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Herbie Flowers Dies: Veteran Bassist Who Worked With David Bowie, Elton John Was 86

Herbie Flowers, a veteran bass guitarist who worked with the likes of David Bowie, Elton John, Paul McCartney and more, has died at the age of 86.

Throughout his decades-long career, the British musician most notably worked on tracks like Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side” (the iconic bass line of which he originated and was later sampled by such artists as A Tribe Called Quest and Haim) and Bowie’s “Space Oddity.” He also contributed to Harry Nilsson’s 1971 Nilsson Schmilsson(providing the bass line to “Jump Into the Fire”). In the ’60s, Flowers cemented his reputation as a session bassist, working for record producers like Shel Talmy, Steve Rowland, Mickie Most and Tony Visconti. Following the breakup of The Beatles, Flowers worked on the solo albums of its members, including McCartney’s 1984 Give My Best Regards to Broad Street, Harrison’s Somewhere in England and Starr’s Stop and Smell the Roses(both released in 1981).

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