Blackie Onassis was a drummer for Chicago-based alternative rock band Urge Overkill during their most successful period.
- Died: June 13, 2023 (Who else died on June 13?)
- Details of death: Died in Los Angeles at the age of 57.
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Blackie Onassis’ legacy
Born John Rowan, Onassis took up his stage name after joining the then up-and-coming Chicago alternative rock band Urge Overkill for their third album, 1991’s “The Supersonic Storybook.” The band had previously played gritty, low-fi rock with a punk influence, but Onassis helped introduce them to a kind of flashy showmanship that was becoming unfashionable with the growing popularity of grunge rock.
Soon, influenced in part by Onassis, Urge Overkill leaned into the glam of arena rock and embraced a retro sense of sound and style, often ironically. Their approach caught on, in part thanks to an opening gig on Nirvana’s “Nevermind” tour, and then propelled them into the mainstream thanks to the success of their cover of Neil Diamond’s “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon,” which Quentin Tarantino featured in “Pulp Fiction.”
The band would drift apart by the late 1990s, in part due to internal strife. Onassis helped co-write founder Kato Nash’s 2000 solo album, “Debutante,” but when Urge Overkill reformed in 2004, they did so without Onassis. When the band made a second comeback in 2022, it was also without him.
Notable quote
“We are here to resurrect the era of the swinger — the late ’60s, the playboy life when America was a fun place. The golden era of Vegas, Neil Diamond, moonlight dancing, and Anton La Vey!”—from Spin Magazine, 1992
Tributes to Blackie Onassis
Full obituary: Los Angeles Times
