Doug Fieger, lead singer for The Knacks, died Sunday at the age of 57.
Fieger, a Detroit-area native, died at his home in Woodland Hills near Los Angeles after battling cancer, according to The Knack's manager, Jake Hooker.My Condolences go out to his family.
Fieger formed The Knack in Los Angeles 1978, and the group quickly became a staple of Sunset Strip rock clubs. A year later he co-wrote and sang lead vocals on "My Sharona."
Fieger said the song, with its pounding drums and exuberant vocals, was inspired by a girlfriend of four years.
"I had never met a girl like her -- ever," he told The Associated Press in a 1994 interview. "She induced madness. She was a very powerful presence. She had an insouciance that wouldn't quit. She was very self-assured. ... She also had an overpowering scent, and it drove me crazy."
"My Sharona," an unapologetically anthemic rock song, emerged during disco's heyday and held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard pop chart for six weeks, becoming an FM radio standard.
It became a pop culture phenomenon, parodied by Weird Al Yankovic and others and sampled by rap group Run DMC.
In 1994, "My Sharona" re-entered the Billboard chart when it was released as a single from the soundtrack of the Ben Stiller film "Reality Bites."
"My Sharona" gained attention again in 2005 when it was reported that George W. Bush had the song on the presidential iPod.
Their songs, about young love and teenage lust, included the hits "Good Girls Don't," "She's So Selfish" and "Frustrated."
The Knack continued to release albums and tour through the mid-2000s but they never replicated the success they enjoyed with their first two albums, "Get the Knack" and "... But the Little Girls Understand."
Fieger battled cancer for six years. In 2006 he underwent surgery to remove two tumors from his brain.
He is survived by a sister, Beth Falkenstein, and a brother, attorney Geoffrey Fieger of Southfield, Mich., who is best known for representing assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian.
A Los Angeles memorial service for friends and family is being planned.
4 comments:
I was never a huge fan of the Knack but I have to admit "My Sharona" is a memorable part of music history.
They did some OK stuff. My Sharona was never one of my favorites. Alawyas sad when a a member of a band we grew uop with dies.
Findalis: Would you consider becoming a contributor on Patriot" Corner? If not no big deal. Just thought I would ask. You are one of the best!
@PatriotUSA
Would love to.
As I was reading I was saying "I think he was related to Kervorkian's attorney" who used to be on Greta all the time
That's why I always read to the ending.
My Sharona is one of my favorite tunes, and one of the first I learned to play on the guitar 25 years ago, when they were popular.
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