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2003Aug, 3

Roger Voudouris

Roger Voudouris, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1954)
John Roger Voudouris (December 29, 1954 – August 3, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter/guitarist best known for his 1979 hit, "Get Used to It".

Voudouris was born in Sacramento, California and formed Roger Voudouris' Loud as Hell Rockers while still attending C.K. McClatchy High School, entering regular performances at the Elegant Barn Nightclub. That band would later enjoy small success while performing as an opening act for The Doobie Brothers, Stephen Stills, and John Mayall. Voudouris also performed in Voudouris/Kahne with David Kahne, prior to being signed by Warner Bros. Records as a solo act.

His first solo album was the self-titled Roger Voudouris released in 1978; it received little interest from radio or other media. However, his second album Radio Dream contained the pop hit "Get Used to It" which peaked at No. 21 in June 1979 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 4 in Australia. Voudouris performed the song on the Merv Griffin Show.

Radio Dream was followed a year later with the 1980 album A Guy Like Me and the 1981 album On the Heels of Love. While A Guy Like Me and On the Heels of Love did not achieve the success of his previous album, Voudouris did achieve quite a large amount of success in Japan where his musical style was very popular. He also became a small cult-figure in Australia after appearing on the popular music television program Countdown in August 1979. In his appearance on the show he wore a figure hugging outfit with brown leather trousers while miming "Get Used to It" into a wind machine, which made his long hair flow: it led to his brief status as a sex symbol in that country.

After the decline of his solo career, Voudouris returned to writing music and lyrics for various projects including the movie The Lonely Lady starring Pia Zadora, and a documentary on the life of Elvis Presley.

Voudouris died in 2003 after suffering from liver disease for some time. He was survived by three children from his first marriage, his former wife, and his then-wife, Jennifer (from whom he was separated).

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Events on 2003

  • 17Mar

    2003 invasion of Iraq

    Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Robin Cook, resigns from the British Cabinet in disagreement with government plans for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
  • 7Apr

    Saddam Hussein

    U.S. troops capture Baghdad; Saddam Hussein's regime falls two days later.
  • 27Aug

    North Korea and weapons of mass destruction

    The first six-party talks, involving South and North Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, convene to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns of the North Korean nuclear weapons program.
  • 12Sep

    Pan Am Flight 103

    The United Nations lifts sanctions against Libya after that country agreed to accept responsibility and recompense the families of victims in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.
  • 12Nov

    2003 invasion of Iraq

    Iraq War: In Nasiriyah, Iraq, at least 23 people, among them the first Italian casualties of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, are killed in a suicide bomb attack on an Italian police base.