In Memoriam: Remembering the Bassists We Lost in 2022

It’s the end of another year and another time for reflection. Lots of incredible music was made, but we also lost some of the best bassists in the world. 2022 saw the loss of session legends, trailblazing luthiers, rock icons, and jazz pioneers. They may be gone, but their music will live on.

Join us as we remember the bassists we lost in 2022.

Jay Weaver (January 2, 2022)

Jay Weaver

Weaver made his name as the bassist of the Contemporary Christian band Big Daddy Weave, which he co-founded with his brother Mike in 1998. Weaver battled several health issues and had his feet amputated following an infection. In a show of courage, he continued to play with the band from a wheelchair.

Burke Shelley (January 10, 2022)

Burke Shelley

As the bassist and vocalist for Budgie, Shelley may not have had mainstream success, but his work is highly influential. The power trio’s edgy sound left an impression on bands like Metallica, Van Halen, and Megadeth, all of whom covered their songs. Budgie broke up in 1988 before reuniting in 1999. The band ultimately came to a halt when Shelley suffered an aortic aneurysm that left him unable to sing as normal.

Scott Edwards (March 3, 2022)

Scott Edwards

Born and raised in Atlanta, Edwards was playing for just three years before Stevie Wonder scooped him up to join his band. He would play on Wonder’s Innervisions, Original Musiquarium, and Talking Book before moving to Los Angeles to become a staple of the recording scene. His bass lines were a bedrock of disco, anchoring songs like Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and Donna Summer’s “Bad Girls” as well as “Hot Stuff.” Other hits include the Hall & Oates classics “Rich Girl” and “She’s Gone,” but these tracks only scratch the surface of his discography.

Charnett Moffett (April 11, 2022)

Charnett Moffett

Moffett was a jazz bass virtuoso, composer, and bandleader that came from a musical family. After studying at Mannes College of Music and Juilliard, he performed on Branford Marsalis’ debut album Scenes In the City, and then Wynton Marsalis’ Grammy-winning Black Codes (From the Underground). That cemented his place in the jazz world, where he would perform with artists including Mulgrew Miller, Michael Brecker, Kenny Garrett, Ornette Coleman, and Stanley Jordan. Moffett is also renowned for his own solo work, with over 16 albums to his name.

Tim Feerick (April 13, 2022)

Tim Feerick

Feerick was a member of the rock band Dance Gavin Dance from 2009 until his passing. He recorded on six of the group’s albums including their latest, Afterburner, from 2020.

Rick Turner (April 17, 2022)

Rick Turner

Rick Turner revolutionized the world of bass guitars with his innovations. He co-founded Alembic Guitars, which brought the world of boutique basses to the masses. Turner worked on basses for Jack Casady, Stanley Clarke, and more, not to mention the guitars he created. It was at this time he was involved in the creation of the first graphite neck. He left Alembic in 1978 and launched Turner Guitars. After some R&D work for Gibson, he focused on Rick Turner Guitars full-time, where he continued to innovate new designs.

Randy Rand (April 26, 2022)

Randy Rand

Randy was bassist and co-founder of the ’80s hard rock band Autograph. They caught a break opening for Van Halen, which they parlayed into a record deal. Their debut album had a sleeper hit with “Turn Up The Radio.” Autograph broke up in 1989 but reunited in 2013 after he rekindled his friendship with guitarist Steve Lynch. Autograph was still active, with Rand being its sole original member until this year.

Howie Pyro (May 4, 2022)

Howie Pyro

Howard Kusten, aka Howie Pyro, was a leader of the punk scene in the ’70s. He founded the band The Blessed, which opened for bands like The Ramones and the Sex Pistols. He would later start the bands the Freaks and D-Generation with a stint in Danzig from 2000 to 2003.

Alec John Such (June 4, 2022)

Alec John Such

Such was a mainstay of the New Jersey rock scene of the ‘70s and ‘80s before he co-founded Bon Jovi in 1982. He was with the band through 1994, when he was replaced by Hugh McDonald. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Bon Jovi in 2018.

Paul Ryder (July 15, 2022)

Paul Ryder

Ryder was the bassist for Happy Mondays, which he co-founded with his brother Shaun in 1980. There he glued together the band’s unique blend of funk, electronica, punk, and rave. He rejoined the band in 2012 and had been playing with them until his passing.

Michael Henderson (July 19, 2022)

Michael Henderson

Henderson was a musical wunderkind, joining Stevie Wonder’s band at just 16 years old. His prowess was then discovered by jazz icon Miles Davis, who poached him for his own band. Henderson appeared on the trumpeter’s A Tribute to Jack Johnson, Live-Evil, On the Corner, Get Up With It, and more to make him one of the earliest prominent jazz fusion bassists. He also recorded hits with Marvin Gaye, The Dramatics, and more.

Bob Heathcote (July 24, 2022)

Bob Heathcote

Heathcote was an original member of Mike Muir’s Los Cycos. He later joined Suicidal Tendencies and, although it was a brief tenure, recorded on the stylistically important album How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can’t Even Smile Today. He left the band in 1989 to focus on his family and was replaced by Robert Trujillo.

Darryl Hunt (August 8, 2022)

Darryl Hunt

Hunt was a former member of the legendary Celtic punk band The Pogues, following the departure of Cait O’Riordan in 1986. He first performed on 1988’s If I Should Fall From Grace With God and was with the group through their breakup and subsequent reunions through the years.

Dave Sherman (September 6, 2022)

Dave Sherman

Sherman was a pillar of the doom metal community. He was in several important bands, including Wretched, Spirit Caravan, Earthride, Weed is Weed, The Obsessed, and more. His work helped raise the doom scene since the early ’90s.

Gregg Philbin (October 23, 2022)

Gregg Philbin (featured image)

Philbin was an early member of REO Speedwagon and instrumental in shaping the band’s sound. He performed on the band’s first six albums, culminating in the successful Live: You Get What You Play For. Issues of artistic and monetary disputes led him to leave the band in 1977.

Robin Sylvester (October 29, 2022)

Robin Sylvester

Sylvester was born and raised in London but moved to the San Francisco Bay to make his musical impact. He toured as a hired gun with The Beach Boys, Ry Cooder, Mary Wells, and more before falling in with Bob Weir & Ratdog in 2003. He was with the band through several evolutions, although he missed much of 2012 due to a kidney transplant.

Rick Anderson (December 16, 2022)

Rick Anderson

Anderson co-founded The Tubes in 1972 with Bill Spooner, Vince Welnick, and Bob McIntosh. They opened for Led Zeppelin’s US tour in 1973. Their biggest hit, “She’s a Beauty,” became a staple music video on MTV.

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