"Dimebag" Darrell Lance Abbott (August 20, 1966 – December 8, 2004) (also credited as Diamond Darrell) was the guitarist in the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan. August 20 is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1966 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Steve Howe playing lead guitar for Yes in 1977 A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. ... Heavy metal is a form of music characterized by aggressive, driving rhythms and highly amplified distorted guitars, generally with grandiose lyrics and virtuosic instrumentation. ... Pantera logo Pantera was a popular heavy metal band from Dallas,Texas, USA. Biography Activity Formed in 1983, Pantera were one of the most influential Heavy Metal bands of the 1990s. ... Damageplan was a hard rock/Metalcore band formed by Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell Abbott, formerly of Pantera, after Pantera disbanded. ...

Early life

Abbott was born in Dallas, Texas, USA. His father was a country songwriter and owned a recording studio in Pantego, Texas, where Abbott watched many blues guitarists play. This early influence can be heard in many of Pantera's songs. At an early age, Abbott began entering statewide guitar competitions. By the age of sixteen he had been banned from entering because he had won too often. It was through the prizes he won at these competitions — including the guitar that later became his trademark — that he was able to start Pantera with his drumming brother, Vinnie Paul in the early 1980s. Dallas is one of the ten largest cities in the United States and the heart of the largest metropolitan area in Texas. ... Country music, once known as Country and Western music, is a popular musical form developed in the southern United States, with roots in traditional folk music, spirituals, and the blues. ... Pantego is a town located in Tarrant County, Texas. ... For the emotional state, see Depression (mood). ... Pantera logo Pantera was a popular heavy metal band from Dallas,Texas, USA. Biography Activity Formed in 1983, Pantera were one of the most influential Heavy Metal bands of the 1990s. ... Vinnie Paul (Vincent Paul Abbott) was born on Wednesday, March 11, 1964 in Dallas, Texas, USA. He is a heavy metal drummer and producer. ... Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ...

Musical influences

Among Dimebag's other influences were Eddie Van Halen and Ace Frehley. In addition, he cited many of his contemporaries among his influences, including Slayer's Kerry King, Zakk Wylde, Metallica's James Hetfield, and Helmet's Page Hamilton. Eddie Van Halen Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, generally known as Eddie Van Halen, (born January 26, 1955 in Nijmegen, Netherlands,) is a virtuoso guitarist, classically-trained pianist, and founding member of the hard rock band Van Halen. ... Paul Daniel Frehley (born April 27, 1951) aka Ace Frehley, is best known as the lead guitarist for the rock band KISS. Frehley joined Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss in the early 1970s as lead guitarist for their yet unnamed band. ... From left to right: Jeff Hanneman, Kerry King, Dave Lombardo, and singer Tom Araya Slayer Eagle Logo, Used During the Seasons in the Abyss Era Slayer is an American heavy metal music group, founded in Huntington Park (not Huntington Beach), California in 1982 by Tom Araya (bass guitar, vocals), Kerry... Kerry King Kerry King, born June 3, 1964 in Los Angeles California is best known for his work as guitarist and lyricist in the band Slayer. ... Photo of artist Jeff Wiedlandt (born January 14, 1967 in Jersey City, New Jersey), better known as Zakk Wylde is the lead guitarist in Ozzy Osbournes band. ... Old logo, as used in Master Of Puppets, circa 1986. ... James Hetfield James Hetfield is co-founder, lead singer, main songwriter and rhythm guitarist for the band Metallica, with which he is closely identified. ... Helmet is a band formed in New York City by Page Hamilton (vocals/guitar) with Henry Bogdan (bass), Peter Mengede (guitar) and John Stanier (drums) in 1989. ... Page Hamilton (born May 18, 1960 in Portland, Oregon) is a singer and guitarist. ...

Pantera

Main article: Pantera

Formed in 1983, Pantera were one of the most influential Heavy Metal bands of the 1990s. They were modern (or so-called "power-groove") metal. Pantera logo Pantera was a popular heavy metal band from Dallas,Texas, USA. Biography Activity Formed in 1983, Pantera were one of the most influential Heavy Metal bands of the 1990s. ... 1983 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Heavy metal is a form of rock music characterized by aggressive, driving rhythms and highly amplified distorted guitars, generally with grandiose lyrics and virtuosic instrumentation. ... Groove metal, half-thrash, or post-thrash is a subgenre of thrash metal which took its current form during the early 1990s. ...

