Tom Fowler obit

In Memoriam: Tom Fowler

 He was not on the list.

Tom Fowler, known best for his time with Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention, has died of undisclosed causes. He was 73 years old. The news was shared in part by fellow Zappa alum Arthur Barrow, who paid tribute to Fowler.

“Tom Fowler left us yesterday, July 2, 2024. He was a hero to me,” Barrow shared on Facebook. “The first time I heard [‘Echidna’s Arf’], I almost fell over when he played the big 5/16 lick on the bass! I had no idea that a clumsy bass could do such a thing! He was an inspiration for me to buy a bass and start practicing. I have known him since about 1976. RIP, old friend – missing you very much.”

Fowler was born in Salt Lake City and started playing music with his brothers at age six. After several years on the violin, he switched to double bass and then to the electric bass after hearing Jimi Hendrix and Frank Zappa. He played on two albums with a band called It’s A Beautiful Day before moving to New York to play jazz. After that he moved to San Francisco, where he ended up playing violin again.

“Then [Fowler’s brother Bruce] called me up and I auditioned for Frank and somehow I got the gig,” Fowler said in a 2000 interview. “I hadn’t even been playing bass, but I guess he got sick of looking for a bass player. This was in 1973. The audition was very simple. He had me play a couple of odd muted things and groove for a while, and then he said ‘OK, you’re it’. That was a really good band.”

The bassist played on some of Zappa’s most iconic albums, including Apostrophe (‘), Roxy & Elsewhere, and One Size Fits All. Check out this 1974 performance of “Inca Roads”:

After his time with Zappa, Fowler had a stint with fusion violinist Jean-Luc Ponty as well as Steve Hackett and The Fowler Brothers. Maybe his other biggest musical contribution was with Ray Charles. He served as the R&B legend’s bassist from 1993 until the pianist’s death in 2004. Fowler appears on the final Ray Charles album, Genius Loves Company.

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Tom Fowler.