Scott Columbus | |
|---|---|
 Columbus performing in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | November 10, 1956 |
| Died | April 4, 2011 (aged 54) |
| Genres | Heavy metal |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Drums, percussion |
| Years active | 1983–2011 |
| Labels | Magic Circle Music |
| Associated acts | Manowar, Ross The Boss |
Scott Columbus (November 10, 1956 – April 4, 2011) was an American drummer, best known for his long period of collaboration with heavy metal band Manowar.
Born Walter Scott Columbus, youngest of four children, two brothers Anthony & Tom and a sister Marilyn. Son of John A. Columbus and Amelia Columbus. He began to play the drums at age 6. Later on, during his 20s, grew up listening to such bands as Led Zeppelin, the Who, Black Sabbath and Cream while he would play in local bands such as Hell Hostage. Columbus was known to be loving and funny, often made jokes and was fun to be around. He was a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan and would often dress up as a football player as a quarterback or running back. At age 25, he was discovered by a female fan of the power metal band Manowar, beating aluminium in a local foundry. Columbus starred on his first album which is known as Manowar's second album Into Glory Ride , made his debut with the band on the Song Warlord. Then starred on several of their upcoming albums such as Hail to England , Sign of the Hammer , Fighting the World and Kings of Metal . He was replaced by Rhino for The Triumph of Steel . Between the years he was out of Manowar, Columbus was in a local band of Gunshy and worked at a horse radish plant. Columbus returned for Manowar's album, Louder than Hell he then remained with the band for the albums Warriors of the World and Gods of War . During the summer of 2008 when he was replaced once again by Rhino during Manowar's performances in Bulgaria and Magic Circle Festival 2008. [1]
Columbus stated in his interview he was working on a solo project instrumental but was never released, and was playing with Ross the Boss and a local band PSC.
Manowar never officially announced Columbus's departure in 2008. In an interview with Classic Rock magazine, Scott said "I'd say it was about April 2008. When Mr. DeMaio [Joey DeMaio, Manowar bassist/frontman] and myself agreed to disagree on a few points of interest. That leads us up to today. You know what? I had a long and wonderful career with Manowar; I have no regrets, it's just life moves on." When asked about his departure in the early 1990s Scott said "It was the very end of 1989 leading into 1990. I was officially gone in 1990, the first time. I can just tell you and the world that my son was never sick. So you can deduce from that what you may. However, that's what I'll tell you [concerning the official statement]." [2]
Columbus played the so-called "Drums of Doom", a kit made of stainless steel, because his drumming technique was too rough on standard kits which had to be replaced too regularly. [3]
Columbus was married to Kimmy Brett for less than a year. They had one daughter together, Teresa J (Columbus) Burgdorf.
In 1981, he was married to Victoria A. Columbus and was together for 17 years with two sons, Scott and Anthony Columbus. Divorced in 1998.
Married to Kathy Recupito in 1998, then divorced in 2008. They had one son together, Corey Columbus.
On April 5, 2011, Manowar's official Facebook, and Manowar's official website, [4] posted the following:
"With great sorrow we announce the passing of our brother Scott Columbus. A rare talent, equally a rare individual, a father, a friend and a brother of metal. All of the great moments we spent together are burnished in our hearts and memories forever.
We know he is in a good place and at peace. He will never be forgotten.
Your family and brothers, Joey, Eric, Karl, Donnie. And all at Magic Circle Music".
On April 5, 2020, Columbus' daughter Teresa publicly announced that her father's cause of death was suicide, and urged for more awareness on mental illness and depression. [5]
Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980, the group is known for lyrics based on fantasy and mythology, as well as numerous songs celebrating the genre and its core audience. The band is also known for a loud and emphatic sound. In an interview for MTV in February 2007, bassist Joey DeMaio lamented that "these days, there's a real lack of big, epic metal that is drenched with crushing guitars and choirs and orchestras... so it's nice to be one of the few bands that's actually doing that". In 1984, the band was included in the Guinness Book of World Records for delivering the loudest performance, a record which they have since broken on two occasions. They also hold the world record for the longest heavy metal concert after playing for five hours and 1 minute in Bulgaria in 2008. They also have been known for their slogan "Death to false metal". Although the band has never been a mainstream commercial success in the United States, they maintain a strong cult following. As of 2019, Manowar has sold more than 20 million records worldwide.
Joey DeMaio is an American bass player and main songwriter for the heavy metal band Manowar which he founded in 1980. He is also the founder and CEO of Magic Circle Music.
Ross Friedman, also known as Ross the Boss, is a guitarist, known as a founding member of both the punk band the Dictators, and the heavy metal band Manowar.
