John Frederick "Johnny" Gustafson (8 August 1942 – 12 September 2014) was an English bass guitar player and singer, who had a lengthy recording and live performance career. During his career, he was a member of the bands The Big Three,

Ian Gillan Band The Ian Gillan Band were an English progressive jazz-rock band formed by singer Ian Gillan of Deep Purple in 1975. History After leaving Deep Purple in June 1973, Ian Gillan had retired from the music business to pursue other business ventures ...

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera ...

and his own group,

Quatermass Professor Bernard Quatermass is a fictional scientist, originally created by the writer Nigel Kneale for BBC Television. An intelligent and highly moral British scientist, Quatermass is a pioneer of the British space programme, heading the Brit ...

, among others.

Career

Born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

to a father of Swedish descent and mother of Irish descent, he is known for his work with 1960s bands The Big Three and

The Merseybeats The Merseybeats (also related vocal duo The Merseys) are an English beat band that emerged from the Liverpool Merseybeat scene in the early 1960s, performing at the Cavern Club along with the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and other simila ...

, and for singing on the original recording of ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...

'' as

Simon Zealotes Simon the Zealot (, ) or Simon the Canaanite or Simon the Canaanean (, ; grc-gre, Σίμων ὁ Κανανίτης; cop, ⲥⲓⲙⲱⲛ ⲡⲓ-ⲕⲁⲛⲁⲛⲉⲟⲥ; syc, ܫܡܥܘܢ ܩܢܢܝܐ) was one of the most obscure among the apostl ...

. He made an appearance on

Roger Glover Roger David Glover (born 30 November 1945) is a Welsh bassist, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the member of the hard rock bands Deep Purple and Rainbow. As a member of Deep Purple, Glover was inducted into the Rock and Ro ...

's ''

The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast ''The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast'' is a concept album and subsequent live rock opera appearing in 1974 and 1975 respectively, based on the children's poem of a similar title. The album cover design is from Alan Aldridge's desig ...

'' album track, "Watch Out for the Bat", as a vocalist. He is probably best known for playing bass guitar for several re-incarnations of the

and for his earlier participation in the

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

band,

. He also re-formed The Pirates, originally the backing band for Johnny Kidd. Gustafson was a member of

for four years from 1972 through 1975 and performed on three studio albums. However, he was frequently not with the band on live dates, often being replaced by

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 ...

or Sal Maida. His final record with the band, ''

Siren Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology Places * Siren (town), Wisconsin * Siren, Wisc ...

'', included their only American top 40 hit single, "

Love Is the Drug "Love Is the Drug" is a 1975 song from English rock band Roxy Music's fifth studio album ''Siren'', released as a single in September 1975. Co-written by Bryan Ferry and Andy Mackay, the song originated as a slower, dreamier track until the b ...

". Frontman

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ' ...

later called Gustafson a "wonderful player", adding, "“Love Is the Drug” wouldn’t have been anything without the bass playing. It really bought that track alive." He was bassist on several tracks for Flamenco guitarist

Juan Martin ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

's 1981 concept album, Picasso Portraits (Flamencovision CD FV 03, 1994) namely: Harlequin – 1918, Desire Caught By The Tail – 1943, The Aficionado – 1912 and Girls of Algiers – 1955. Also played on Kevin Ayers' album The Confessions of Dr Dream, 1974. In 1983 he was in the group Rowdy which included

Ray Fenwick Raymond John Fenwick (18 July 1946 – 30 April 2022) was an English guitarist and session musician, best known for his work in The Syndicats and in The Spencer Davis Group in the 1960s, and as the lead guitarist of Ian Gillan's post- Deep Pu ...

and

Billy Bremner William John Bremner (9 December 1942 – 7 December 1997) was a Scottish professional footballer and manager. Regarded as one of the game's great midfielders, he combined precision passing skills with tenacious tackling and physical stam ...

. Gustafson is the father of John and Lee from his first marriage, and Alice, Lucy and Joe from his marriage to Anne Gustafson, who he was married to for over 30 years until his death.

Discography

;With The Big Three : * ''

At the Cavern ''At the Cavern'' is a live extended play 45 rpm record released in 1963 by The Big Three. It was released on Decca Records as DFE 8552 in mono and reached #6 in the UK EP charts in December 1963. The liner notes are by Bob Wooler, the DJ at T ...

'' Decca EP (1963) * ''Resurrection'' Polydor (1973) ;With

: *''The Merseybeats'' Fontana (1964) *''On Stage'' Fontana EP (1964) *''I Think of You'' Fontana EP (1964) *''Wishin' and Hopin Fontana EP (1964) *''The Merseybeats Greatest Hits'' Look (

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

) (1977) *''Beats and Ballads'' Edsel (compilation) (1982) ;With

: *''

'' Harvest (1970) ;With Bullet /

Hard Stuff Hard Stuff were an English hard rock group which included John Du Cann and Paul Hammond, formerly of Atomic Rooster. Also in the line-up were vocalist Harry 'Al' Shaw, formerly of Curiosity Shoppe and latterly Export, and John Gustafson, fo ...

