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Trevor Bolder

{{short description|English rock bassist, musician, songwriter and record producer}}

{{Use British English|date=January 2014}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Trevor Bolder

| image = Trevor-Bolder Milan.jpg

| caption = Bolder in Milan, 9 November 2008

| image_size =

| landscape = Yes

| background = solo_singer

| birth_name =

| alias =

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1950|6|9}}

| birth_place = Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2013|5|21|1950|6|9}}

| death_place = Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire, England

| instrument = {{flatlist|

  • Bass
  • vocals
  • trumpet

}}

| genre = {{flatlist|

}}

| occupation = {{flatlist|

  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • record producer

}}

| years_active = 1963–2013

| label = RCA

| past_member_of = {{flatlist|

}}

}}

Trevor Bolder (9 June 1950 – 21 May 2013) was an English rock musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his long association with Uriah Heep and his tenure with the Spiders from Mars, the backing band for David Bowie, although he also played alongside a variety of musicians from the early 1970s.

Biography

Bolder was born in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England.{{cite web |url=http://www.nndb.com/people/774/000091501/ |title=Biography |publisher=nndb.com |access-date=4 November 2008}} His father was a trumpet player, and other members of his family too were musicians. He played cornet in the school band{{cite web |url=http://dmme.net/interviews/bolder.html |title=Interview with TREVOR BOLDER (URIAH HEEP) |publisher=DMME.net |access-date=31 January 2014 |archive-date=30 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230215612/http://dmme.net/interviews/bolder.html |url-status=dead }} and was active in his local R&B scene in the mid-1960s. Inspired by the Beatles, in 1964 he formed his first band with his brother and took up the bass guitar.

He first came to prominence in the Rats, which also featured fellow Hull musician Mick Ronson on lead guitar. In 1971 Bolder was called in to replace Tony Visconti in David Bowie's backing band, which would soon be known as the Spiders from Mars; he subsequently appeared in D. A. Pennebaker's 1973 documentary and concert movie Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. He is name-checked as "Weird" (Bowie's stage nickname for Bolder){{Cite web |title=The Ziggy Stardust Companion: "Ziggy Stardust" |url=http://www.5years.com/zs.htm |access-date=2024-03-31 |website=www.5years.com}} in the song "Ziggy Stardust", in the lyrics "Ziggy played guitar, jamming good with Weird and Gilly, and the Spiders from Mars".{{Cite web |title=Jamming good with Weird and Gilly / And the Spiders From Mars |url=https://genius.com/1751459/David-bowie-ziggy-stardust/Jamming-good-with-weird-and-gilly-and-the-spiders-from-mars |access-date=2024-03-31 |website=Genius}} Bolder "never looked comfortable as a glam-rock mannequin, tottering behind Ziggy Stardust in platform boots and a rainbow-hued outfit of latex and glitter"."Trevor Bolder", The Times (Obituaries), 23 May 2013, p. 67.

Bolder's bass (and occasional trumpet) work appeared on the studio albums Hunky Dory (1971), The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972), Aladdin Sane (1973), and Pin Ups (1973), the Spiders' swan song with their leader. He went on to play on Mick Ronson's 1974 album Slaughter on 10th Avenue which made the British Top Ten.

File:Trevor Bolder.jpg signature bass guitar in 2006]]

In 1976 Bolder joined Uriah Heep, replacing John Wetton. He worked on the albums Firefly, Innocent Victim, Fallen Angel and Conquest; when the line-up that had recorded the latter disbanded, he alone remained, along with Mick Box, guitarist, founder member, and legal owner of the band's name. The attempt to put a new line-up together temporarily stalled; and Bolder, needing to earn a living, accepted an offer in 1981 to join Wishbone Ash. Bolder had, coincidentally, again swapped places with John Wetton, becoming Wishbone Ash's bass player for their 1982 album Twin Barrels Burning. It was another short-lived connection, as by 1983 he returned to the rhythm section with Uriah Heep, playing on the Head First tour (although Bob Daisley played on the album) and all subsequent studio albums up to and including Into the Wild.{{cite web |last=Hill |first=Gary |title=Trevor Bolder | Biography |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/trevor-bolder-mn0000020602 |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=31 January 2014}}

As well as his usual bass-playing and backing-vocal duties, Bolder produced Heep's 1991 album Different World.{{cite web |title=Trevor Bolder | Credits |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/trevor-bolder-mn0000020602/credits |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=31 January 2014}}

In 2012 and early 2013, Bolder worked with Stevie ZeSuicide (Steve Roberts of the band U.K. Subs) as producer on singles "Wild Trash" (co-writer with ZeSuicide), "Lady Rocker" and a cover of "Ziggy Stardust".{{cite web |title=Stevie ZeSuicide |url=http://www.steviezesuicide.com |publisher=Steviezesuicide.com |access-date=26 May 2013}} Bolder also played on these tracks.

Bolder died in May 2013 at Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham from cancer, aged 62.{{cite web|author=Paul Cockerton |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/trevor-bolder-dead-aged-62-1903497 |title=Trevor Bolder dead aged 62: David Bowie leads tributes to Spiders From Mars bassist – Mirror Online |publisher=Mirror.co.uk |date=22 May 2013 |access-date=31 May 2013}} He had undergone surgery for pancreatic cancer earlier that year.{{cite web|title=Trevor Bolder dead at 62|url=http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/trevor-bolder-dead-at-62/|publisher=Classicrockmagazine.com|access-date=22 May 2013}}

Discography

{{div col}}

;Solo

  • Sail the Rivers 2012-2013 (2020)

;With David Bowie

;With Cybernauts

  • Cybernauts Live

;With Dana Gillespie

  • Weren't Born a Man

;With Ken Hensley

  • Free Spirit (1980)
  • From Time to Time (1994)

;With Mick Ronson

;With The Spiders from Mars

  • Spiders From Mars (1976)

;With Uriah Heep

;With Wishbone Ash

{{div col end}}

References

{{reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category|Trevor Bolder}}

  • [http://www.uriah-heep.com/ Uriah Heep official website]
  • [https://dmme.net/interviews/bolder Interview with Bolder]
  • {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20121205010420/http://www.wishboneash.com/ Wishbone Ash's official site]}}
  • [http://www.dalegria.com/en/products_signature_defendertb.html D'Alegria website – TB signature bass] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070430144858/http://www.dalegria.com/en/products_signature_defendertb.html |date=30 April 2007 }}
  • Trevor Bolder at NNDB [https://www.nndb.com/people/774/000091501/?c=www_shapersofthe80s]

{{David Bowie}}

{{Uriah Heep}}

{{Wishbone Ash}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolder, Trevor}}

Category:1950 births

Category:2013 deaths

Category:20th-century English musicians

Category:Musicians from Kingston upon Hull

Category:Uriah Heep (band) members

Category:Wishbone Ash members

Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer in England

Category:English rock bass guitarists

Category:English male bass guitarists

Category:English heavy metal bass guitarists

Category:English male songwriters

Category:English record producers

Category:English trumpeters

Category:English male trumpeters

Category:Glam rock musicians

Category:The Spiders from Mars members

Category:People from Rowley, East Riding of Yorkshire

Category:Cybernauts members