Munetaka Higuchi

Munetaka Higuchi
Background information
Born	December 24, 1958(1958-12-24)
Origin	Nara, Nara, Japan
Died	November 30, 2008(2008-11-30) (aged 49)
Genres	Rock, heavy metal
Occupations	Drummer, record producer
Instruments	drums
Years active	1980–2008
Associated acts	Loudness

Munetaka Higuchi (樋口 宗孝, Higuchi Munetaka^?) (December 24, 1958 - November 30, 2008) was the original drummer of the Japanese heavy metal band, Loudness.

Since very young, he was considered a talented drummer. During his high school years, Higuchi played in seven bands. But he was not happy with this situation, wanting to focus his time on only one band. That's when schoolmate and future bandmate Akira Takasaki came along and they formed Lazy. Lazy was formed by very young musicians and started playing easy-listening pop-rock, that slowly progressed to more complex music. Higuchi was identified in the band by the moniker "Davy".

When he and Akira shifted their musical interests to hard rock and heavy metal, they founded Loudness in 1981. During his time with Loudness , he released his first solo album, Destruction, in 1983. In the same year he produced and played drums in Mari Hamada's studio albums Lunatic Doll and Romantic Night. He left Loudness in 1992, and resumed his solo career in the late-1990s, working also on side projects, including Sly (with former Loudness' singer Minoru Niihara), Bloodcircus, Rose of Rose, and the Rock 'n' Roll Standard Club Band, besides collaborating with dozens of Japanese artists, both as producer and as drummer.

In 1997, as "Munetaka Higuchi & Dream Castle", he released the album Free World. The band featured many famous musicians from the jazz and rock/metal spheres, like Steve Vai, Stanley Clarke, Billy Sheehan, Ty Tabor, Terry Bozzio, T. M. Stevens, Ronnie James Dio, Richie Kotzen and others. The album was released on February 21, 1997 in Japan. In 1998, he produced Cozy Powell Forever ~ Tribute to Cozy Powell, a tribute album to the recently deceased drummer Cozy Powell, very popular in Japan. For the album, Higuchi had the collaboration of the best Japanese heavy metal musicians and was able to reunite his former bandmates of Loudness.^[1] A tour in support of the album was made with musicians from Loudness and Sly. He definitely returned to Loudness in 2001, maintaining his high profile in the metal genre.

Higuchi endorsed Pearl Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Remo drumheads and Vic Firth drumsticks.

On April 14, 2008, just two months after Loudness released the album, Metal Mad, it was announced that he was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer.^[2] On November 30, 2008, Munetaka died at the age of 49.^[3] His death had a vast echo in Japanese media and in the entertainment biz.^[4]

Discography

• Destruction ~破壊凱旋録~（12/10/1983）
• Munetaka Higuchi with Dream Castle - Free World （02/21/1997）
• Cozy Powell Forever (09/1998)
• Super Rock Summit - Cozy Powell Forever Tour (01/1999)
• Super Rock Summit - Stairway to Heaven (03/1999)
• Super Rock Summit - Rainbow Eyes (06/1999)
• Munetaka Higuchi Drum Collection（08/23/2006）

References

1. ^ Waters, Scott. "Tribute Disks". Nolifetilmetal.com. http://www.nolifetilmetal.com/tributes.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-24. 
2. ^ "ＬＯＵＤＮＥＳＳリーダーが肝細胞がん" (in Japanese). Sponichi Annex (Sports Nippon Newspapers). 2008-04-15. http://www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainment/special/2008sainan/KFullNormal20080415051.html. Retrieved 2010-03-24. 
3. ^ Blabbermouth.net. Los Angeles: Roadrunner Records. 2008. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=109888. Retrieved 2008-10-30 
4. ^ "LOUDNESS、樋口宗孝、海外でも惜しまれる" (in Japanese). WeRockCity.com. 2008-12-05. http://www.werockcity.com/2008/12/213.html. Retrieved 2010-03-24. 

Persondata
Name	Higuchi, Munetaka
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1958-12-24
Place of birth
Date of death	2008-11-30
Place of death