Trevor Bolder
Encyclopedia
Trevor Bolder is an English
rock bassist
, 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 one-time backing band for David Bowie
, although he has played alongside a variety of musicians since the early 1970s.
scene in the mid 1960s. He first came to prominence in The Rats
, which also featured Mick Ronson
on lead guitar
. His big break arrived in 1971, when he replaced Tony Visconti
in David Bowie
's backing band, which would soon be known as the Spiders from Mars. 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.
In 1976 Bolder was recruited to join Uriah Heep
, replacing John Wetton
. Bolder's tenure with Uriah Heep was, initially, relatively short-lived. Although he did contribute to the albums Firefly, Innocent Victim
, Fallen Angel and Conquest, when the line-up that had recorded the latter disbanded Bolder alone was left 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 be earning a living, accepted an offer in 1981 to join Wishbone Ash
. Bolder had, coincidentally, again swapped places with John Wetton, becoming The 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 albums since.
As well as his usual bass-playing and backing vocal
duties, Bolder also produced Heep's 1991 album Different World. He sang lead on "Fear Of Falling", one of the tracks he had written
for Sea Of Light
in 1995. Although credited on the album cover
with lead vocals on "It Ain't Easy", the last track on Conquest (1980), it is not Bolder singing. It was simply too late to amend the sleeve.
While on tour with the Cybernauts
he painted his face blue but then found out the paint was semi permanent and would not come off. Bolder had to sell his car to raise the money needed for a specialist skin peeling process at a Swiss clinic. To this day he still has traces of blue paint behind his left ear.
During his spare time in his hometown of Hull, Bolder has become an avid collector of whippets and is highly regarded in the North of England for his knowledge and expertise of the breed.
He remains a member of Uriah Heep, and has also played with Cybernauts
.
s including:
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
rock bassist
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...
, musician
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....
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and record 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...
. He is best known for his long association with Uriah Heep
Uriah Heep (band)
Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and regarded as a seminal classic hard rock act of the 1970s. Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always been massive keyboards sound, strong vocal harmonies and David Byron's operatic vocals...
and his tenure with The Spiders From Mars
The Spiders from Mars
The Spiders from Mars were rock singer David Bowie 's backing band in the early 1970s, and consisted of Mick Ronson on guitars, Trevor Bolder on bass guitar, and Mick Woodmansey on drums....
, the one-time backing band for David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, although he has played alongside a variety of musicians since the early 1970s.
Biography
Bolder was active in his local R&BRhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
scene in the mid 1960s. He first came to prominence in The Rats
The Rats (UK group)
The Rats were a rock band, first established in 1963, from Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England.In May 1998, the independent record label, Angel Air released a CD compilation of their work, entitled The Rats' Rise and Fall of Bernie Gripplestone and the Rats From Hull.-Band members:Members...
, which also featured Mick Ronson
Mick Ronson
Michael "Mick" Ronson was an English guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. He is best known for his work with David Bowie, as one of The Spiders from Mars...
on lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
. His big break arrived in 1971, when he replaced Tony Visconti
Tony Visconti
Anthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer and sometimes a musician or singer.Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers; his lengthiest involvement with any artist is with David Bowie: intermittently from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity to 2003's Reality, Visconti...
in David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's backing band, which would soon be known as the Spiders from Mars. Bolder's bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(and occasional trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
) work appeared on the studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
albums Hunky Dory
Hunky Dory
Hunky Dory is the fourth album by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released by RCA Records in 1971. It was Bowie's first release through RCA, which would be his label for the next decade...
(1971), The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is a 1972 concept album by English musician David Bowie, which is loosely based on a story of a rock star named Ziggy Stardust. It peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number 75 in the United States on the Billboard Music...
(1972), Aladdin Sane
Aladdin Sane
Aladdin Sane is the sixth album by David Bowie, released by RCA Records in 1973 . The follow-up to his breakthrough The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, it was the first album Bowie wrote and released as a bona fide rock star...
(1973), and Pin Ups
Pin Ups
- Personnel :* David Bowie – vocals, guitar, tenor and alto saxophone, harmonica, arrangements, backing vocals, Moog synthesizer* Mick Ronson – guitar, piano, vocals, arrangements* Trevor Bolder – bass* Aynsley Dunbar – drums- Additional personnel :...
(1973), the Spiders
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is a 1972 concept album by English musician David Bowie, which is loosely based on a story of a rock star named Ziggy Stardust. It peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number 75 in the United States on the Billboard Music...
' swan song
Swan song
"Swan song" is a metaphorical phrase for a final gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement. The phrase refers to an ancient belief that the Mute Swan is completely silent during its lifetime until the moment just before death, when it sings one beautiful song...
with their leader.
In 1976 Bolder was recruited to join Uriah Heep
Uriah Heep (band)
Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and regarded as a seminal classic hard rock act of the 1970s. Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always been massive keyboards sound, strong vocal harmonies and David Byron's operatic vocals...
