Herbie Flowers obit

Herbie Flowers, Prolific Bassist for Bowie, Elton, Reed, Nilsson & 3 Beatles, Dies

 

He was not on the list.

Herbie Flowers, the British bassist who contributed to hundreds of sessions for such stars as David Bowie, Elton John, Lou Reed, T. Rex, Harry Nilsson and three Beatles, among many others, has died. His passing, on Sept. 5, 2024, at age 86, was confirmed by England’s Esoteric Recordings and David Bowie News in Facebook posts. A cause has not yet been reported.

Flowers’ bass lines included some of the most familiar in rock, among them the prominent, defining bass part in Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side,” Nilsson’s “Jump in the Fire,” Melanie’s “Candles in the Rain,” David Essex’s “Rock On,” T. Rex’s “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” and Bowie’s “Space Oddity.” He can be heard on Paul McCartney’s Give My Regards to Broad Street, George Harrison’s Somewhere in England, Gone Troppo and Brainwashed, and Ringo Starr’s Stop and Smell the Roses. Other credits include John’s Madman Across the Water, Tumbleweed Connection and A Single Man albums, and recordings by Al Kooper, Olivia Newton-John, Bryan Ferry, Cat Stevens, Roy Harper and others.

Brian Keith “Herbie” Flowers was born May 19, 1938, in Isleworth, Middlesex, England. He began playing tuba at age 18 while serving in the Royal Air Force, and subsequently took up the acoustic bass and then electric bass, buying his first Fender electric during a stop in New York in 1960. At first, Flowers played mostly jazz, but upon returning to civilian life in the U.K. he found studio work with such notable producers as Mickie Most, Shel Talmy and Tony Visconti, primarily on rock recordings. He became a member of the band Blue Mink (“Melting Pot”) in 1969, the same year he contributed to Bowie’s self-titled second LP, as well as the hard rock band Rumplestiltskin.

His participation on Reed’s Transformer album in 1972 resulted in the American’s best known song, “Walk on the Wild Side,” largely built upon Flowers’ bass. Flowers also worked often with Marc Bolan of T. Rex on the latter’s solo releases and contributed to sessions starring Roger Daltrey, Cliff Richard, Steve Harley and more. He co-founded the band Sky in 1979.

Flowers also released some music under his own name, but he did not click as a solo performer. In recent years, Flowers returned to his first love, playing jazz.