In Memoriam: Henry Strzelecki
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 also playing with his brother in the Four Flickers. It was with the Four Flickers that he wrote “Long Tall Texan,” which would later be recorded by the Beach Boys, Lyle Lovett, and many more.
The early ‘60s saw Strzelecki work with guitarist Hank Garland and then legend Chet Atkins, who used the bassist for both studio and touring work. From there his career was solidified by working with nearly every country artist that came through Nashville including Patsy Cline, Flatt & Scruggs, Lefty Frizzell, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Willie Nelson, Charley Pride, Marty Robbins, Conway Twitty, Porter Wagoner, and Connie Smith, just to name a few. His playing is featured on Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde and George Jones’s “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”
A memorial for Henry Strzelecki will be held in Nashville at the Pennington United Methodist Church on January 17.
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Henry Strzelecki.
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
I first saw Henry playing upright bass with Chet Atkins on one of the old TV shows done in Nashville back in the day. He played so well with Chet, and had a great tone. A versatile electric and upright bassist who I became a fan of. Top of the tops among Nashville studio bassists.