Spinner

Birthday Party Guitarist Roland S. Howard Dies Aged 50

Former Birthday Party guitarist Roland S. Howard passed away early Wednesday morning after losing his battle with liver cancer. The 50-year-old had been waiting for a crucial liver transplant and had been forced to cancel recent shows due to his illness.

Howard first came to prominence as guitarist with Melbourne punk band the Boys Next Door who then mutated into the Birthday Party. Led by singer Nick Cave, the Birthday Party left their native Australia for the U.K. in 1980 where the band established their fearsome reputation thanks to a series of incendiary gigs that often saw as much violence on stage as off.

Howard's idiosyncratic guitar playing -- an incredible collision of blues, feedback and six-string brutality -- marked him down as a true original and proved to be a huge influence on subsequent generations of guitarists.

After the Birthday Party's split in 1983, Howard lent his guitar skills to Crime and the City Solution and These Immortal Souls. He appeared onstage in London with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in 1991 for a partial Birthday Party reunion when the band played 'Wild World', 'Dead Joe' and 'Nick the Stripper.'

All the AOL Music info you want to know

Drake, Juno Awards 2012: Young Money MC…

The Boombox

Getty Images After hosting the Juno Awards last year -- the Canadian…

Grammy Awards: Hip-Hop and R&B Albums…

The Boombox

Amazon.com The Best Rap Album category was born in 1996, during the…

Lady Gaga Bulimia Battle: Singer…

AOL Music Blog

Koji Sasahara, AP Lady Gaga was a surprise guest at the Brentwood…

See all AOL Music »

Add a Comment

Sign in »
*0 / 3000 Character Maximum

35 Comments

Filter by:
Rob J

I saw The Birthday Party twice in London in 1981 and 1982. They were great, but it was Roland's fearsome guitar that dominated the music. Check out "Blast Off" (the greatest B side EVER), "Sonny's Burning","The Dim Locator" and "Figure Of Fun". He was the missing link between Link Wray and Ron Asheton. Not surprisingly, The Stooges had a huge impact on the band. Roland didn't influence many modern day guitarists, but because his sound was so unique. He was a true original. I am saddened to hear of his premature death, but he left a small and thrilling legacy.

January 17 2010 at 6:15 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Slim.

For all the people that just want to Trash talk or put S@#T on poor Roly, go off somewhere else and get a life.!! You dont have to love a man like him but there are people that do. Have some consideration for his poor family and close friends that are grieving right now..... Would you like me to talk about your mother like that???? The mans dead now let him sleep.

January 08 2010 at 7:14 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Pinkleish

This is a song from the man:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjPeT6cXikg

January 01 2010 at 1:49 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Mike

If you write one bad thing about Scientology your post will be removed in about 30 seconds but not these spamming a**holes.

December 31 2009 at 1:52 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
pugz

hey Ms. mike, couldn't agree with you more. why do you think they waste so much time/energy on all the ultra-left liberal " I hates the gubmit but I wants me dat gubmit check" crap they run.

December 31 2009 at 1:34 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
mandymassacre

So very sad. when such great talent dies, a small piece of the world is taken from us, never to be retrieved.

December 31 2009 at 12:16 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Randy

Why is it that AOL has that wretched "type these words thing before you can post anything? Half the time I can't get a post through but always see a gazillion spam messeages!

December 31 2009 at 11:44 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
jack

RIP to you!! Mr. Howard, life was never the same after I listened to your words. I can't say they always pushed me into positive behaviour but they reminded me I was alive at a time when I thought I was dead for sure. Now I look to my bride to be and say, "marry me, marry me lie, lie." Till the day that I die Mr. Howard, till the day that I die.

December 31 2009 at 11:34 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Greg

never heard of em

December 31 2009 at 11:29 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Kevin

sorry... i'm talking about the last post on page 1

December 31 2009 at 10:14 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply