Musical icon who's performed with Elton John and David Bowie dies as tributes flood in
Tim Burgess of The Charlatans has led heartfelt tributes to legendary bassist Herbie Flowers, best known for his work with David Bowie and Sir Elton John, saying he "made the greats sound greater" following Herbie's passing at the grand age of 86.
The sad news of Herbie's death was confirmed on Facebook by family members. Over on Twitter, Tim shared a touching goodbye: "Farewell Herbie Flowers, he made the greats sound greater." David Bowie's estate shared a statement expressing their sorrow: "We are very sad to learn of the passing of Herbie Flowers in the last couple of days."
Listing his extensive collaborations would be an immense task, as they noted: "His work with Bowie and associates over the years is too long to list here." But it wasn't just his musicianship that made him stand out, as they reflected: "Aside from his incredible musicianship over many decades, he was a beautiful soul and a very funny man. He will be sorely missed."
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They sent condolences saying, "Our thoughts are with his family and friends." Suede's bassist Mat Osman also shared his respects, tweeting: "RIP Herbie Flowers. So many great basslines imagine having played on Space Oddity, Walk on the Wild Side and Rock On."
Starting in the swinging '60s, Isleworth-born Herbie embarked on a stellar career as a session musician collaborating with iconic producers like Shel Talmy, Mickie Most, and Tony Visconti. His legacy includes being a co-founder of Blue Mink, celebrated for their UK top-charting single "Melting Pot."
Herbie became the go-to bass player throughout the 70s, performing with a line-up of musical geniuses including David Bowie, Sir Elton John, and Lou Reed. In 1972, he contributed to Reed's groundbreaking Transformer album, providing the distinctive double bassline for the single Walk On The Wild Side.
Herbie later disclosed in a 2005 BBC interview that he had devised the bassline idea as it meant he would earn twice as much as a session musician for playing two instruments. Another of Herbie's iconic basslines was featured on David Essex's 1973 glam single, Rock On, which used a double-tracked and slapback effect to create the song's polyrhythmic backbeat.
He was part of the final line-up of T Rex just before Marc Bolan's death, appearing on the band's last album, 1977's Dandy In The Underworld, and Bolan's Marc TV show. With David Bowie, he performed on the singer's second album, David Bowie in 1969 (also known as Space Oddity), and on 1974's Diamond Dogs after the disbandment of Bowie's band the Spiders From Mars earlier that year.
With Sir Elton, he played on 1970's Tumbleweed Connection, and 1971's Madman Across The Water. Herbie also contributed to French singer Serge Gainsbourg's influential 1971 concept album, Histoire de Melody Nelson. In the late 1970s, Herbie established the instrumental prog rock band, Sky, where he recorded and performed until 1995, releasing seven albums.
Other records featuring Herbie include Bryan Ferry's The Bride Stripped Bare, Sir Paul McCartney's Give My Regards To Broad Street, and Jeff Wayne's Musical Version Of War Of The Worlds.
