Bass guitarist Herbie Flowers, who played with David Bowie, Lou Reed and others, dies at 86
Flowers won acclaim for his work with many of UK’s biggest 1970s musicians, giving Reed’s Walk On the Wild Side its recognisable bassline
Bass guitarist Herbie Flowers, who played with David Bowie, Elton John, Lou Reed and other music legends in a decades-long career, has died at 86.
The musician’s family confirmed his death on Facebook.
Flowers was a founding member of the pop group Blue Mink, who later joined the rock band T Rex. He won acclaim for his work with many of the biggest names in UK music in the 1970s, giving Reed’s Walk On the Wild Side, from the 1972 Transformer album, its recognisable twinned bassline.
He also played bass for Bowie’s Space Oddity, Bryan Ferry’s The Bride Stripped Bare, and Paul McCartney’s Give My Regards To Broad Street, and featured in two of John’s early 1970s albums, among many others.
In a tribute, Bowie’s estate said “his work with Bowie and associates over the years is too long to list here”.