Bruce Thomas
Encyclopedia
Bruce Thomas is best known as bassist
for The Attractions
; the band formed in 1977 to back Elvis Costello
in concert
and on record
.
Thomas is also the author of 1994's Bruce Lee
: Fighting Spirit, a biography
of the renowned martial artist and movie star
, and 1991's The Body of Time (and the Energies of Being), ISBN 0140193014, a short book about metaphysics.
Thomas attended Grangefield Grammar School in Stockton on Tees, and after leaving, worked as a trainee commercial-artist at the local Evening Gazette
newspaper. He was playing bass in local bands at night, around his home town, and eventually joined The Roadrunners (with Paul Rodgers
& Micky Moody
). After Rodgers switched from playing bass to being their up-front singer, the band changed their name to The Wildflowers, and in late 1966 decided to quit their respective day-jobs and move to London
. After achieving little success, the band eventually split.
Thomas remained in London, hooking up with Bitter Sweet
and Bodast
in the late 1960s and recording with Quiver, The Sutherland Brothers
and Quiver
, Moonrider and Al Stewart
in the early 1970s.
But it was his inventive and highly melodic bass work with Costello that brought Thomas his greatest fame. Between 1977 and 1987, Elvis Costello & The Attractions released nine albums, including This Year's Model
(1978), Punch the Clock
(1983), and Blood and Chocolate
(1986), and toured extensively.
During his tenure with the Attractions, Thomas used a wide variety of bass guitars. He at various times owned a good selection of Fender Precisions, a Danelectro
Longhorn and a Wal bass.
After Costello's initial split with The Attractions in 1987, Thomas recorded
with such other artists
as Billy Bragg
, John Wesley Harding
, and Suzanne Vega
. In 1990 he released his first book The Big Wheel, an autobiography
in which the key characters are recognizable without ever being identified by name. Costello, for instance, is called "the singer." Apparently annoyed by his depiction in the book, Costello responded with the song
"How To Be Dumb" on his album Mighty Like a Rose
(1991). Costello has described his relationship with Thomas during this period as "pretty non-existent".
Despite this estrangement, Costello was persuaded by co-producer
Mitchell Froom
to invite Thomas to play on the album Brutal Youth (1994). The reunited Elvis Costello & The Attractions followed the album with a tour and another album All This Useless Beauty
(1996). Toward the end of a second tour, Costello announced that he would be splitting with the group as soon as the tour was over. Elvis Costello & The Attractions played their final concert on 15 September 1996, in Nagoya, Japan
.
Costello has indicated in interviews with a variety of publications, including the Rocky Mountain News, that the old animosity between himself and Thomas returned. Costello claimed that Thomas deliberately sabotaged some songs onstage, which was the breaking point. The other two Attractions, Steve Nieve
and Pete Thomas
(no relation to Bruce), have continued to tour and record with Costello as The Imposters, with Davey Faragher
, formerly of Cracker
, on bass. Bruce Thomas has said that he simply lost interest in playing with Costello.
In 2003 Thomas was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
as a member of Elvis Costello & The Attractions. Thomas appeared onstage with Costello to accept the honour, but they did not perform together. Thomas' book On the Road... Again, the sequel to The Big Wheel, was published that same year.
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
for The Attractions
The Attractions
The Attractions were best known as the backing band for Elvis Costello between 1978 and 1986, and again from 1994 through 1996. They also released one album as an independent entity in 1980.-History:...
; the band formed in 1977 to back Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
in concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
and on record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
.
Thomas is also the author of 1994's Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
: Fighting Spirit, a biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
of the renowned martial artist and movie star
Movie star
A movie star is a celebrity who is well-known, or famous, for his or her starring, or leading, roles in motion pictures. The term may also apply to an actor or actress who is recognized as a marketable commodity and whose name is used to promote a movie in trailers and posters...
, and 1991's The Body of Time (and the Energies of Being), ISBN 0140193014, a short book about metaphysics.
Thomas attended Grangefield Grammar School in Stockton on Tees, and after leaving, worked as a trainee commercial-artist at the local Evening Gazette
Evening Gazette
Evening Gazette is the name of several local newspapers:United Kingdom* Colchester Evening Gazette* Evening Gazette * Evening Gazette United States...
newspaper. He was playing bass in local bands at night, around his home town, and eventually joined The Roadrunners (with Paul Rodgers
Paul Rodgers
Paul Bernard Rodgers is an English rock singer-songwriter, best known for his success in the 1970s as a member of Free and Bad Company. After stints in two less successful bands in the 1980s and early 1990s, The Firm and The Law, he became a solo artist. He has recently toured and recorded with...
& Micky Moody
Micky Moody
Michael Joseph "Micky" Moody is an English guitarist, and a former member of the rock bands Juicy Lucy and Whitesnake. He was also a founder-member of Snafu. Together with his former Whitesnake colleague Bernie Marsden he founded the Moody Marsden Band, and later, The Snakes...
). After Rodgers switched from playing bass to being their up-front singer, the band changed their name to The Wildflowers, and in late 1966 decided to quit their respective day-jobs and move to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. After achieving little success, the band eventually split.
