In Memoriam - Page 23

Juan Formell, who played bass and led the popular Cuban band Los Van Van, has died of liver disease. He was 71. Formell was born in Havana in 1942 and started his professional music career at the age of 15. He worked in cabarets, radio and television and was bassist for the band Revolutionary Police by 1959. The bassist formed...

Atlanta Rhythm Section bassist Paul Goddard has passed away, according to news reports and confirmed by the band on their Facebook page. He was 68. Goddard was among the founding members of the band in 1970 when the former members of the Candymen and the Classics IV became the session band for Studio One in Doraville, Georgia. Goddard retired from...

Herman “Trigger” Alpert passed away on December 21st at the age of 97. The jazz bassist was best known for playing in the original Glenn Miller civilian orchestra, where he was credited with adding some much needed swing to the rhythm section. Alpert was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1916. After studying at Indiana University, he moved to New York...

As 2013 draws to a close, we take a moment to reflect on the notable bassists that left us this year. Their grooves helped to create the soundtrack of life for people all over the world. Rick Huxley (February 11, 2013) Bassist for The Dave Clark Five. As part of the Dave Clark Five, Huxley was a part of the...

Jazz bassist Dwayne Burno has passed away of undisclosed causes at the age of 43. Born in Philadelphia, Burno was a mainstay of the New York City jazz scene for the past two decades. His resume includes work with legendary artists including Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Joe Henderson and many more. Burno started his musical education at an...

Former Lambchop bassist Marc Trovillion passed away last week after suffering a heart attack. He was 56 years old. Trovillion was a founding member of the Nashville-based band and referred to himself as a “charter member.” It was in the bassist’s bedroom where he, Kurt Wagner and Jim Watkins first got together to jam in 1987, and he was featured...

Jazz bassist Butch Warren, who worked as a house bassist for Blue Note Records in the 1960s, has died. He was 74 years old. Born in Washington, D.C. in 1939, Edward Rudolph Warren Jr. grew up in a musical family. His father, a part-time jazz pianist, would invite touring black musicians to his home to offer them a better stay...

Keith “Sabu” Crier, who founded the disco group GQ, has passed away of undisclosed causes. He was 58. Crier formed his first band in 1968 under name Sabu & the Survivors, which then became The Rhythm Makers in the 1970s. The band released a single album called Soul on Your Side in 1976, which landed the group the hit track...

Original Great White bassist Lorne Black has died of undisclosed causes. Black founded Great White with vocalist Jack Russell and guitarist Mark Kendall in 1982 and was featured on the band’s debut EP and self-titled album as well as the follow-ups Shot in the Dark and Once Bitten…. “Our hearts go out to his family, friends and fans,” Russell wrote...

Chris Friedrich, bassist for post-rock outfit Caspian, has passed away. The band made the announcement on their website. “We write to you today with heavy hearts and indescribable sadness to tell you that our bass player, Chris Friedrich, died unexpectedly Sunday afternoon,” they wrote. “We have lost a close friend, a true brother, and a presence that can never be...

Tim Wright, original bassist for the experimental rock group Pere Ubu, has passed away. The cause of death was not announced. Wright helped to form Pere Ubu in Cleveland, Ohio in 1975. Blending punk and art rock, the band’s sound was underpinned by the bassist’s growling tone on early tracks including “30 Seconds Over Tokyo” and “Final Solution.” Wright also...

Jazz bassist Ben Tucker was killed on June 4th after his golf cart was struck by a speeding car. The veteran musician was 82 years old. Born December 30th, 1930 in Tennessee, Tucker began his career in Nashville before heading to California and New York City where he played with artists ranging from Art Pepper to Dexter Gordon to Quincy...