Urge Overkill drummer John Rowan, who carried out beneath the stage title Blackie Onassis, has died, the band confirmed in a statement on their Instagram account. “Urge Overkill is saddened to report that Blackie has handed away,” the publish reads. “Please respect our privateness presently. We’re sending a lot like to his household and all his followers. We all know he will likely be missed.” Rowan’s reason for demise has not been revealed.
Rising from Chicago within the mid-’80s, Urge Overkill launched their debut album Jesus Urge Celebrity—produced by pal Steve Albini—in 1989, adopted by Americruiser in 1990. Along with founding members Nash Kato (vocals/guitar) and Eddie “King” Roeser (vocals/guitar/bass), Jesus Urge Celebrity featured drummer Kriss Bataille, whereas Jack “Jaguar” Watt dealt with percussion on Americruiser.
Rowan joined the band in time for his or her third full-length, 1991’s The Supersonic Storybook, which incorporates the monitor “Today Is Blackie’s Birthday”—a kind of casual introduction to their new bandmate. In 1992, Urge Overkill launched their six-song Stull EP, which includes a cowl of Neil Diamond’s Western-tinged 1967 ballad “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon.” In simply two 12 months’s time, Urge Overkill’s rendition turned a bit of cinema historical past when Quentin Tarantino synched it with Mia Wallace’s drug overdose scene in Pulp Fiction.
Rowan remained in Urge Overkill till the mid-’90s, taking part in on 1993’s Saturation and Exit the Dragon, which landed in 1995. The latter was the group’s final album for roughly 15 years. Throughout their ’90s prime, the band supported Nirvana on their Nevermind tour, and secured an alt-rock hit with their Saturation reduce “Sister Havana.”
In accordance with a report by The Los Angeles Times, Rowan was arrested for heroin possession not lengthy after Urge Overkill launched Exit the Dragon. He left the band in 1996, and subsequently misplaced contact together with his bandmates over the following years. Urge Overkill reformed with out Rowan within the early 2000s, issuing Rock & Roll Submarine in 2011 and Oui simply final 12 months.
