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Gary Mervin Thain (May 15, 1948 – December 8, 1975) was a New Zealand bassist, best known for his work with British rock band Uriah Heep.
Thain was born in
AudioCulture profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thain, Gary 1948 births 1975 deaths 20th-century bass guitarists New Zealand rock musicians People from Christchurch Uriah Heep (band) members Rock bass guitarists Deaths by heroin overdose in England
Biography
Thain was born in Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...
. He had two older brothers, Colin and Arthur. He recorded in Christchurch in the band "The Strangers" (not to be confused with the Australian band of the same name). He moved to Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
at the age of 17. It was there he became a member of the band "The Secrets", which eventually dissolved in 1966. Later, Thain was part of the rock trio The New Nadir, and with the drummer
A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...
Peter Dawkins, he traveled from New Zealand to London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, and once jammed with Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
before the trio split in 1969.
Thain joined the Keef Hartley Band
Keith "Keef" Hartley (8 April 1944 – 26 November 2011)
was an English drummer and bandleader. He fronted his own band ...
, performing at Woodstock in 1969 and, in 1971, they toured with Uriah Heep; Uriah Heep asked him to join the band (replacing was an English drummer and bandleader. He fronted his own band ...
Mark Clarke
Mark Clarke (born 25 July 1950 in Liverpool) is an English musician, bass player and singer, best known for his work with Colosseum and Mountain, as well as brief stints with Uriah Heep and Rainbow.
Career
After seeing the Beatles and many ...
) in February 1972. He stayed in the Uriah Heep until February 1975, playing on four studio
A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
s: '' Demons & Wizards'', '' The Magician's Birthday'', '' Sweet Freedom'' and '' Wonderworld'' as well as a live album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
, ''Uriah Heep Live
''Uriah Heep Live'' is a double live album by British rock group Uriah Heep (band), Uriah Heep, released in April 1973 in the US by Mercury Records, and in May 1973 in the UK by Bronze Records. It was the band's first live album. The album was ...
''. Thain was also married twice, but had no children.
During his last tour in the United States with Uriah Heep, Thain suffered an electric shock
Electrical injury is a physiological reaction caused by electric current passing through the body. The injury depends on the density of the current, tissue resistance and duration of contact. Very small currents may be imperceptible or produce ...
at the Moody Coliseum in Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
, Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, on 15 September 1974, and was seriously injured. Due to his drug addiction
Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use of ...
he was not able to perform properly, and was fired by the band in early 1975 and replaced by former King Crimson
King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...
bassist/vocalist, John Wetton
John Kenneth Wetton (12 June 1949 – 31 January 2017) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. Known for his dexterous bass playing and booming baritone voice, Wetton first gained fame in the early 1970s.
Wetton was the singer and p ...
. Thain died of respiratory failure
Respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. A drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a rise ...
due to a heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...
overdose
A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended.
, on 8 December 1975, aged 27, at his flat in Norwood Green
Norwood Green is a place in the London Borough of Ealing in London, England, that forms the southern part of Southall. It is a suburban development centred west of Charing Cross and ENE of Heathrow Airport.
Its origin coincides with the 12th ...
in London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
Thain, amongst musicians of his time, was considered an excellent bass player. His style of playing was melodic and progressively played compared to other bass players of his time. He rarely played along with the root of the measures, but preferred playing his own jazz, funk, or progressive bass line. Many typical professional rock bass players never attained his ability to break up a songs direction.
Thain primarily used a 1962 Fender Jazz Bass
The Fender Jazz Bass (often shortened to ''J-Bass'') is the second model of Bass guitar, electric bass created by Leo Fender. It is distinct from the Fender Precision Bass, Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midrange a ...
during his stint in Uriah Heep, though he also used a Gibson Thunderbird
The Gibson Thunderbird is an electric bass guitar made by Gibson and Epiphone.
