Aubrey Nunn (born 19 November 1966,

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...

, North London, England) is an English bass guitarist, songwriter, producer, and educator. He is best known as a long-serving former member of the British band

Faithless Faithless are an English band that formed in 1995, with its core members being Rollo, Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz. Their first album, '' Reverence'', was released in 1996 and their most recent, ''All Blessed'', in 2020. They have sold millions ...

. He has the accolade of having performed on two of the UK Top 40 Best-Selling Studio Albums of All Time,

Musical biography

Having fronted the pop band Troy Tempest during the mid-1980s, Nunn gave up music to study languages, eventually teaching English at Lycée Boucher de Perthes in Picardy, Northern France. The death of a mutual friend in 1989 saw him return to London to form The Big Truth Band with Jamie Catto (later of

and 1 Giant Leap, and Paul Herman (writer and producer of

Dido Dido ( ; , ), also known as Elissa ( , ), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in modern Tunisia), in 814 BC. In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (t ...

and

Corinne Bailey-Rae Corinne Jacqueline Bailey Rae (; born 26 February 1979) is an English singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 2006 single "Put Your Records On". Bailey Rae was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2006 in an annual BBC po ...

) with whom he extensively toured the UK university circuit, releasing only one EP ''The Summer EP'' on Akashic Records. In 1993, Nunn joined

Heavy Stereo Heavy Stereo were an English alternative rock band, who were active from 1993 to 1999. There were known for their 1970s glam rock styled sound, and their sole album, ''Déjà Voodoo''. They were also on the same record label and opened for Oas ...

, (later to sign to

Creation Records Creation Records Ltd. was a British independent record label founded in 1983 by Alan McGee, Dick Green, and Joe Foster. Its name came from the 1960s band The Creation, whom McGee greatly admired. The label ceased operations in 1999, although ...

), fronted by

Gem Archer Colin Murray Archer (born 7 December 1966) is an English musician and singer, best known as a member of the English rock bands Oasis, Beady Eye and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, making him, alongside Chris Sharrock, one of the only member ...

(later of

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

), and in 1994 toured with the heavy rock band

Stiltskin Stiltskin are a Scottish rock band, who first achieved widespread popularity in the mid-1990s. Stiltskin are led by frontman Ray Wilson, the only constant member throughout the band's history. They are best known for their 1994 UK chart-toppe ...

(who had already achieved number one status in many European countries with their Levis' Jeans advertisement soundtrack "Inside"), simultaneously recording new material for the band with their guitarist and producer Peter Lawlor (although this was never released). In 1994, Nunn regrouped with Paul Herman to form the rock trio Bee alongside drummer Matt Benbrook (latter of

, Skinny, and writer and producer of

Paolo Nutini Paolo Giovanni Nutini (born 9 January 1987) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and musician from Paisley, Renfrewshire, Paisley. Nutini's debut album, ''These Streets'' (2006), peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. Its follow-up, ''Sunny ...

). The band caught the attention of producer

Rollo Rollo ( nrf, Rou, ''Rolloun''; non, Hrólfr; french: Rollon; died between 928 and 933) was a Viking who became the first ruler of Normandy, today a region in northern France. He emerged as the outstanding warrior among the Norsemen who had se ...

, and together they produced a demo recording, but failed to gain industry recognition. When Bee disbanded in 1995,

asked all three members to join a new studio project he was already working on with

Maxi Jazz Maxwell Fraser (14 June 1957 – 23 December 2022), better known by his stage name Maxi Jazz, was a British musician, rapper, singer, songwriter and DJ. He was the lead vocalist of British electronic band Faithless from 1995 to 2011 and 2015 ...

(who had been working with The Soul Food Cafe System and

Jah Wobble John Joseph Wardle (born 11 August 1958), known by the stage name Jah Wobble, is an English bass guitarist and singer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd (PiL) in the late 1970s and early 1980s; ...

), and the DJ/keyboardist

Sister Bliss Ayalah Deborah Bentovim (born 30 December 1970), better known by her stage name Sister Bliss, is a British keyboardist, record producer, DJ and songwriter. In the studio, she is best known for her work with Rollo Armstrong as one half of the pr ...

, to be named

. The resulting studio sessions formed the basis of the band's debut album ' Reverence'. Alongside his tenure with

(1995 – late 2006), Nunn contributed bass guitar performances to releases by

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...

No Angel ''No Angel'' is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Dido. Originally released on 1 June 1999 in the United States, the album found a mass audience when it was released worldwide in February 2001. By 2003, the album had sold mo ...

'' and ''

Life For Rent ''Life for Rent'' is the second studio album by English singer Dido, released by Arista Records on 29 September 2003. The album was produced by her brother Rollo Armstrong and American songwriter Rick Nowels. Work on the album began in mid-20 ...

'' albums, both among the UK Top 40 Best-Selling Studio Albums of All Time,

Freakpower Freak Power was a band founded by bassist Norman Cook (later known as Fatboy Slim), Ashley Slater (the trombonist with the anarchic British jazz big band Loose Tubes), and vocalist Jesse Graham, also known as "the Bass Cadet". Their music was ...

