributions to the world of rock are undeniable and will forever be shared by those who would follow in their musical footsteps. May their families and friends be comforted and remembered on this day, the day this world lost two of rock's shining stars.