Herbie Flowers, ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ bassist, dead at 86
Herbie Flowers, the influential bassist who played on Lou Reed’s glam rock classic ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ and many other classics, has died at the age of 86.
Family members confirmed his death on social media on Saturday, but no cause of death was revealed. “While we knew and loved him as Uncle Herbie, his musical contributions have likely touched your lives as well,” Kevin Conklin, the husband of Flowers’ niece, Lorraine Bassett, wrote. “He played bass on many of the songs from the golden age of rock.”
While Flowers is best known for his work on the former Velvet Underground frontman’s signature song and the album it is featured on—1972’s Transformer—he also played with many other greats on classic records. These include Elton John’s Tumbleweed Connection and Madman Across the Water, David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs, and Harry Nilsson’s Nilsson Schmilsson.
Other legends Flowers collaborated with include former Beatles Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, as well as Bryan Ferry, Al Kooper, and Roy Harper. These names underscore the immense respect he commanded within the industry. It is believed that Flowers recorded an astonishing 20,000 sessions throughout his career.
One of his earliest successes was ‘Space Oddity’, which he played on David Bowie’s eponymous 1969 album. This moment started it all for the future glam star, throwing off the shackles of his earlier failures and kick-starting his long route to superstardom.
The late musician was born in Isleworth in 1938 and first came to prominence in swinging sixties London, working with famed producers such as Shel Talmy, Mickie Most, and Tony Visconti. In 1969, he was one of the founding members of the group Blue Mink, which found success with the hit singles ‘Melting Pot’ and ‘The Banner Man’. He also played in the bands Rumplestiltskin, CCS, and the final iteration of T Rex.
Despite Flowers playing on many classic hits, with him thought to have contributed to roughly 500 successful albums by the end of the 1970s, ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ will always be his definitive moment. It is famed for its twinned ascending and descending portamento basslines.
In 2005, Flowers famously explained that he conceived the twin bass lines because he was there as a session musician, meaning he would be paid double for playing two instruments on one track. The iconic recording was played on a double bass overdubbed with a fretless Fender Jazz Bass and earned him a flat fee of £17, roughly £300 today.
The bassline is so effective that it has since been sampled on A Tribe Called Quest’s 1990 hit ‘Can I Kick It?’ and more recently, Haim’s ‘Summer Girl’. Even Mark Wahlberg’s former rap group, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, sampled it in 1991’s top ten hit, ‘Wildside’.
Since the news of Flowers’ death, many have paid tribute to the late bassist, including David Bowie’s estate. They wrote: “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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