Rhett Forrester
| Rhett Forrester | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 22, 1956 Tucker, Georgia |
| Died | January 22, 1994 (aged 37) Atlanta, Georgia |
| Genres | Heavy metal, hard rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, harmonica, bass guitar |
| Years active | 1981–1994 |
| Associated acts | Riot, Jack Starr, Alex Masi Dogbone, The Black Symphony, Dr. Dirty, Dirty Water, Rachel, Hitman |
| Website | In Memory |
Rhett Forrester (September 22, 1956 – January 22, 1994) was an American musician best known as the lead singer for New York-based band Riot from 1981 until 1984.
Forrester was born on September 22, 1956 in Tucker, Georgia. His mother was a ballroom dance instructor, started to develop his trademark voice in high school at The Sanford Naval Academy when he began taking vocal lessons. After graduation he moved to South Carolina where he began playing in a local bands. In the late 70's, Forrester joined forces with two former members of Illinois act Roller, guitarist Russ Shirley and bassist/vocalist Kevin Lee, and drummer Jim Schroeder to form Hitman. The band stayed together for about a year playing around the Georgia state area. Forrester's big break came while he was with a New York cover band named Rachel and he successfully auditioned to replace the departing Guy Speranza in Riot.
He would make his studio debut on 1982's Restless Breed album which the band supported by touring with headliners Rainbow on their Straight Between the Eyes tour, sharing the bill at different times with Saxon, Scorpions, and UFO. Keeping up their momentum, the Riot Live EP was released later that same year. After losing their major label deal with Elektra, Riot signed with Canadian indie label Quality Records for the 1983 release of Born In America, Forrester's second and last studio album with the band. In early 1984, Riot played dates on the Kiss - Lick It Up tour alongside Vandenberg but saddled with managerial problems decided to split up shortly thereafter.
After the demise of Riot, Forrester teamed with former Virgin Steele guitarist Jack Starr and appeared on his 1984 solo album, Out of the Darkness, which featured The Rods rhythm section of Carl Canedy and Gary Bordonaro. This was also the line-up that traveled to France in the summer of 1984 for an appearance at the 2-day Breaking Sound Festival in Le Bourget, near Paris, on August 30. Erroneously billed as Virgin Steele in advance of the festival, they played just below headliners Dio and Blue Öyster Cult.
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