In Memoriam: The Bass Players Who Forever Shaped Music and Left Us in 2024

Each year we take time to reflect on all things bass from the past 12 months. That includes remembering the incredibly talented bassists that left us. 2024 was a tough year with some of our biggest bass heroes playing their final notes.

Join us as we remember the bassists we lost in 2024.

John Diggins (January 2, 2024)

Diggins was a renowned luthier who founded Jaydee Custom Guitars in 1977. Starting out as a repair business, he quickly turned to making his own designs. They were used by artists like Geezer Butler, Mark King, Angus Young, and more.

Del Palmer (January 5, 2024)

Born and raised in London, Palmer was a part of the city’s musical scene starting in 1967. He formed several bands before joining the KT Bush Band featuring Kate Bush. He would become a fixture of Bush’s studio work – on bass and as an engineer – for nearly four decades. He also released three solo albums: Leap of Faith, Gift, and Point of Safe Return.

Derrick McIntyre (February 2, 2024)

McIntyre contributed bass lines to several hit artists, but is known best for his time in Jamiroquai. He lent his bass lines to the album Dynamite, which had the hits “Feels Just Like It Should” and “Seven Days in Sunny June.” He also worked with Emeli Sandé, Will Young, Beverley Knight, and more.

Aston “Family Man” Barrett (February 3, 2024)

It’s rare that a bass player has as much influence on the world of music as Aston Barrett. The Kingston, Jamaica native pioneered reggae and dub music with Bob Marley, creating melodic bass lines that were the hook of mega hits. His bass lines with the Wailers are simple and perfect: “Three Little Birds,” “Is This Love,” “I Shot the Sheriff,” and many more. He was awarded a Bass Player Magazine Lifetime Achievement award in 2012 as well as the Order of Distinction in the National Honours and Awards on Jamaica’s 59th Anniversary of Independence in 2021.

T.M. Stevens (March 10, 2024)

Stevens was one of the most diverse and prolific bassists of our time. He cut his teeth in his home city of New York City and became an established session musician. He worked with Miles Davis, James Brown (playing on the hit “Living in America”), Steve Vai, The Pretenders, Joe Cocker, Tina Turner, and Billy Joel. His seven solo albums also served as a benchmark for bassists.

Chris Cross (March 25, 2024)

Born Chris Allen, Cross studied art and psychology in college before joining a band called Tiger Lily. That group would become Ultravox in 1976. They released three albums before vocalist Midge Ure joined and changed their trajectory. Cross co-wrote their biggest hit, “Vienna,” and stayed until they disbanded in 1987. He would take part in the classic lineup’s reunion from 2008 to 2013.

Nick Daniels III (April 26, 2024)

Daniels was a titan of the New Orleans music community. His stone cold grooves elevated the music of the Neville Brothers, Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Etta James, Boz Scaggs, and more. In 2003, he co-founded Dumpstaphunk with Ivan Neville and fellow bassist Tony Hall.

Palle Danielsson (May 18, 2024)

Swedish jazz bassist Palle Danielsson was raised in a musical family and began working professionally when he was just 15 years old. He may be best known for his membership in Keith Jarrett’s “European Quartet” from 1974 to 1979, but he worked with a bevy of talent including Bill Evans, Kenny Wheeler, Ben Webster, and more.

Charlie Colin (May 17, 2024)

Colin was the bassist for Train, which he co-founded in 1993. They scored the hit “Meet Virginia” in 1999 before 2001’s “Drops of Jupiter” got them to the international stage. Colin was dismissed from the band in 2003 but continued in the music industry with bands like Food Pill, Painbirds, The Side Deal, and more.

Tom Fowler (July 2, 2024)

Not many musicians could hang with the rigors of playing Frank Zappa’s music, but Tom Fowler was one of them. Born in Salt Lake City, he would move to New York City and then San Francisco. He joined Zappa’s band in 1973 and played on some of his most iconic albums: Apostrophe (‘), Roxy & Elsewhere, and One Size Fits All. After his time with Zappa, Fowler would play with Jean-Luc Ponty and Steve Hackett before becoming the bassist for Ray Charles from 1993 to 2004.

Harry Fleishman (July 14, 2024)

Fleishman was an innovative instrument designer and builder. His first instrument was an electric upright bass in 1969. In addition to his own unique creations, he made designs for Fender, Jackson, Akai, Avian Guitars, Breedlove Guitars, and more.

Bill Crook (July 24, 2024)

Crook was a member of Spiritbox from 2018 to 2022 before departing, citing a mutual decision with no hard feelings. He was also a member of A Textbook Tragedy and was working with Underoath’s Aaron Gillespie prior to his passing.

Keith McMillen (August 28, 2024)

McMillen was an innovator of audio and music technology. He earned degrees in acoustics, classical guitar, and composition before launching Zeta Music, a company that focused on electric violin. He was the Vice President of Gibson Guitars for a time and founded G-WIZ, an R&D lab for music control language. His work evolved into the Open Sound Control (OSC) that laid the foundation for MPE and MIDI 2.0. His company Keith McMillen Instruments created Smart Fabric sensors, the K-Bow, QuNeo, QuNexus, the 12-Step Controller, and more.

Herbie Flowers (September 5, 2024)

Flowers recorded some of the most recognizable songs and bass lines of his generation, maybe most notably on Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side.” (If you haven’t yet, you HAVE to hear about the bass line’s creation.) He also recorded with David Bowie on the albums Space Oddity and Diamond Dogs. His CV includes recording with Paul McCartney, Marc Bolan, Elton John, Melanie, David Essex, Bryan Ferry, Narry Nilsson, Cat Stevens, George Harrison, and many more.

Phil Lesh (October 25, 2024)

Lesh’s background in trumpet and improvised music – as well as his unfamiliarity with traditional bass playing – made him the perfect fit for the Grateful Dead. He first met Jerry Garcia while volunteering at a radio station, later joining his rock band The Warlocks that would become the legendary jam band known around the world. Lesh’s innovative approach gave motion and emotion to the Dead’s ever-evolving sound. They recorded 22 official live and studio albums between 1967 and 1990, performing up until Garcia’s death in 1995. He participated in several offshoot bands including the Fare Thee Well concerts in 2015. Lesh was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with The Grateful Dead in 1994. In addition to his music, he wrote a memoir called Searching for the Sound: My Life with The Grateful Dead and founded a music venue called Terrapin Crossroads.

Jon Camp (December 13, 2024)

Jon Camp joined the UK prog rock band Renaissance in 1972. He performed on every album from 1972 to 1983 and was noted for his extended bass solos during live performances. After leaving Renaissance, he would work with Robin George and Cathedrale among other groups.

Barre Phillips (December 29, 2024)

Phillips was a prolific bassist known for his jazz and avant-garde improvisations. His 1968 album Journal Violone is credited as the first ever solo bass record. In 1971, he recorded an improvised duo album with Dave Holland that marked the first of its genre, as well. In addition to his own deep catalog, Phillips recorded with Eric Dolphy, Jimmy Giuffre, Archie Shepp, Attila Zoller, and more.