Robert Broderick James McIntosh (6 May 1950 – 23 September 1974) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer' ...

from Dundee, who was a founder-member of the

Average White Band The Average White Band (also known as AWB) are a Scottish funk and R&B band that had a series of soul and disco hits between 1974 and 1980. They are best known for their million-selling instrumental track " Pick Up the Pieces", and their al ...

(AWB). His father was American-born actor

Bonar Colleano Bonar Sullivan (14 March 192417 August 1958), also known by the stage name Bonar Colleano, was an American stage and film actor based in the United Kingdom. Biography Early life Colleano was born Bonar Sullivan in New York City. He had childhood ...

, who had a successful career in films, especially in the UK. Before going on to help found the AWB in 1971-72, McIntosh had been a member of the late 1960s bands

the Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the eld ...

with

Alex Ligertwood Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple * Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people *Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people *Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple ...

, and

Mal and the Primitives Paul Bradley Couling (born 27 February 1944 in Llanfrechfa, Wales), known by his stage name Mal Ryder, is a British singer who achieved popularity in Italy in the late 1960s, singing with his band ''Mal and the Primitives''.Burt Bacharach, Son ...

, followed by

Brian Auger Brian Albert Gordon Auger (born 18 July 1939) is an English jazz rock and rock music keyboardist who specialises in the Hammond organ. Auger has worked with Rod Stewart, Tony Williams, Jimi Hendrix, John McLaughlin, Sonny Boy Williamson, ...

's Oblivion Express, appearing on the band's early albums ''Oblivion Express'' (1971), ''Better Land'' (1971) and ''Second Wind'' (1972). While working with the AWB, he also recorded two tracks that appear on the

Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet (inc ...

album ''

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The U ...

'' (1973). McIntosh died of an accidental heroin overdose, at a party following a concert at the

Troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a '' trobai ...

in Los Angeles. According to a contemporary report in ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...

'', McIntosh and fellow band member

Alan Gorrie Alan Edward Gorrie (born 19 July 1946 in Perth) is a Scottish bassist, guitarist, keyboardist and singer. He is a founding member of the Average White Band and remains one of two original members in the group's current line-up (Onnie McIntyre be ...

took what they thought was

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Am ...

, but was in fact heroin; Gorrie was saved by the intervention of fellow party-goer

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female autonomy in a male-dominated industr ...

, who kept him conscious long enough to recover. The party host, 30-year-old millionaire Kenneth Moss, was subsequently indicted for murder by a grand jury. Moss pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 120 days in jail and four years' probation. McIntosh is buried in Barnhill Cemetery, Dundee. His replacement as drummer in the AWB was

Steve Ferrone Steve Ferrone (born 25 April 1950) is an English drummer. He is known as a member of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers from 1994 to 2017, replacing original drummer Stan Lynch, and as part of the "classic lineup" of the Average Wh ...

Discography

With

*''

'' (Atlantic, 1973) With

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined a ...

*''

The London Chuck Berry Sessions '' The London Chuck Berry Sessions'' is the sixteenth studio album by Chuck Berry, and consists of studio recordings and live recordings released by Chess Records in October 1972 as LP record, 8 track cartridge and audio cassette. Side one of th ...

'' (Chess, 1972)

References

External links

''The Gazetteer for Scotland''
1950 births 1974 deaths Scottish drummers British male drummers Musicians from Dundee Average White Band members 20th-century Scottish musicians Deaths by heroin overdose in California Drug-related deaths in California 20th-century drummers Accidental deaths in California 20th-century British male musicians British manslaughter victims {{UK-drummer-stub