Died On This Date (January 23, 1990) Peter Sweval / Looking Glass; Starz
themusicsover 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
Thomas A. Dorsey was a ’20s era singer, musician and composer who has been called the “Father of Gospel.” Dorsey’s career began in jazz during the early ’20s, a time when he formed the backing band for 
Earl Wild was arguably the greatest jazz and classical pianists of his generation. Wild was just a child when he began learning from masters of the instrument, and by 1939, he was working at NBC. It was that year, that he became the first pianist to play on live television. He has also been credited for being the first to play live over the internet – the year was 1997. Following his time in the US Navy Band during WWII, Wild went to work for ABC Television as the staff pianist and composer. He also conducted master glasses all over the world. On January 23, 2010, Earl Wild died of congestive heart failure. He was 94.
Rhett Forrester was most famously, the lead singer of American hard rock band, Riot from 1981 to 1984. A charismatic stage performer, Forester likely took the best of his tennis and ballroom dance training into the hard rock arena where he helped lead Riot to the top of the US metal scene as a much-in-demand live act. Riot split up in 1984 and Forrester went on to release a well received solo album in 1986. Forrester’s life came to a tragic end in the early morning of January 22, 1994 in what is believed to be an act of random violence. While sitting at a stop light in Atlanta, Forrester was approached by two apparent strangers. According to a witness, there was a brief altercation, prompting one of the men to pull out a gun and shoot Forrester in the back. He drove a few blocks where he died as a result of the shooting. The perpetrator was never apprehended.