In The News

Rock bassist Trevor Bolder passes away

Rock bassist Trevor Bolder passes away

THE rock bassist Trevor Bolder, who was a long time member of Uriah Heep, has passed away at the age of 62.

Before joining the band in 1976, Mr. Bolder had been with David Bowie’s backing group Spiders From Mars. He had joined Bowie in 1971 along with the guitarist Mick Ronson, with whom he had been in another band. 

Bowie’s creation of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars became an international success and they toured extensively until the singer decided to follow a different musical course.

Mr. Bolder had played on Bowie’s fourth album Honky Dory (1971), The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars (1972), Aladdin Sane (1973), Pin-Ups (1973) and Santa Monica ’72 — the live album which had been recorded during the Ziggy Stardust tour but was not officially released until 1994.

The first album he played on with Uriah Heep was Firefly (1977). He continued to play with the band until only months before his death.

Mr. Bolder passed away after suffering from cancer.

In a statement, the remaining members of Uriah Heep paid tribute to their friend. They said: “Trevor was an all time great, one of the outstanding musicians of his generation and one of the finest and most influential bass players that Britain ever produced.

“His long time membership of Uriah Heep brought the band’s music, and Trevor’s virtuosity and enthusiasm, to hundreds of thousands of fans across the world.”

David Bowie also paid tribute. He said: “Trevor was a wonderful musician and a major inspiration for whichever band he was working with. But he was foremostly a tremendous guy, a great man.”

To view an excerpt from a documentary on The Spiders From Mars which features an interview with Trevor Bolder, click here.

To see footage of Uriah Heep performing Sunrise, click here.

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