, replacing John Wetton
John Wetton
John Kenneth Wetton is an English bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, singer and songwriter. He was born in Willington, Derbyshire, and grew up in Bournemouth. He has been a professional musician since the late 1960s...
. Bolder's tenure with Uriah Heep was, initially, relatively short-lived. Although he did contribute to the albums Firefly, Innocent Victim
Innocent Victim
Released in 1977, Innocent Victim is the eleventh album released by British rock band Uriah Heep.Although it did not chart in the US or UK, Innocent Victim was highly successful in Germany and New Zealand....
, Fallen Angel and Conquest, when the line-up that had recorded the latter disbanded Bolder alone was left with Mick Box
Mick Box
Michael Frederick Box , better known by his stage name Mick Box, is the lead guitarist of British rock group Uriah Heep, having previously been a member of The Stalkers and Spice, both with original Uriah Heep vocalist David Byron. He is the only member from the band's founding in 1969 who is...
, 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 be earning a living, accepted an offer in 1981 to join Wishbone Ash
Wishbone Ash
Wishbone Ash are a British rock band who achieved success in the early and mid-1970s. Their popular records included Wishbone Ash , Argus , There's the Rub , and New England...
. Bolder had, coincidentally, again swapped places with John Wetton, becoming The Ash's bass player for their 1982 album Twin Barrels Burning
Twin Barrels Burning
-Personnel:*Andy Powell – guitar, vocals*Laurie Wisefield – guitar, vocals*Trevor Bolder – bass, vocals*Steve Upton – drums...
. It was another short-lived connection, as by 1983 he returned to the rhythm section
Rhythm section
A rhythm section is a collection of musicians who make up a section of instruments which provides the accompaniment section of the music, giving the music its rhythmic texture and pulse, also serving as a rhythmic reference for the rest of the band...
with Uriah Heep, playing on the Head First
Head First (Uriah Heep album)
Head First was the 15th studio album from British rock band Uriah Heep. It was released in 1983, on Gerry Bron's UK label Bronze Records.The album was recorded by the line-up responsible for the previous year's Abominog, but this time with a greater proportion of the songs written by the band members...
tour (although Bob Daisley
Bob Daisley
Robert John "Bob" Daisley is an Australian musician, bassist and lyricist who has performed in genres of rock, blues, R&B, hard rock and metal.-Early career:...
played on the album) and all albums since.
As well as his usual bass-playing and backing vocal
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
duties, Bolder also produced Heep's 1991 album Different World. He sang lead on "Fear Of Falling", one of the tracks he had written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
for Sea Of Light
Sea of Light (album)
Sea Of Light was the 19th album for British progressive rock group Uriah Heep. It is well regarded by fans and the songs have remained part of the band's live set to this day....
in 1995. Although credited on the album cover
Album cover
An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
with lead vocals on "It Ain't Easy", the last track on Conquest (1980), it is not Bolder singing. It was simply too late to amend the sleeve.
While on tour with the Cybernauts
Cybernauts
Cybernauts were a David Bowie cover band, formed as a tribute to Mick Ronson, featuring Def Leppard members Joe Elliott and Phil Collen, former Spiders From Mars members Trevor Bolder and Mick "Woody" Woodmansey , and a keyboards/vocalist, Cybernauts released a limited edition live album in Japan...
he painted his face blue but then found out the paint was semi permanent and would not come off. Bolder had to sell his car to raise the money needed for a specialist skin peeling process at a Swiss clinic. To this day he still has traces of blue paint behind his left ear.
During his spare time in his hometown of Hull, Bolder has become an avid collector of whippets and is highly regarded in the North of England for his knowledge and expertise of the breed.
He remains a member of Uriah Heep, and has also played with Cybernauts
Cybernauts
Cybernauts were a David Bowie cover band, formed as a tribute to Mick Ronson, featuring Def Leppard members Joe Elliott and Phil Collen, former Spiders From Mars members Trevor Bolder and Mick "Woody" Woodmansey , and a keyboards/vocalist, Cybernauts released a limited edition live album in Japan...
.
Equipment
Throughout his career Bolder has used many different bass guitarBass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
s including:
- Fender Mustang BassFender Mustang BassThe Fender Mustang Bass is an electric bass guitar model produced by Fender. Two variants, the Musicmaster Bass and the Bronco Bass, have also been produced from time to time using the same body and neck shape.-History:...
- Gibson EB-3Gibson Guitar CorporationThe Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
- Rickenbacker 4001RickenbackerRickenbacker International Corporation, also known as Rickenbacker, is an electric and bass guitar manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California...
- Fender Precision BassFender Precision BassThe Fender Precision Bass is an electric bass.Designed by Leo Fender as a prototype in 1950 and brought to market in 1951, the Precision was the first electric bass to earn widespread attention and use. A revolutionary instrument for the time, the Precision Bass has made an immeasurable impact on...