, Gabrielle, Skinny, The Happening, Dina Vass,

Pauline Taylor Pauline Taylor is a British singer and songwriter who came to recognition as the lead vocalist on the singles "Love Love Love, Here I Come" by Rollo Goes Mystic and "Let This Be a Prayer" by Rollo Goes Spiritual. Both groups are pseudonyms for ...

, Slovo and

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...

. He has multi-instrumental, writing and production credits for Dido's ''Life For Rent'' album and has appeared as a guest with 1 Giant Leap and

Tim Booth Timothy John Booth (born 4 February 1960) is an English singer-songwriter, actor and dancer. He is the lead singer and co-founder of the indie rock band James, and co-wrote several of their hit singles including " Sit Down", " Come Home", an ...

(James) for their TV appearances. As a writer and producer he has also contributed writing and production to

Polly Scattergood Polly Scattergood (born 18 October 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. She has been described as ethereal, dark, intense and quirky, while her musical style has been described as "early 21st century electro-dance-pop of London proper". ...

, Kelly Erez, Dan Akio and

Paul Cattermole Paul Gerald Cattermole (born 7 March 1977) is an English singer. He was a member of the group S Club 7, but left the group in 2002. Early life Cattermole was born in St Albans, Hertfordshire. He was a member of the National Youth Music Thea ...

(formerly of

S Club 7 S Club 7 were a British pop group from London, created by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller and consisting of members Bradley McIntosh, Hannah Spearritt, Jo O'Meara, Jon Lee, Paul Cattermole, Rachel Stevens and Tina Barrett. The group ...

). In 2009, he formed the studio project 'Tribadelica', with the Jamaican percussionist / vocalist Asambai, recording material for an intended album release. This was halted three months into production following Asambai's accidental death.

Equipment

For live work, Nunn has used several Fender Jazz Basses, notably a black 1967 (nicknamed D'Artagnan) which he used for most of his Faithless touring work, and a 1990 fretless Wal Custom Bass Mk 1. In the studio he has mainly used 1960s Fender Jazz Basses, a 1989 fretted Wal Custom Mk 1, and a 1962 Gibson EB2. For touring he has mainly used a pair of Ampeg SVT Classic heads and 810 cabs. His current setup is a 1963 Fender Jazz Bass and an Ashdown Drophead LB-30.

Industrial history

Briefly employed in A&R by Champion Records' boss Mel Medalie during the early days of Faithless, he was the managing director of Faithless' production companies from 1996 to 2006. In 2004, at the invitation of

Feargal Sharkey Seán Feargal Sharkey (born 13 August 1958) is a singer from Northern Ireland most widely known as the lead vocalist of punk band The Undertones in the 1970s and 1980s, and for solo works in the 1980s and 1990s. His 1985 solo single "A Good ...

, he joined the UK Government task force the 'Live Music Forum', to evaluate the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 on the performance of live music. In 2007 he formed Thaitonic Productions with songwriter Alex Von Soos (All Saints co-writer) to develop new artists. The same year, he was elected a member of the London Regional Committee of the UK Musicians Union for whom he has been a frequent industry panel member. In 2009, he joined Radio One Samui as a broadcaster, recording the highest listening figures at the station for "The 'O' Show". In 2010, he managed and performed with the Thailand-based jazz band The Samui Syndicate, featuring

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

-winning singer Keithen Carter (best known for The Mazda 'Zoom Zoom Zoom' advertisement) and Australian jazz pianist Josh Evans. The same year, he became the co-owner of The Spirit House, a cultural community centre in Maenam,

Koh Samui Ko Samui (or Koh Samui, also often locally shortened to Samui; th, เกาะสมุย, ) is an island off the east coast of Thailand. Geographically in the Chumphon Archipelago, it is part of Surat Thani Province, though as of 2012, Ko ...

, hosting local and international live music.

Personal life

Nunn's family is of Welsh descent from the Aberdare / Cwmaman area, and his relatives include

Stuart Cable Stuart James Cable (19 May 1970 – 7 June 2010) was a Welsh rock drummer and broadcaster, best known as the original drummer for the band Stereophonics. Early life Cable was born in Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, on 19 May 1970. When he was 1 ...

, formerly the drummer of Welsh rock band

Stereophonics Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in the Cynon Valley, Wales. The band consists of Kelly Jones (lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards), Richard Jones (bass guitar, harmonica, backing vocals), Adam Zind ...

and BBC broadcaster, who died in 2010. He was educated at Highgate School. He holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Education and currently teaches at

The International School of Samui The International School of Samui (ISS; , ) is an international school on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located ...

where he is Head of Sixth Form (formerly Director of Music and Head of Senior School). Lives in Thailand on the island Koh Samui.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nunn, Aubrey English bass guitarists English male guitarists Male bass guitarists Living people 1966 births People educated at Highgate School