Rhett Forrester : Even The Score

 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.

Biography

Forrester was born on 

September 22, 1956, 

in Tucker, Georgia. 

His mother was a 

ballroom dance instructor. 

He 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 local bands. 

In the late 1970s,

 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, 

when 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,

 The 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

 Kiss's Lick It Up tour 

alongside 

Vandenberg, 

but decided to split up 

shortly thereafter.

Death

Forrester was 

shot and killed 

at the 

Northwest Atlanta

 intersection of

 Lovejoy Street

 (now Centennial Lane) 

and Merritts Avenue,

 one block west 

of Techwood Drive

 (now Centennial Olympic Park Drive), 

after he refused to 

give up his vehicle

 in an attempted carjacking; 

he was 37 years old. 

He was survived by

 his mother 

Lafortune Forrester, 

his brother, 

guitarist 

Lucky Forrester, 

his ex, Windi Grace, 

daughter, 

Jade Grace, 

and his fiance, 

Lori Plester, 

whom he was 

living with

 at the time.

LINK

Discography

Solo 1984 – Gone with the Wind 1988 – Even the Score 1996 – Hell or Highwater With Riot 1982 – Restless Breed 1982 – Riot Live (EP) 1983 – Born in America With Jack Starr 1984 – Out of the Darkness

With Dogbone 1996 – Dogbone