S Poddar
Herbie Flowers was one of those iconic session bassists, most famous for that indelible work on Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side.” He has died at 86. That bassline in that song is one of those instantly recognizable pop hooks. If those, however, Flowers’ other credits read like a who’s who: Lou Reed, David Bowie, Marc Bolan, Paul McCartney, Bryan Ferry, and Elton John, to name but a few.
News of his death was confirmed by family via Facebook, and tributes flowed in from fellow musicians and fans alike. Tim Burgess, The Charlatans’ lead vocalist gave flowers to the bassist upon X, formerly Twitter: “Farewell Herbie Flowers he made the greats sound greater.” Bowie’s estate also came forward with word about Flowers’ death, claiming that the musician’s work over the years was too extensive to capture in a single statement. “Aside from his incredible musicianship over many decades, he was a beautiful soul and a very funny man. He will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Meanwhile, Suede’s bassist Mat Osman gave praise thus: “Ah, damn. RIP Herbie Flowers. So many great basslines – imagine having played on Space Oddity, Walk on the Wild Side, and Rock On.”
Flowers was born in Isleworth in 1938 and took up his first musical steps in the 1960s, playing as a session man for Shel Talmy, Mickie Most, and Tony Visconti, among others. In 1969, he founded the group Blue Mink, who scored chart success with songs like “Melting Pot” and “The Banner Man.”
Though Flowers was steadily in demand as a bass player, his work on Walk on the Wild Side became one of his most celebrated contributions. Instantly recognizable, the song’s signature ascending and descending bassline became but Flowers remained humble about his role in creating it. “People have often suggested that I should have got writer’s credits, but I just helped put an arrangement together,” he once said in an interview. “Lou had the chords written out on a piece of paper, and my job was to come up with the bass line.”
In another interview, Flowers said jokingly of the nature of his session work, “You do the job and get your arse away. You take a £12 fee; you can’t play a load of bollocks.” While he joked about the modest payment, reports say he actually received £17 for his contribution to *Walk on the Wild Side*, more than the £9 he got for a three-hour session on Bowie’s *Space Oddity* in 1969.
Flowers played on more than 20,000 recording sessions during his lifetime. These included work with artists as diverse as Dusty Springfield and George Harrison to Serge Gainsbourg and David Essex. He co-authored the 1970 novelty hit “Grandad,” after one chance meeting with actor Clive Dunn. The story goes that Dunn, famous for his role in Dad’s Army, challenged Flowers at a party to write a song for him; the chart-topping track was the result.
Flowers was also part of the last T. Rex lineup, playing on the group’s last album, Dandy in the Underworld, released in 1977 just before Marc Bolan’s tragic death. He even materialized on Bolan’s Marc TV show. Later in the ’70s, Flowers continued to pad his résumé when he formed the instrumental prog-rock project Sky, touring and recording with the group until 1995, releasing seven albums with the collective.
In addition to these major contributions, Flowers’ bass can be heard on a number of records including Bryan Ferry’s The Bride Stripped Bare, Paul McCartney’s Give My Regards to Broad Street, and Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of the War of the Worlds.
Kevin J. Conklin, the husband of Flowers’ niece Lorraine Bassett, posted on Facebook: “Though we knew and loved him as Uncle Herbie, his musical contributions have probably touched your lives as well. He played bass on so many of the songs from the golden age of rock. We will miss you, Uncle Herbie! Rock on.
Herbie Flowers has left an indelible mark not only on enriching rock music but shaping some of the most powerful sounds of the last one hundred years. His modesty, his wit, combined with colossal talent, made sure his presence was never unnoticed, either in the music he created or the hearts of those who knew him.
