Died On This Date (June 30, 2011) Ron “Byrd” Foster / Drummer For The Silencers; Roy Buchanan

Ron Foster
DOB Unknown – June 30, 2011

Ron “Byrd” Foster was a respected Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania rock drummer who made significant contributions to the sound of such bands as the Silencers, Iron City Rockers, and Red Hot & Blue.  He also played and sang on a handful of Roy Buchanan’s albums during the mid ’70s.   Foster was still in high school when he was hired on by a local band to go on the road for the summer.  He soon landed a gig with local blues rock band, the Igniters.  After his run with the Igniters, Foster played with Buchanan and by the time new wave was taking hold in the US, he found himself playing in Silencers whose claim to fame is that their video for “Peter Gun/Remote Control/Illegal” aired on the very first broadcast day of MTV in 1981.  He later played with Joe Grushecky in Iron City Rockers as well as several other bands over the next two decades.   During the ’90s, Foster moved to Florida where he worked as a session drummer.  During the 2000s, he battled diabetes, cirrhosis, and ultimately, cancer.  On June 30, 2011, Ron “Byrd” Foster died of liver cancer.  He was 61.