Pantera released three forgotten albums (Metal Magic, Projects In The Jungle and I Am The Night) before ditching singer Terry Glaze in favor of Phil Anselmo with 1988's Power Metal. Terry Glaze was included in talks to sign with a label that was fronted by Gene Simmons of KISS. When Terry balked at the contract he was kicked out of the band. Pantera then located Phil Anselmo and produced "Power Metal", a tape that had Phil singing some songs that were originally sung by Glaze, as well as a few originals. Metal Magic is the first album by heavy metal band Pantera, released in 1983 (see 1983 in music). ... Projects In The Jungle is a thrash metal album by heavy metal band Pantera, released in 1984 (see 1984 in music). ... I Am The Night is a thrash metal album by heavy metal band Pantera, released in 1985 (see 1985 in music). ... Terry Glaze is a Texas-born singer who is most well known for his work in groundbreaking 90s American Heavy Metal band Pantera. ... Philip H. Anselmo Philip Anselmo (born June 30, 1968) is a heavy metal vocalist and musician. ... 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Power metal is also a style of heavy metal music. ... Gene Simmons (born August 26, 1949 in Haifa, Israel) is best known as the blood spitting, fire breathing, tongue-wagging bass player for the rock band KISS. His given name is Chaim Witz. ... The original line-up of KISS; from left to right, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss. ...

The first commercially successful album Pantera recorded was 1990's Cowboys From Hell. At this point, Pantera's music was still heavily influenced by "classic heavy metal" — with Rob Halford-style vocals and the extravagant riffs and solos of guitarist Dimebag Darrell, though the album also showcased a more extreme style. Cowboys From Hell is Panteras fifth album and the first Elektra Records album. ... Rob Halford - The Metal God Robert John Arthur Rob Halford (born August 25, 1951 in Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire, England and raised in Walsall, England. ... The Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF) is a generic meta-format for storing data in tagged chunks. ... In addition to their roles of rhythmic and harmonic accompaniment, guitars are well-suited to performing solo lines. ... The classical guitar typically has 3 nylon and 3 nickel-wound strings. ...

Pantera's breakthrough album was 1992's Vulgar Display of Power, which saw the replacement of falsetto vocals with a more shouted delivery and a heavier guitar sound. The extent to which this album grew in popularity can be assessed by the instant success of the 1994 follow-up, Far Beyond Driven which debuted at number one in both American and Australian album charts, the first metal album ever to achieve this, despite the failing fortunes of metal in America at that time. In this release, Pantera took an even more extreme direction. Pantera's next album The Great Southern Trendkill, was released in 1996 during the height of grunge rock. This album saw moderate success for the time at which it was released. Pantera's final album was Reinventing The Steel. Vulgar Display of Power is a thrash metal album by heavy metal band Pantera, released on February 25, 1992 (see 1992 in music). ... Far Beyond Driven is an album by heavy metal band Pantera. ... The Great Southern Trendkill is a thrash metal album by Pantera. ... Reinventing the Steel is Panteras last Heavy metal music album, said to be performed in a new personal way. ...

Music professionalism

Abbott frequently appeared in guitar magazines, both in advertisements for equipment he endorsed and in the readers' polls, where he was often included in the top ten metal guitarist spots. Darrell used Dean and Washburn guitars throughout his career, with various signature MLs. Seymour Duncan also has a bridge pickup made by Dime, called the Dimebucker. Dean has released the new Dime Tribute line of ML guitars, usually with Dimebuckers and a Seymour Duncan neck pickup. Dime's guitars also included Floyd Rose floating tremolo bridges, which he would use to find normally inaccessible harmonics. Abbott also wrote a long-running Guitar World magazine column, which has been compiled in the book Riffer Madness (ISBN 0769291015).

Musical influences

Among Dimebag's other influences were Eddie Van Halen and Ace Frehley. In addition, he cited many of his contemporaries among his influences, including Slayer's Kerry King, Zakk Wylde, Metallica's James Hetfield, and Helmet's Page Hamilton. Eddie Van Halen Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, generally known as Eddie Van Halen, (born January 26, 1955 in Nijmegen, Netherlands,) is a virtuoso guitarist, classically-trained pianist, and founding member of the hard rock band Van Halen. ... Paul Daniel Frehley (born April 27, 1951) aka Ace Frehley, is best known as the lead guitarist for the rock band KISS. Frehley joined Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss in the early 1970s as lead guitarist for their yet unnamed band. ... From left to right: Jeff Hanneman, Kerry King, Dave Lombardo, and singer Tom Araya Slayer Eagle Logo, Used During the Seasons in the Abyss Era Slayer is an American heavy metal music group, founded in Huntington Park (not Huntington Beach), California in 1982 by Tom Araya (bass guitar, vocals), Kerry... Kerry King Kerry King, born June 3, 1964 in Los Angeles California is best known for his work as guitarist and lyricist in the band Slayer. ... Photo of artist Jeff Wiedlandt (born January 14, 1967 in Jersey City, New Jersey), better known as Zakk Wylde is the lead guitarist in Ozzy Osbournes band. ... Old logo, as used in Master Of Puppets, circa 1986. ... James Hetfield James Hetfield is co-founder, lead singer, main songwriter and rhythm guitarist for the band Metallica, with which he is closely identified. ... Helmet is a band formed in New York City by Page Hamilton (vocals/guitar) with Henry Bogdan (bass), Peter Mengede (guitar) and John Stanier (drums) in 1989. ... Page Hamilton (born May 18, 1960 in Portland, Oregon) is a singer and guitarist. ...