Background and introduction
The Gibson Thunderbird was introduced in 1963. At the time, Fender had been the leader in the electric bass market since their introduct ...
bass and a modified Fender Precision Bass
The Fender Precision Bass (often shortened to "P-Bass") is a model of electric bass guitar manufactured by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In its standard, post-1957 configuration, the Precision Bass is a solid body, four-stringed instrum ...
. Thain's overdriven bass tone was often created using an Acoustic 360 bass amp from Acoustic Control Corporation
Acoustic Control Corporation was a manufacturer of instrument amplifiers, founded by Steve Marks (with the help of his father) and based in Van Nuys, California. Its original location was a shack on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California.
H ...
. Thain also chose to play finger style rather than using a pick.
Albums discography
Champion Jack Dupree
*''Scoobydoobydoo'' (1969)Martha Velez
*''Fiends and Angels'' (1970)Keef Hartley Band
*'' Halfbreed'' (1969) *''The Battle of North West Six
''The Battle of North West Six'' is the second album by the Keef Hartley Band. At the time, Hartley's six-piece group was appearing augmented with a brass section as The Keef Hartley Big Band, and a number of songs on the album feature this ext ...
'' (1969)
*'' The Time is Near'' (1970)
*''Little Big Band Live at The Marquee 1971'' (1971)
*''Overdog
''Overdog'' is the fourth album by the Keef Hartley Band.
Track listing 1971 LP
Deram SDL 2 (UK), DES 18057 (US)
# "You Can Choose" – 5:28
# "Plain Talkin" – 3:23
# "Theme Song / Enroute / Theme Song Reprise" – 8:05
# "Overdog" – 4:20
...
'' (1971)
*'' Seventy-Second Brave'' (1972)
Miller Anderson
*''Bright City'' (1971)Pete York Percussion Band
*''The Pete York Percussion Band'' (1972)Uriah Heep
*'' Demons and Wizards'' (1972) *'' The Magician's Birthday'' (1972) *''Uriah Heep Live
''Uriah Heep Live'' is a double live album by British rock group Uriah Heep (band), Uriah Heep, released in April 1973 in the US by Mercury Records, and in May 1973 in the UK by Bronze Records. It was the band's first live album. The album was ...
'' (1973)
*'' Sweet Freedom'' (1973)
*'' Wonderworld'' (1974)
*'' Live at Shepperton '74'' (1986)
Ken Hensley
*'' Proud Words on a Dusty Shelf'' (1973)Me and the Others / The New Nadir
*''Uncovered'' (2009)Singles discography
The Strangers
* 1963: " My Blue Heaven"/"The Dark at the Top of The Stairs" * 1964: "Pretend"/"Alright" * 1965: "Can't Help Forgiving You"/"I'll Never Be Blue"The Secrets
* 1965: "It's You"/"You're Wrong" * 1966: "Me and the Others"/"Love Is Not a Game"Champion Jack Dupree
* 1969: "Ba La Fouche" (MT/Jack Dupree)/"Kansas City" (Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Lyricist Jerome Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011) and composer Michael Stoller (born March 13, 1933) were American songwriting and record producing partners. They found success as the writers of such crossover hit songs as " Hound Dog" ( ...
)
Martha Velez
* 1969: "Tell Mama"/"Swamp Man"Keef Hartley Band
* 1969: "Don't Be Afraid"/"Hickory" * 1969: "Halfbreed"/"Waiting Around" * 1969: "Just to Cry"/"Leave It 'Til The Morning" * 1969: "Plain Talkin'"/"We Are All the Same" * 1970: "Roundabout"/"Roundabout pt 2" * 1973: "Dance to the Music"/"You and Me"See also
*27 Club
The 27 Club is an informal list consisting mostly of popular musicians, artists, actors, and other celebrities who died at age 27. Although the claim of a "statistical spike" for the death of musicians at that age has been refuted by scientific ...
References
External links
AudioCulture profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thain, Gary 1948 births 1975 deaths 20th-century bass guitarists New Zealand rock musicians People from Christchurch Uriah Heep (band) members Rock bass guitarists Deaths by heroin overdose in England