In Memoriam - Page 18

Andy Fraser, bassist and founding member of the ’60s rock band Free, has passed away at 62. Although a cause of death has not been released, Fraser had recently been battling AIDS and cancer. Fraser was born in London in 1952 and began music studies on piano at the tender age of five. He switched to guitar when he was...

Mike Porcaro, who played bass for the seminal rock band Toto, has passed away after a long battle with ALS. He was 59 years old. Porcaro came from a musical family. His father is jazz drummer Joe Porcaro, and he is the middle brother of drummer Jeff Porcaro and keyboardist Steve Porcaro. Though Mike played on several unofficial sessions since...

Danny McCulloch, who played bass for the second incarnation of The Animals, has passed away from cardiac heart failure. He was 69 years old. McCulloch was born in West London in 1945 and got his musical start in his teens. His first band was The Avro Boys, who went on to become Tony Craven & The Casuals in the late...

Joe B. Mauldin, who helped change the face of popular music as bassist for Buddy Holly and the Crickets, passed away February 7th after a battle with cancer. He was 74 years old. The Lubbock, Texas native started music early. Born on July 8, 1940, he first recorded with The Four Teens in 1955 at only 15 years old. He...

Another fantastic session bassist has left us. Tim Drummond, who worked with artists ranging from James Brown to Bob Dylan to Neil Young, has passed away at the age of 74. A cause of death has not been announced. Drummond was born in Canton, Illinois in 1940. He honed his craft in the clubs around Cincinnati, Ohio where he would...

Sad news to report today: prolific Nashville session bassist Henry Strzelecki passed away on December 30th after being struck by a car. He was 75 years old. Henry Strzelecki was born in Birmingham, Alabama and relocated the Nashville when he was still young. He began his recording career in country music with songwriter Baker Knight on the Decca Label while...

At the close of each year, we take time to remember those we lost in the bass community. 2014 saw the passing of some of the most influential bassists of our lifetime. Join us as we take a moment to remember the lives and legacies of the bass players we lost this year. Paul Goddard (April 29, 2014) Goddard was...

Bassist/vocalist Larry Sims, who was an original member of Loggins & Messina, has passed away of undisclosed causes. Bandleader Jim Messina broke the news on his Facebook page. “I was awakened this morning with a phone call that Larry Sims has passed away. As most of you know Larry was the original bass player and singer in Loggins and Messina.Larry...

Paul “Cuzo” Mancuso of the Canadian Celtic punk band The Mahones has passed away. The cause of death has not been announced. Mancuso was with the band off and on since 2012 and played on their albums Angels & Devils and A Great Night On The Lash: Live in Italy. Prior to his time in The Mahones, the bassist was...

Another great bassist has left us. Rick Rosas, who served as longtime bassist for Neil Young, has passed away at the age of 65. The cause of death has not been released. Affectionately known as “Rick the Bass Player,” Rosas got his musical start in an instrumental surf band called Mark & The Escorts in the early 1960’s. The core...

We have lost one of the titans of music and bass. Jack Bruce has passed away at the age of 71, reportedly of liver disease. According to BBC, Bruce’s publicist has confirmed the news, and the family has issued this statement on the bass legend’s official website: “It is with great sadness that we, Jack’s family, announce the passing of...

Bassist John Gustafson, who spent time in the Ian Gillan Band and Roxy Music, has passed away of undisclosed causes. He was 72. Gustafson was born in Liverpool and started his early career in the late ’50s and early ’60s. His first group was one of the UK’s first rock trios called The Big Three, which he joined in July...