Formation of Damageplan

His brother, Vinnie Paul, played drums in Pantera. The brothers teamed up with country singer David Allan Coe in a project called "Rebel Meets Rebel". After the Pantera breakup they started a new band, Damageplan, with Patrick Lachman and Bob Zilla . Their debut album, New Found Power, reached number 38 in the charts in 2004. Vinnie Paul (Vincent Paul Abbott) was born on Wednesday, March 11, 1964 in Dallas, Texas, USA. He is a heavy metal drummer and producer. ... David Allan Coe (born September 6, 1939) is an American country singer who had his greatest popularity in the 1970s. ... Damageplan was a hard rock/Metalcore band formed by Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell Abbott, formerly of Pantera, after Pantera disbanded. ... Former guitarist of Halford (in the time Rob Halford split from Judas Priest) and now vocalist for the band Damageplan, was wounded in the leg during a shooting in an Ohio nightclub on December 8th 2004 while the band was on stage performing. ... Bob Zilla was the bassist for the post-Pantera band Damageplan. ...

Abbott's murder

Abbott was murdered while performing on December 8, 2004 at a Damageplan concert at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio, USA. Nathan Gale, 25, of Marysville, Ohio, entered the nightclub at about 10:00 p.m., just after the performance began, after scaling an eight-foot fence and being chased into the building by club security. He entered the left side of the stage and proceeded across to the right where Abbott was standing. Gale then grabbed Abbott and shot him twice in the head with a Beretta pistol at point blank range. Abbott received a total of 5 to 8 gunshots. December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Alrosa Villa. ... A nightclub (often dance club or club, particularly in the UK) is an entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark. ... Skyline of downtown Columbus, Ohio, viewed across the Scioto River. ... Nathan Gale (September 11, 1979 – December 8, 2004) was a native of Marysville, Ohio, USA, who was shot dead by law enforcement in the aftermath of a multiple homicide. ... Marysville is a city located in Union County, Ohio. ... The Fabbrica dArmi Pietro Beretta is a major Italian gun manufacturing company. ... A pistol or handgun is a usually small, projectile weapon, normally fired with one hand. ... A handgun is a firearm small enough to be carried and used in one hand. ...

Three others were killed in the shooting: attendee Nathan Bray, 23, of Columbus; club employee Erin Halk, 29, of northwest Columbus; and Damageplan security guard Jeff "Mayhem" Thompson, 40, of Texas. The band's drum technician, John Brooks, and tour manager, Chris Paluska, were also injured.

According to police, Gale fired a total of fifteen shots from a Beretta pistol, taking the time to reload once, remaining silent throughout the shooting (although early reports indicated he made disparaging remarks about the breakup of Pantera). When security staff and audience members climbed the stage to try to stop him, Gale fired at them, killing Halk and Thompson and wounding Brooks and Paluska. Gale then took a hostage, holding him in a headlock position. When the hostage moved slightly, Columbus police officer James D. Niggemeyer shot and killed Gale with a 12 gauge police issue shotgun in the back of the head. The Fabbrica dArmi Pietro Beretta is a major Italian gun manufacturing company. ... A pistol or handgun is a usually small, projectile weapon, normally fired with one hand. ... Gauge (sometimes spelled gage) vb. ... Remington model 870 pump-action shotgun held by a Florida Highway Patrol cadet shotgun, see: Shotgun (disambiguation). ...

During the rampage, nurse and audience member Mindy Reece, 28, went to the aid of Abbott. She and another fan administered CPR until paramedics arrived [1] (http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/6660359/pantera?pageid=rs.NewsArchive&pageregion=mainRegion&rnd=1102636992116&has-player=true&version=6.0.12.872). According to some reports, victim Nathan Bray was also attempting to render assistance when he was killed. CPR on adult Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), is emergency first aid for an unconscious person on whom breathing and pulse cannot be detected. ...

The shootings occurred on the 24th anniversary of the murder of John Lennon, but there is no indication that this was a factor in Gale's actions. John Lennon John Winston Lennon, later John Ono Lennon, (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), was best known as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist for The Beatles. ...

In May 2005, Officer James D. Niggemeyer was cleared by the Franklin County grand jury, which is charged with formally investigating police shootings. As expected, Niggemeyer was cleared and commended on his outstanding police work in the time of a crisis. This article is about the month of May. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Franklin County is a county located in the state of Ohio. ... A grand jury is a type of common law jury; responsible for investigating alleged crimes, examining evidence, and issuing indictments. ...

External links

• Official Pantera website (http://www.pantera.com/)
• Vinnie Paul and Dimebag website (http://www.vinnieanddime.com/)
• Official Damageplan website (http://www.damageplan.com/)
• Dimebag Darrell Tribute Site (http://www.dimebagdarrell.co.uk/)]]]