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Herbie Flowers

December 26, 2022

Brian Keith "Herbie" Flowers (born 19 May 1938) is an English musician specialising in electric bass, double bass and tuba. He is noted as a member of Blue Mink, T. Rex and Sky.

Herbie Flowers
Flowers in 2013
Background information
Birth nameBrian Keith Flowers
Born (1938-05-19) 19 May 1938 (age 84)
Isleworth, Middlesex, England
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Electric bass, double bass, tuba
Years active1956–present

Flowers has contributed to recordings by Elton John (Tumbleweed Connection, Madman Across the Water), Camel (tuba on Nude), David Bowie (Space Oddity, Diamond Dogs), Lou Reed (Transformer, including the prominent bass line of "Walk on the Wild Side"), Melanie (Candles in the Rain),Roy Harper (Bullinamingvase), David Essex (Rock On), Al Kooper (New York City (You're a Woman)), Bryan Ferry (The Bride Stripped Bare), Harry Nilsson (Nilsson Schmilsson, Son of Schmilsson), Cat Stevens (New Masters, Foreigner), Paul McCartney (Give My Regards to Broad Street), George Harrison (Somewhere in England, Gone Troppo, Brainwashed) and Ringo Starr (Stop and Smell the Roses). He also played bass on Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds.[1]

By the end of the 1970s, Flowers had played bass on an estimated 500 hit recordings.[2]

Life and career

Flowers was born in Isleworth, Middlesex, England. He began his musical training in 1956 when conscripted into the Royal Air Force, electing at first to serve for nine years as a bandsman playing tuba. He took up double bass as a second instrument to secure his "junior technician" stripe and later moved to electric bass.[3] After completing his military service he passed through the line-ups of several Dixieland jazz bands in the early 1960s, then discovered modern jazz. In 1965 he was engaged as a bandsman on the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth. After hearing an electric bass at a New York nightclub, he acquired his own solid-body electric instrument,[2] a Lake Placid Blue 1960 Fender Jazz Bass that he purchased from Manny's Music in New York City for $79.

Later in the 1960s, Flowers began to acquire his reputation as a session player, working for record producers such as Shel Talmy, Mickie Most, Steve Rowland, Richard Perry, Gus Dudgeon and Tony Visconti.

In 1969, Flowers was a founding member of the group Blue Mink, playing on their song "Melting Pot" which reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart,[1] and early heavy rock band Rumplestiltskin. He was also a member of CCS and the final lineup of T. Rex, along with Dino Dines.[1]

In 1979, shortly after taking part in the annual A Song For Europe contest, performing "Mr Moonlight" with his group, the Daisies, he became a co-founder of the band Sky which had success in the United Kingdom and Australia.

Flowers is also known for having composed the novelty hit "Grandad" for Clive Dunn in 1970.[1] According to Flowers,[4] he came up with it after following an easy primer book on composing. All he needed was a hook, and he was struggling to come up with anything. He telephoned a friend, Ken Pickett, who came round, ringing the doorbell, and the sound of the doorbell provided the hook he needed.

Perhaps Flowers' most famous bass line is the one he created for Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" from the album Transformer (1972),[1] the only song by Reed to reach the Top 20 in the US.

He played and recorded with Marc Bolan from late 1976 until Bolan's death, in September 1977, and also appeared with him on the Marc television series in 1977.

Following Sky's demise in the early 1990s, Flowers has spent most of his time playing jazz. He has also worked as a bass guitar teacher at Ardingly College and leads many "Rockshops" at schools, helping young people to create and perform their own songs, as well as covering many others.