Donnie Hamzik is the Binghamton, NY born and a former drummer of the heavy metal band Manowar.
Into Glory Ride is Manowar's second studio album and the first to feature drummer Scott Columbus. The album's title is a reference to the title track from the band's previous album Battle Hymns.
Battle Hymns is the 1982 debut album of the American heavy metal band Manowar.
Kings of Metal is the sixth album by the American heavy metal band Manowar, released on November 18, 1988 by Atlantic Records. The album was the last to feature guitarist and founding member Ross "The Boss" Friedman, who later went on to rejoin punk band The Dictators. Drummer Scott Columbus left the band after this album as well, but rejoined for 1996's Louder Than Hell and remained with the band until 2008.
Fighting the World is the fifth album by the American heavy metal band Manowar, released in 1987. This was the first Manowar album to feature artwork by long-time collaborator Ken Kelly, and also one of the first heavy metal albums to be recorded and mixed entirely on digital equipment. Since Fighting The World, all Manowar album covers have been painted by Ken Kelly.
Hail to England is Manowar's third album which was released in 1984. The album title is a tribute to the country that the American band members met and formed the band in, and in particular the predominantly British NWOBHM that had emerged in the early 1980s. The album was also reported to have been recorded in its entirety in only six days. The album peaked at No. 83 on the UK album charts. The album actually features the flag of the United Kingdom on the front cover, and not the flag of England. In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked Hail to England as 87th on their list of 'The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time.'
Sign of the Hammer is the fourth album by heavy metal band Manowar, released on October 15, 1984.
The Triumph of Steel is the seventh studio album by the American heavy metal band Manowar, released in 1992. It is the only Manowar album to feature guitarist David Shankle and drummer Kenny Earl "Rhino" Edwards. Cover art by Ken Kelly.
Louder Than Hell is the eighth album by heavy metal band Manowar, released in 1996. It is the first album to feature guitarist Karl Logan, as well as the return of drummer Scott Columbus. Cover art was done by Ken Kelly. The songs "Brothers of Metal", "Courage" and "Number One" were demoed and played live by the band already in 1986, 10 years before their official album release.
Warriors of the World is the ninth album by heavy metal band Manowar, released on June 4, 2002. The song Nessun Dorma was dedicated to Adams' mother who had died earlier that year. Amongst its varied tracks are tributes to Wagner, Pavarotti, and Elvis Presley. The album peaked at #2 on the German charts.
Karl Mojaleski, known by his stage name Karl Logan, is an American musician, and former guitarist of the heavy metal band Manowar.
HolyHell is an American symphonic power metal band, formed in 2005, produced by Joey DeMaio, bass player from Manowar. The band toured with Manowar and Rhapsody of Fire. In concert, they play a cover of "The Phantom of the Opera" with Eric Adams (Manowar) and Maria Breon on vocals.
Eric Adams has been the singer of the American heavy metal band Manowar since its inception in 1980. Previously, he sang for a group called LOOKS, a band which also included childhood friend and future Manowar bassist Joey DeMaio.
Gods of War is the tenth album by heavy metal band Manowar, released in 2007. It is a concept album centered on Odin, King of Gods and primary god of war in the Norse Mythology. Gods of War was supposed to be the first of a series of concept albums dedicated to different war gods from various mythologies, but eventually its sequels were not released.
Gods of War Live is the third live album by heavy metal band Manowar. It was recorded in 2007 during the band's tour promoting the Gods of War album.
Battle Hymns MMXI is a re-recorded album released by the American heavy metal band Manowar in November 2010. It is a re-recording of their debut album Battle Hymns from 1982. It features the British actor Sir Christopher Lee as narrator and the original Manowar drummer Donnie Hamzik. The songs had little changes from the originals, except that they are "louder and stronger". Some of them are extended versions of the originals and all are made with the help of modern technology, that wasn't available when the original album was released. In support of the album the band started their Battle Hymns Tour.
The Lord of Steel is the eleventh studio album of the American heavy metal band Manowar. It was first released as a download on June 16, 2012 and the limited-edition pre-release special edition CD of the British heavy metal magazine Metal Hammer on June 26, 2012; The retail edition of The Lord Of Steel featured different mixes and mastering, spectacular new art by fantasy artist Ken Kelly, and other surprises. The album was available as CD, limited-edition vinyl and digital album. It featured cover art by Ken Kelly who has worked on many previous Manowar covers. It marks a change in the band's sound, moving away from the symphonic sound of Gods of War and going back to the style of Louder Than Hell with the production quality of Thunder In The Sky.
