Great White, Club Fined $100K

Six months after the Station nightclub fire killed 100 people in West Warwick, Rhode Island, and injured hundreds more, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Great White, whose pyrotechnics ignited the February 20th blaze, and the club's owners nearly $100,000.

Most of the penalty was levied against Station owners Michael and Jeffrey Derderian, who were cited for one "willful" violation -- installing an exit door that opened in -- and six "serious," including covering the walls with flammable foam for soundproofing.

The band was fined $7,000 stemming from its use of pyrotechnics. Great White guitarist Ty Longley was among those who died in the fire.

The fines do not prove wrongdoing by the band or the club, but will likely bolster the many liability claims pending against both.

Great White's attorney Ed McPherson declined to comment on the judgement.

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Song Stories

“Help Me”

Joni Mitchell | 1974

Joni Mitchell wrote and recorded this song for her album Court and Spark, but she had to switch from her regular band to make the song sound exactly the way she wanted. "I had attempted to play my music with rock & roll players," she told Rolling Stone. "They’d laugh, 'Awww, isn't that cute? She's trying to teach us how to play.'" Mitchell switched to a jazz band, Tom Scott’s L.A. Express, and scored the biggest hit of her career in the process.

More Song Stories entries »

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