(1971 version - maple fretboard; with jazz bass pick-up added later; signature bass - as seen in the picture above)
- D'Alegria Defender TBD'AlegriaD'Alegria is a Brazilian company specialized in manufacturing custom-made electric basses and guitars, all handmade with the best woods in Brazil.- History :...
With David Bowie
- Hunky DoryHunky DoryHunky Dory is the fourth album by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released by RCA Records in 1971. It was Bowie's first release through RCA, which would be his label for the next decade...
(1971) - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from MarsThe Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from MarsThe Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is a 1972 concept album by English musician David Bowie, which is loosely based on a story of a rock star named Ziggy Stardust. It peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number 75 in the United States on the Billboard Music...
(1972) - Aladdin SaneAladdin SaneAladdin Sane is the sixth album by David Bowie, released by RCA Records in 1973 . The follow-up to his breakthrough The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, it was the first album Bowie wrote and released as a bona fide rock star...
(1973) - Pin UpsPin Ups- Personnel :* David Bowie – vocals, guitar, tenor and alto saxophone, harmonica, arrangements, backing vocals, Moog synthesizer* Mick Ronson – guitar, piano, vocals, arrangements* Trevor Bolder – bass* Aynsley Dunbar – drums- Additional personnel :...
(1973) - Ziggy Stardust - The Motion PictureZiggy Stardust - The Motion PictureZiggy Stardust: The Motion Picture is a live album by David Bowie, corresponding to the film of the same name. The music was recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon in London on , although the album was not issued by RCA Records until 1983...
(recorded live 1973, officially released 1983) - Santa Monica '72Santa Monica '72Santa Monica '72 is a live album by David Bowie, recorded at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on 20 October 1972 during the Ziggy Stardust tour. Taken from an FM radio broadcast, it was available only as a bootleg for more than 20 years; according to author David Buckley, possessing a copy was the...
(recorded live 1972, officially released 1994)
With Mick Ronson
- Slaughter On 10th Avenue (1974)
- Play Don't WorryPlay Don't WorryPlay Don't Worry is the second album by former member of The Spiders From Mars, Mick Ronson. It contains mainly covers arranged by Ronson for his own sound, covering everyone from Pure Prairie League, The Velvet Underground and Little Richard...
(1975) - Main Man
- Memorial Concert
With Uriah Heep
- Firefly (1977)
- Innocent VictimInnocent VictimReleased in 1977, Innocent Victim is the eleventh album released by British rock band Uriah Heep.Although it did not chart in the US or UK, Innocent Victim was highly successful in Germany and New Zealand....
(1977) - Fallen Angel (1978)
- Conquest (1980)
- Equator (1985)
- Live in Europe 1979 (1986) – recorded 1979
- Live in Moscow (live, 1988)
- Raging SilenceRaging SilenceRaging Silence is the 17th album by British progressive rock group Uriah Heep. It marked the studio debut of Canadian vocalist Bernie Shaw.It was the first Uriah Heep studio album to have a contemporary release on CD....
(1989) - Different World (1991)
- Sea of LightSea of Light (album)Sea Of Light was the 19th album for British progressive rock group Uriah Heep. It is well regarded by fans and the songs have remained part of the band's live set to this day....
(1995) - SpellbinderSpellbinder (album)Spellbinder is an album by Hungarian guitarist Gábor Szabó featuring performances recorded in 1966 for the Impulse! label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4½ stars stating "Szabo's read on jazz in the '60s was brilliant. He embodied all of its most popular aspirations...
(live, 1996) - Sonic OrigamiSonic OrigamiSonic Origami is the 20th studio album by Uriah Heep and was released in September 1998.The limited edition version of the CD contains one additional track....
(1998) - Future Echoes Of The Past (live, 2000)
- Acoustically DrivenAcoustically DrivenAcoustically Driven is the 8th live album released by British rock band Uriah Heep in 2001. The album was recorded live with an orchestra and choir...
(live, 2001) - Electrically Driven (live, 2001)
- The Magician's Birthday Party (live, 2002)
- Live in the USA (2003)
- Magic Night (live, 2004)
- Wake the SleeperWake the SleeperWake the Sleeper is the 21st studio album by the progressive rock band Uriah Heep. It is their first studio album since 1998's Sonic Origami...
(2008) - CelebrationCelebration (Uriah Heep album)Celebration is the 22nd album by the progressive rock band Uriah Heep. It features re-recorded classic songs from the band, as well as two tracks written specifically for this release. A double Deluxe Special Edition on digipak format features an extra live DVD recorded at the Sweden Rock Festival...
(2009) - Into the WildInto the Wild (Uriah Heep album)Into the Wild is the 23rd studio album by the progressive rock band Uriah Heep. It was first released in Japan on April 12, 2011 by Universal Music Japan with 12 tracks and in SHM-CD and in Europe by Frontiers Records on April 15, 2011 with only 11 tracks and in standard material. A video for its...
(2011)