Legendary Walk On The Wild Side bassist Herbie Flowers has passed away
Legendary musician Herbie Flowers has passed away aged 86, his family have confirmed.
Flowers most famously created the iconic and instantly recognisable bass line for Lou Reed’s Walk On The Wild Side from his 1972 album, Transformer.
No cause of death has been revealed, but a number of industry figures have shared their admiration and respect for Flowers since the news of his passing was shared by family members on Facebook last Saturday, 7 September.
The artist, born Brian Keith Flowers, is credited on a number of classic hits from his work as a session musician. He also played bass in pop group Blue Mink and rock band T. Rex. According to the BBC, he is thought to have contributed to more than 500 hit albums by the end of the 1970s.
During his incredible career, he worked alongside David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Elton John and more. He played bass guitar on Bowie’s self-titled 1969 album and Diamond Dogs in 1974. Bowie’s estate has paid tribute to Flowers, stating, “Aside from his incredible musicianship over many decades, he was a beautiful soul and a very funny man. He will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
As for his work with Lou Reed, Flowers revealed in 2005 in an interview with the BBC that he had actually come up with the idea for the Walk On The Wild Side bassline as he would be paid double as a session musician for playing two instruments, though this was of course not the sole reason for experimenting with both bass guitar and double bass. You can remind yourself of his brilliant work on the track below:
A number of tributes from across the music industry have flooded in, with Tim Burgess of The Charlatans sharing in a post on X, “Farewell Herbie Flowers. He made the greats sound greater.” Suede bassist Mat Osman also shared a statement: “RIP Herbie Flowers. So many great basslines – imagine having played on Space Oddity,” he wrote. “Walk on the Wild Side and Rock On.”
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
