In Memoriam: Rick Anderson

We have sad news to share today as bassist Rick Anderson, who co-founded San Francisco rock outfit The Tubes, has passed away of undisclosed causes. He was 75 years old. The band announced his death with a brief social media post.

“We lost our brother on 12/16/22,” they wrote on Facebook. “Rick brought a steady and kind presence to the band for 50 years. His love came through his bass.”

Anderson played in a band called the Beans with Bill Spooner, Vince Welnick, and Bob McIntosh before they formed The Tubes in 1972. They opened up for Led Zeppelin during their 1973 tour and then got a record deal. While their debut had a fan favorite track called “White Punks on Dope,” their biggest hit came in 1983 with “She’s a Beauty” from Outside Inside. The music video became a staple of MTV.

Anderson played on all eight of the Tubes studio albums from 1975 to 1996.

Our thoughts are with the friends and family of Rick Anderson.