In 1998, session drummer Peter Boita again teamed up with Flowers to form a rhythm section in musical settings of the words of poet Sir John Betjeman on a second album they recorded together. The album was called Betjeman & Read. They had previously worked together on the Poetry in Motion album (released on Silhouette Records as MDKR 1), which also consisted of settings of Betjeman's It featuring Boita and Flowers playing with a line-up of artists that included David Essex, Justin Hayward, Steve Harley, Donovan, Alvin Stardust, Captain Sensible and Annie Haslam amongst others with Beatles' producer George Martin overseeing proceedings. Boita and Flowers reprised their roles when Poetry in Motion was performed live for a charity show at the Richmond Theatre on 5 April 1992. Betjeman & Read was one of the last albums recorded at the RG Jones Recording studio in Wimbledon. The vocal artists performing on this album include Cliff Richard, Marc Almond, Paul Young, Jon Anderson, Colin Blunstone, Gene Pitney, Leo Sayer, Donovan, Mike Read, the Rodolfus Choir and David Essex.

In September 2009 Flowers founded a community choir, Shoreham Singers-by-Sea, which has in excess of 150 members,[5] followed, in September 2010, by the Ditchling Singers.[6]

Solo discography

Albums

  • 1975: Plant Life (Philips)
  • 1980: A Little Potty (EMI)
  • 1981: Herbie's Stuff (KPM)
  • 2012: A Jazz Breakfast (HF15)

Singles

  • 1970: Lincoln County (Polydor)
  • 1973: Tramp / Flanker (Polydor)
  • 1975: Mouth / Hi! It's Herbie Flowers (Philips)
  • 1975: Dancing at Danny's / Mathematics (Philips)
  • 1977: Jubilee / News (EMI)
  • 1978: Don't Take My Bass Away / I Want to Be with You (EMI)
  • 1979: Mr. Moonlight / I Want to Be with You (EMI)
  • 1980: The Whale / Just for You (EMI)
  • 1980: Burlington Bertie (Tramp) / Big George (EMI)
  • 1981: Tuba Smarties / The Bathroom Song (Ariola)
  • 1983: I Love 'er / Meet Me on The Corner (Magic)

Collaborations

With Lou Reed

With Harry Nilsson

With Sam Brown

  • 43 Minutes (All At Once Records, 1993)
  • Of the Moment (Pod Music, 2007)

With Bryan Ferry

With Cat Stevens

With Melanie

With Ringo Starr

With Petula Clark

  • Destiny (CBS Records, 1978)

With Tim Rose

  • Love – A Kind of Hate Story (Capitol Records, 1970)

With Roger Daltrey

With Olivia Newton-John

With Albert Hammond

  • Al Otro Lado Del Sol (Epic Records, 1979)

With David Bowie

With Elton John

With Jane Wiedlin

With Steve Harley

With David Essex

  • Rock On (Columbia Records, 1973)
  • David Essex (CBS Records, 1974)
  • Imperial Wizard (Mercury Records, 1978)
  • Silver Dream Racer (Mercury Records, 1980)
  • Be-Bop the Future (Mercury Records, 1981)
  • Stage - Struck (Mercury Records, 1982)
  • This One's for You (Mercury Records, 1984)

With Cliff Richard

With George Harrison

With Sally Oldfield

  • Water Bearer (Bronze Records, 1978)
  • Easy (Bronze Records, 1979)
  • Celebration (Bronze Records, 1980)
  • Playing in the Flame (Bronze Records, 1981)

With Al Kooper

With T. Rex

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 474. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
  2. ^ a b "Herbie Flowers at ARTISTdirect.com – Free Herbie Flowers Music Videos, Downloads, News, biography, MP3, Lyrics and More". Artistdirect.com. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  3. ^ . Saga. Archived from the original on 10 January 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  4. ^ On the BBC Radio 2 show Jammin'
  5. ^ https://www.voicesofthesouth.net/
  6. ^ https://www.ditchling.com/Singers?cat=soc&style=print

