Rock Musician. He was the drummer and a co-founding member of the Scottish hard rock-heavy metal band "Nazareth". Born Darrell Antony Sweet in Bournemouth, Dorset, England and raised in Burntisland, Fife, Scotland, he spent his youth playing drums with the Burntisland pipe band. In 1961, he co-founded The Shadettes with Pete Agnew (bass), Manny Charlton (guitar) & Dan McCafferty (vocals). The band was renamed "Nazareth" in 1968 after the borough of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, which was referenced in The Band's song, "The Weight." After releasing their self-titled debut album in 1971, they achieved mainstream success with their sixth album, "Hair of the Dog" (1975) and their cover of The Everly Brothers' "Love Hurts," which become a Top 40 hit single in numerous countries along with being featured in a slew of films, TV shows and video games. With some lineup changes during their career, Nazareth continued touring throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In late April 1999, Nazareth arrived at the New Albany Amphitheater in New Albany, Indiana to perform a concert when Sweet was stricken. Within minutes, he suffered a heart attack and was taken to nearby Floyd Memorial Hospital. He died of a heart attack seventeen days before his 52nd birthday. He was 51. He was replaced on drums by Pete Agnew's son, Lee Agnew.
Rock Musician. He was the drummer and a co-founding member of the Scottish hard rock-heavy metal band "Nazareth". Born Darrell Antony Sweet in Bournemouth, Dorset, England and raised in Burntisland, Fife, Scotland, he spent his youth playing drums with the Burntisland pipe band. In 1961, he co-founded The Shadettes with Pete Agnew (bass), Manny Charlton (guitar) & Dan McCafferty (vocals). The band was renamed "Nazareth" in 1968 after the borough of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, which was referenced in The Band's song, "The Weight." After releasing their self-titled debut album in 1971, they achieved mainstream success with their sixth album, "Hair of the Dog" (1975) and their cover of The Everly Brothers' "Love Hurts," which become a Top 40 hit single in numerous countries along with being featured in a slew of films, TV shows and video games. With some lineup changes during their career, Nazareth continued touring throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In late April 1999, Nazareth arrived at the New Albany Amphitheater in New Albany, Indiana to perform a concert when Sweet was stricken. Within minutes, he suffered a heart attack and was taken to nearby Floyd Memorial Hospital. He died of a heart attack seventeen days before his 52nd birthday. He was 51. He was replaced on drums by Pete Agnew's son, Lee Agnew.
Bio by: Find a Grave
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