Ward's Book of Days.
Pages of interesting anniversaries.
What happened on this day in history.
MAY 6th
On this day in history in 1950, was born Robbie McIntosh.
McIntosh was a drummer who founded the
Average White Band and had a successful career and would have been one of the world’s greatest musicians had he not died of heroin overdose.
Robert Broderick James McIntosh was born in Dundee on 6th May 1950. His father was the film and TV actor, Bonar Colleano who died in 1958.
McIntosh became the drummer for the 1960s band The Senate, before joining
Oblivion Express in 1971 where he appeared in their early albums Better Land
and Second Wind. In 1972, he founded the Average White Band which had no early success until relocating to Los Angeles where they released the
The White Album which reached Number 1. This was the first of many successful productions but sadly some of the band members, including McIntosh, acquired a habit of drug abuse.
McIntosh regularly took cocaine, the drug of choice of the 1970’s, and
occasionally used heroin.
At a party following a concert at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, McIntosh and Alan Gorrie took heroin in the mistaken belief that it was cocaine. The pair became severely ill to the consternation of the party guests. One of the party-goers, Cher, had the presence of mind to try to keep the victims conscious until medical help arrived. Gorrie survived but sadly McIntosh became yet another victim of drug abuse and died on 23rd September 1974.
McIntosh is buried in Barnhill Cemetery, Dundee. [24 Edzell Street, Broughty Ferry, Dundee, DD5 3JJ.]
[56.47663,-2.85806]
©2006 Ward’s Book of Days