In Memoriam - Page 22

Another bass legend has left us with the passing of Funk Brother Bob Babbitt, as the iconic bassist succumbed to complications from a brain tumor which was discovered last year. He was 74. Along with fellow low-ender James Jamerson, Babbitt was the foundation for the Motown Sound and played on over 200 Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hits. His undeniable...

Tomáš ?elechovský, bassist for the Czech symphonic metal band Symphonity, has passed away after a hard fought battle with pancreatic cancer. Hailing from Brno, ?elechovský listed his musical influences as ranging from The Beatles and The Beach Boys to Frank Zappa and Tom Waits, though Led Zeppelin was always his favorite. The bassist joined Symphonity in 2004, while the band...

Bassist John Koko has passed away at the age of 51, due to complications from a lifelong heart condition. He was a member of The Makaha Sons and had been a fixture of performing and promoting Hawaiian music. Koko started his musical career at just 12 years old when he joined Na Leo O Nanakuli. Later, the Hawaiian native started...

John Harrison, the bassist and one of the founding members for the British rock band Hawkwind, has passed away following a long battle with Huntington’s disease. He was just two days shy of reaching 70 years old. Harrison died on May 26th, 2012, but the announcement of his passing was delayed, eventually being reported by way of the Hawkwind’s official...

Legendary bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn has died in Tokyo early this morning, following a night of shows at the Tokyo Blue Note. According to reports, Dunn passed away in his sleep. The bassist, who was 70 years old, was a member of Booker T. and the M.G.’s and session bassist for Stax Records. He was also a member of the...

The news of the passing of Beastie Boy member Adam Yauch hit the web on Friday, with a massive outpouring that followed on the social web. What wasn’t mentioned as often was that Yauch held down the low end in addition to being a rapper in the group. Yauch, aka MCA, had been battling cancer for some time. He was...

Bassist Lloyd Brevett, the pioneering upright player and founding member of the Jamaican ska group The Skatalites, passed away yesterday after being treated for seizures due to a stroke he suffered in March. He was 80. Brevett is one of the central figures in bringing ska music from Jamaica to the world, as one of the original members of The...

Bassist Chris Ethridge, a founding member of Flying Burrito Brothers with Gram Parsons, has passed away at the age of 65 due to complications from pancreatic cancer. The genre-shaping band he co-created helped bring country and rock together. Ethridge left the band after recording their debut album The Gilded Palace of Sin, going on to work as a bassist for...

Jazz bassist Joe Byrd has passed away at the age of 78, following injuries from a car accident. Byrd was best known as the bassist for his brother Charlie Byrd’s trio and was featured on the album Jazz Samba with Stan Getz, which is credited as the first major bossa nova album on the American jazz scene. Born in Chuckatuck,...

Michael Davis, the bassist best known for his work with the band MC5, has died of liver failure, his wife announced yesterday. The bassist died at Enloe Medical Center in Chico, California on Friday, following a month of treatment for liver disease. He was 68. MC5, whose name was short for “Motor City Five” was formed in 1964 in Lincoln...

Henry E. Davis, bassist for the ’70s R&B group L.T.D., passed away at the age of 63. A mainstay of the West Coast disco scene, he also played on the Diana Ross hit “Love Hangover.” Davis started his career in the ’60s with Friends of Distinction before hooking up with L.T.D. in the early ’70s. The band eventually split up...

Longtime Peter, Paul and Mary bassist Richard “Dick” Kniss has passed away from pulmonary disease at the age of 74. The bassist was referred to as the fourth member of the trio and performed with the folk outfit for nearly 50 years. He also made waves as John Denver’s bassist and co-writer of the hit “Sunshine on My Shoulders.” Born...