External links

  • Herbie Flowers discography at Discogs  

December 26, 2022
herbie, flowers, this, biography, living, person, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, adding, reliable, sources, contentious, material, about, living, persons, that, unsourced, poorly, sourced, must, removed, immediately, especially, pote. This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification Please help by adding reliable sources Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately especially if potentially libelous or harmful Find sources Herbie Flowers news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2010 Learn how and when to remove this template message Brian Keith Herbie Flowers born 19 May 1938 is an English musician specialising in electric bass double bass and tuba He is noted as a member of Blue Mink T Rex and Sky Herbie FlowersFlowers in 2013Background informationBirth nameBrian Keith FlowersBorn 1938 05 19 19 May 1938 age 84 Isleworth Middlesex EnglandOccupation s MusicianInstrument s Electric bass double bass tubaYears active1956 present Flowers has contributed to recordings by Elton John Tumbleweed Connection Madman Across the Water Camel tuba on Nude David Bowie Space Oddity Diamond Dogs Lou Reed Transformer including the prominent bass line of Walk on the Wild Side Melanie Candles in the Rain Roy Harper Bullinamingvase David Essex Rock On Al Kooper New York City You re a Woman Bryan Ferry The Bride Stripped Bare Harry Nilsson Nilsson Schmilsson Son of Schmilsson Cat Stevens New Masters Foreigner Paul McCartney Give My Regards to Broad Street George Harrison Somewhere in England Gone Troppo Brainwashed and Ringo Starr Stop and Smell the Roses He also played bass on Jeff Wayne s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds 1 By the end of the 1970s Flowers had played bass on an estimated 500 hit recordings 2 Contents 1 Life and career 2 Solo discography 2 1 Albums 2 2 Singles 3 Collaborations 4 References 5 External linksLife and career EditFlowers was born in Isleworth Middlesex England He began his musical training in 1956 when conscripted into the Royal Air Force electing at first to serve for nine years as a bandsman playing tuba He took up double bass as a second instrument to secure his junior technician stripe and later moved to electric bass 3 After completing his military service he passed through the line ups of several Dixieland jazz bands in the early 1960s then discovered modern jazz In 1965 he was engaged as a bandsman on the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth After hearing an electric bass at a New York nightclub he acquired his own solid body electric instrument 2 a Lake Placid Blue 1960 Fender Jazz Bass that he purchased from Manny s Music in New York City for 79 Later in the 1960s Flowers began to acquire his reputation as a session player working for record producers such as Shel Talmy Mickie Most Steve Rowland Richard Perry Gus Dudgeon and Tony Visconti In 1969 Flowers was a founding member of the group Blue Mink playing on their song Melting Pot which reached No 3 in the UK Singles Chart 1 and early heavy rock band Rumplestiltskin He was also a member of CCS and the final lineup of T Rex along with Dino Dines 1 In 1979 shortly after taking part in the annual A Song For Europe contest performing Mr Moonlight with his group the Daisies he became a co founder of the band Sky which had success in the United Kingdom and Australia Flowers is also known for having composed the novelty hit Grandad for Clive Dunn in 1970 1 According to Flowers 4 he came up with it after following an easy primer book on composing All he needed was a hook and he was struggling to come up with anything He telephoned a friend Ken Pickett who came round ringing the doorbell and the sound of the doorbell provided the hook he needed Perhaps Flowers most famous bass line is the one he created for Lou Reed s Walk on the Wild Side from the album Transformer 1972 1 the only song by Reed to reach the Top 20 in the US He played and recorded with Marc Bolan from late 1976 until Bolan s death in September 1977 and also appeared with him on the Marc television series in 1977 Following Sky s demise in the early 1990s Flowers has spent most of his time playing jazz He has also worked as a bass guitar teacher at Ardingly College and leads many Rockshops at schools helping young people to create and