Thomas remained in London, hooking up with Bitter Sweet
Bitter Sweet
Bitter Sweet is an operetta in three acts written by Noël Coward and first produced in 1929 at Her Majesty's Theatre in London. It ran for a very successful 967 performances....
and Bodast
Bodast
Bodast were a late 1960s rock group from London. Its most famous member was Steve Howe, later to join Yes.The group recorded an album in 1968. Their label Tetragrammaton Records had success in the United States with Deep Purple, but went out of business just before scheduling a release date for...
in the late 1960s and recording with Quiver, The Sutherland Brothers
Sutherland Brothers
The Sutherland Brothers originally performed as a folk / rock duo in the field of British music in the early 1970s, and then from 1973 to 1978 joined with rock band Quiver to record and tour as Sutherland Brothers & Quiver...
and Quiver
Quiver
A quiver is a container for arrows. Quivers have been traditionally made of leather, bark, wood, furs and other natural materials; modern quivers are often made of metal and plastic....
, Moonrider and Al Stewart
Al Stewart
Al Stewart is a Scottish singer-songwriter and folk-rock musician.Stewart came to stardom as part of the British folk revival in the 1960s and 1970s, and developed his own unique style of combining folk-rock songs with delicately woven tales of the great characters and events from history.He is...
in the early 1970s.
But it was his inventive and highly melodic bass work with Costello that brought Thomas his greatest fame. Between 1977 and 1987, Elvis Costello & The Attractions released nine albums, including This Year's Model
This Year's Model
This Year's Model is Elvis Costello's second album and his first with The Attractions, released in 1978 . It was recorded mainly at Eden Studios in West London....
(1978), Punch the Clock
Punch the Clock
Punch the Clock is an album released in 1983 by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. It was Costello's eighth album, his seventh with the Attractions since 1978. The album featured Costello's first U.S...
(1983), and Blood and Chocolate
Blood and Chocolate (album)
Blood & Chocolate is the eleventh studio album by the British rock singer and songwriter Elvis Costello, released in the United Kingdom as Demon Records XFIEND 80, and in the United States as Columbia 40518...
(1986), and toured extensively.
During his tenure with the Attractions, Thomas used a wide variety of bass guitars. He at various times owned a good selection of Fender Precisions, a Danelectro
Danelectro
Danelectro is an American manufacturer of musical instruments and accessories, specializing in rock instruments such as guitars, bass guitars, amplifiers and effects units.-History:...
Longhorn and a Wal bass.
After Costello's initial split with The Attractions in 1987, Thomas recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
with such other artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
as Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg
Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
, John Wesley Harding
John Wesley Harding (singer)
Wesley Stace is a folk/pop singer-songwriter and author who goes by the stage name John Wesley Harding. He has called his style of music folk noir and gangsta folk...
, and Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Nadine Vega is an American songwriter and singer known for her eclectic folk-inspired music.Two of Vega's songs reached the top 10 of various international chart listings: "Luka" and "Tom's Diner"...
. In 1990 he released his first book The Big Wheel, an autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
in which the key characters are recognizable without ever being identified by name. Costello, for instance, is called "the singer." Apparently annoyed by his depiction in the book, Costello responded with the song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
"How To Be Dumb" on his album Mighty Like a Rose
Mighty Like a Rose
Mighty Like A Rose is the 13th studio album by the British rock singer and songwriter Elvis Costello, released in 1991 on compact disc as Warner Brothers 26575. The title is presumably a reference to the pop standard "Mighty Lak' a Rose", and although that song does not appear on the album, the...
(1991). Costello has described his relationship with Thomas during this period as "pretty non-existent".
Despite this estrangement, Costello was persuaded by co-producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Mitchell Froom
Mitchell Froom
-Career:Froom began his career as a keyboard player in Sonoma County, California. The band Crossfire featured two keyboards players; Mitchell on one side of the stage and brother David on the other with Gary Pihl on guitar...
to invite Thomas to play on the album Brutal Youth (1994). The reunited Elvis Costello & The Attractions followed the album with a tour and another album All This Useless Beauty
All This Useless Beauty
All This Useless Beauty is the 17th studio album by the English rock singer and songwriter Elvis Costello, released on compact disc as Warner Brothers 46198. It peaked at #28 on the UK album chart, and at #53 on the Billboard 200...
(1996). Toward the end of a second tour, Costello announced that he would be splitting with the group as soon as the tour was over. Elvis Costello & The Attractions played their final concert on 15 September 1996, in Nagoya, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Costello has indicated in interviews with a variety of publications, including the Rocky Mountain News, that the old animosity between himself and Thomas returned. Costello claimed that Thomas deliberately sabotaged some songs onstage, which was the breaking point. The other two Attractions, Steve Nieve
Steve Nieve
Steve Nieve is an English keyboardist, best known for his work with Elvis Costello and the Attractions and Elvis Costello and the Imposters.-Musical career:...
and Pete Thomas
Pete Thomas
Pete Thomas is best known as the longtime drummer for Elvis Costello. Tom Waits has referred to him as "one of the best rock drummers alive".-Career:...
(no relation to Bruce), have continued to tour and record with Costello as The Imposters, with Davey Faragher
Davey Faragher
Davey Faragher is an American bass guitarist from Redlands, California. Faragher's career took off and received critical notice as a founding member of the nineties band, Cracker, and his following work with The Imposters, the backing band for Elvis Costello since 2001.Faragher is an accomplished...
, formerly of Cracker
Cracker (band)
Cracker is an American alternative rock band featuring founders/songwriters singer David Lowery and guitarist Johnny Hickman. They are best known for their platinum-selling 1993 album, Kerosene Hat, featuring the hit songs "Low", "Euro-Trash Girl", and "Get Off This".Founders Lowery and Hickman...
, on bass. Bruce Thomas has said that he simply lost interest in playing with Costello.
In 2003 Thomas was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
as a member of Elvis Costello & The Attractions. Thomas appeared onstage with Costello to accept the honour, but they did not perform together. Thomas' book On the Road... Again, the sequel to The Big Wheel, was published that same year.