: *"Hobo" / "Sinister Minister" – Single (1971) Purple Records (as Bullet) *''

Bulletproof Bulletproofing is the process of making an object capable of stopping a bullet or similar high velocity projectiles (e.g. shrapnel). The term bullet resistance is often preferred because few, if any, practical materials provide complete protectio ...

'' Purple Records (1972) *''

Bolex Dementia ''Bolex Dementia'' is the second and final album by the 1970s British rock band Hard Stuff. During the recording of the album, two members of the band ( John Cann and Paul Hammond), were injured in a serious car accident in Belgium. Cann had be ...

'' Purple Records (1973) *''The Entrance to Hell'' – different mix of ''Bulletproof'' (2010) (as Bullet) ;With Roxy Music : *'' Stranded'' Island (1973) *'' Country Life'' Island (1974) *''

'' Island (1975) *'' Viva!'' Island (1976) ;With Ablution : With Peter Robinson, Jayson Lindh, Jan Schaffer,

Malando Gassama Malando Gassama (born Malang Omar Gassam; 7 February 1946 – 25 January 1999) was a Gambian percussionist who spent most of his music career in Sweden. He recorded and performed with many notable Swedish and international artists such as A ...

, Barry De Souza, Ola Brunkert. *''Ablution'' CBS (1974) ;With

: *''

Child in Time "Child in Time" is a song by English rock band Deep Purple, taken from their fourth studio album, ''Deep Purple in Rock'', released in 1970. The track is loosely inspired by the Cold War and runs over ten minutes. History and characteristic ...

'' Oyster (1976) *''

Clear Air Turbulence In meteorology, clear-air turbulence (CAT) is the turbulent movement of air masses in the absence of any visual clues, such as clouds, and is caused when bodies of air moving at widely different speeds meet. The atmospheric region most suscepti ...

'' Island (1977) *''

Scarabus ''Scarabus'' is the third and the last studio album by British jazz rock band Ian Gillan Band, released in October 1977. The album was reissued in 1982 by Virgin Records in the height of popularity of Ian Gillan's group Gillan (a CD edition f ...

'' Island (1977) *'' Live at the Budokan'' Virgin (1978) *''The Rockfield Mixes'' Angel Air (1997) *''Live at the Rainbow'' Angel Air (1978) ;With The Pirates *''Lights Out/I'm into Something Good'' EP (1986), with Mick Green and Frank Farley *''Still Shakin'' Magnum/Thunderbolt (1988), with Mick Green and Geoff Britton *''Live in Japan'' Thunderbolt (2001), with Mick Green and Les Sampson

As contributor

*''Jesus Christ Superstar'' (1969) On vocals. *''Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (1974) On bass. ;With Roger Glover And Guests *''The Butterfly Ball And The Grasshopper's Feast'' (1974) John vocals on ''Watch Out For The Bat''. ;With

Shawn Phillips Shawn Phillips (born February 3, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, primarily influential in the 1960s and 1970s. His work is rooted in folk rock but straddles other genres, including jazz fusion and funk. Phillips has reco ...

: *''Furthermore'' (1974) *''Rumplestiltskin's Resolve'' (1976) ;With

Steve Hackett Stephen Richard Hackett (born 12 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who gained prominence as the lead guitarist of the progressive rock band Genesis from 1971 to 1977. Hackett contributed to six Genesis ...

*''

Voyage of the Acolyte ''Voyage of the Acolyte'' is the first studio album by English guitarist, songwriter, and singer Steve Hackett, released in October 1975 on Charisma Records as his only album recorded and released while he was a member of Genesis. Hackett record ...

''(1975) Bass on ''Star of Sirius'' ;With Bryan Ferry : *''Let's Stick Together'' (1976) Bass on ''Re-Make/Re-Model'' ;With

Gordon Giltrap Gordon Giltrap, MBE (born 6 April 1948) is an English guitarist and composer. His music crosses several genres. He has been described as "one of the most revered guitarists of his generation", and has drawn praise from fellow musicians including S ...

: *''The Peacock Party'' PVK (1981) *''Live Electric'' (1981) ;With Joe Jammer : *''Headway'' Angel Air (2015), recorded 1974 with

Mitch Mitchell John Graham "Mitch" Mitchell (9 July 194612 November 2008)In his book about the Experience, Mitchell states he celebrated his 21st birthday while on tour on 9 July 1967, which makes his birth year 1946.Mitchell's obituaries in ''Billboard' ''T ...

on drums ;With Ian Paice, Tony Ashton, Jon Lord: *''Malice in Wonderland'' (1977).

Solo album

*''Goose Grease'' Angel Air (1997)

References

External links

Exclusive interview with John Gustafson, August 2007
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gustafson, John 1942 births 2014 deaths English rock singers English rock bass guitarists Male bass guitarists English people of Swedish descent English people of Irish descent Roxy Music members Musicians from Liverpool Johnny Kidd & the Pirates members The Big Three (English band) members Ian Gillan Band members Quatermass (band) members Episode Six members The Merseybeats members