perform their own songs as well as covering many others In 1998 session drummer Peter Boita again teamed up with Flowers to form a rhythm section in musical settings of the words of poet Sir John Betjeman on a second album they recorded together The album was called Betjeman amp Read They had previously worked together on the Poetry in Motion album released on Silhouette Records as MDKR 1 which also consisted of settings of Betjeman s It featuring Boita and Flowers playing with a line up of artists that included David Essex Justin Hayward Steve Harley Donovan Alvin Stardust Captain Sensible and Annie Haslam amongst others with Beatles producer George Martin overseeing proceedings Boita and Flowers reprised their roles when Poetry in Motion was performed live for a charity show at the Richmond Theatre on 5 April 1992 Betjeman amp Read was one of the last albums recorded at the RG Jones Recording studio in Wimbledon The vocal artists performing on this album include Cliff Richard Marc Almond Paul Young Jon Anderson Colin Blunstone Gene Pitney Leo Sayer Donovan Mike Read the Rodolfus Choir and David Essex In September 2009 Flowers founded a community choir Shoreham Singers by Sea which has in excess of 150 members 5 followed in September 2010 by the Ditchling Singers 6 Solo discography EditAlbums Edit 1975 Plant Life Philips 1980 A Little Potty EMI 1981 Herbie s Stuff KPM 2012 A Jazz Breakfast HF15 Singles Edit 1970 Lincoln County Polydor 1973 Tramp Flanker Polydor 1975 Mouth Hi It s Herbie Flowers Philips 1975 Dancing at Danny s Mathematics Philips 1977 Jubilee News EMI 1978 Don t Take My Bass Away I Want to Be with You EMI 1979 Mr Moonlight I Want to Be with You EMI 1980 The Whale Just for You EMI 1980 Burlington Bertie Tramp Big George EMI 1981 Tuba Smarties The Bathroom Song Ariola 1983 I Love er Meet Me on The Corner Magic Collaborations EditWith Lou Reed Transformer RCA Records 1972 With Harry Nilsson Nilsson Schmilsson RCA Victor 1971 With Sam Brown 43 Minutes All At Once Records 1993 Of the Moment Pod Music 2007 With Bryan Ferry The Bride Stripped Bare EG Records 1978 With Cat Stevens Foreigner Island Records 1973 With Melanie Candles in the Rain Buddah Records 1970 With Ringo Starr Stop and Smell the Roses RCA Records 1981 With Petula Clark Destiny CBS Records 1978 With Tim Rose Love A Kind of Hate Story Capitol Records 1970 With Roger Daltrey McVicar Polydor Records 1980 With Olivia Newton John If Not for You Festival Records 1971 With Albert Hammond Al Otro Lado Del Sol Epic Records 1979 With David Bowie David Bowie Mercury Records 1969 Diamond Dogs RCA Records 1974 With Elton John Tumbleweed Connection Uni 1970 Madman Across the Water Uni 1971 A Single Man Rocket 1978 With Jane Wiedlin Tangled EMI 1990 With Steve Harley Hobo with a Grin EMI 1978 Poetic Justice Transatlantic Records 1996 With David Essex Rock On Columbia Records 1973 David Essex CBS Records 1974 Imperial Wizard Mercury Records 1978 Silver Dream Racer Mercury Records 1980 Be Bop the Future Mercury Records 1981 Stage Struck Mercury Records 1982 This One s for You Mercury Records 1984 With Cliff Richard Rock n Roll Juvenile EMI 1979 With George Harrison Somewhere in England Dark Horse Records 1981 Gone Troppo Dark Horse Records 1982 Brainwashed Dark Horse Records 2002 With Sally Oldfield Water Bearer Bronze Records 1978 Easy Bronze Records 1979 Celebration Bronze Records 1980 Playing in the Flame Bronze Records 1981 With Al Kooper New York City You re a Woman Columbia Records 1971 A Possible Projection of the Future Childhood s End Columbia Records 1972 With T Rex Dandy in the Underworld EMI 1977 References Edit a b c d e Colin Larkin ed 1997 The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music Concise ed Virgin Books p 474 ISBN 1 85227 745 9 a b Herbie Flowers at ARTISTdirect com Free Herbie Flowers Music Videos Downloads News biography MP3 Lyrics and More Artistdirect com Retrieved 8 July 2011 An interview with Herbie Flowers Saga Archived from the original on 10 January 2012 Retrieved 8 July 2011 On the BBC Radio 2 show Jammin https www voicesofthesouth net https www ditchling com Singers cat soc amp style printExternal links EditHerbie Flowers discography at Discogs Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Herbie Flowers amp oldid 1128511280, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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