Singer of Australian Band with a Big Influence on Grunge Dies at 67

Depending on the territory and the time of their career, they were known as either as The Angels, Angel City The Angels from Angel City.  Out front was singer Doc Neeson, a guy who caught the attention of kids like Eddie Vedder, Kurt Cobain and those who would later form Guns ‘N Roses.  And for some reason, they were quite the thing where I grew up in Winnipeg.  I went to see them several times and was always blown away by Doc’s Scott Weiland-level onstage intensity.

Although the band (whatever you want to call them) had limited success in North America–they never really ascended beyond cult status–they were huge at home in Australia, releasing hit songs across four decades.

Recently, though, the band has been wracked by tragedy.  Bass player Chris Bailey died of throat cancer in 2010.  And now Doc is dead as the result of aggressive brain cancer.  He was 67.

Here are a couple of samples of what that band was like at their best.

http://youtu.be/G0ZKuqy1Pro