Died On This Date (June 28, 2010) Bill Aucoin / Discovered & Managed KISS

Bill Aucoin
December 29, 1943 – June 28, 2010

Bill Aucoin was a highly successful artist manager who, over the course of some 30 years, represented the likes of KISS, Billy Idol, Manowar, Billy Squier, and Starz, to name a few.  After studying film in college, Aucoin was heading down a road to becoming a cinematographer when, in 1973, he discovered KISS and began managing them through the first decade of their career.  His vision and the fact that he funded their first tour out of his pocket helped pave the way for the band’s massive success.  They parted ways in the early ’80s, but worked together again on DVD packages in later years.  Bill Aucoin died of complications associated with prostate cancer on June 28, 2010.  He was 66.

Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the assist.


Died On This Date (January 23, 1990) Peter Sweval / Looking Glass; Starz

Peter Sweval (Born Piet Sweval)
April 13, 1948 – January 23, 1990

Peter Swevel was the founding bassist for New Jersey pop band, Looking Glass.  In 1972, they released their only hit, “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” which shot to #1 on the singles chart while selling over a million copies.  No honorable ’70s pop collection is complete without it.  After Looking Glass broke up in 1974, Swevel and Jeff Grob formed Starz, a hard rock band that also had one big hit, “Cherry Baby.”  The band signed with Capitol Records and built a sizable cult following that still exists to this day.  Musically, Starz has been compared to Aerosmith, Kiss and Cheap Trick, and have been cited as a direct influence on the likes of Motley Crue and Poison.  Peter Swevel, age 42, passed away on January 23, 1990 of unknown causes.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

Violation - Starz