is a Japanese retired

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

ist. In the 1970s, he was a member of several popular hard rock bands, including Free, where he replaced former bassist

Andy Fraser Andrew McIan Fraser (3 July 1952 – 16 March 2015) was a British musician and songwriter, best known as the bassist and co-composer for the rock band Free, which he helped found in 1968 when he was 15. He also founded the rock band Sharks ...

before the band's final album '' Heartbreaker'', and the

Faces The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affe ...

, where he replaced

Ronnie Lane Ronald Frederick Lane (1 April 1946 – 4 June 1997) was an English musician and songwriter who is best known as the bass guitarist and founding member of Small Faces (1965–69) and subsequently Faces (1969–73). Lane formed Small Faces ...

and appears on the band's final single, " You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything", as well as touring with them and playing on the live album '' Coast to Coast: Overture and Beginners''. He also recorded a number of solo albums and did extensive work as a session musician before retiring from the music industry in the late 1990s.

Biography

Yamauchi was born in 1946 in

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...

, Japan. In the late 1960s, he played with

Mickey Curtis is a Japanese actor, singer and Media Personality. He was born to English-Japanese parents. A pivotal figure in Japanese popular music, Mickey is considered one of the three big Japanese names in rock music, helping to popularize the genre in ...

and his band called Samurai, and this involvement led to him working as a session musician in both Tokyo and London. In London he became close friends with

Ginger Baker Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and African rhythms and pi ...

and

Alan Merrill Alan Merrill (born Allan Preston Sachs; February 19, 1951 – March 29, 2020) was an American vocalist, guitarist and songwriter. In the early 1970s, he was one of the few resident foreigners to achieve pop star status in Japan. He was the write ...

. In 1972, he contributed to the album '' Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu and Rabbit'' with Free guitarist

Paul Kossoff Paul Francis Kossoff (14 September 1950 – 19 March 1976) was an English guitarist, mainly known as the co-founder and guitarist for the rock band Free. He was ranked number 51 in ''Rolling Stone''s list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All ...

and drummer

Simon Kirke Simon Frederick St George Kirke (born 28 July 1949) is an English rock drummer best known as a member of Free and Bad Company. He has been the only continuous member of Bad Company since their inception. Life and career Kirke was born in L ...

, together with keyboard player

John "Rabbit" Bundrick John Douglas "Rabbit" Bundrick (born November 21, 1948 in Houston, Texas) is an American–English rock keyboardist. He is best known for his work with The Who and associations with others including Eric Burdon, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Rog ...

. He subsequently joined Free to participate in their final 1973 studio album '' Heartbreaker'', replacing

. In August 1973 Yamauchi replaced

in the

as their bass guitarist, but according to Faces keyboardist

Ian McLagan Ian Patrick McLagan (; 12 May 1945 – 3 December 2014) was an English keyboardist, best known as a member of the rock bands Small Faces and Faces. He also collaborated with the Rolling Stones and led his own band from the late 1970s. He was i ...

, Yamauchi's recruitment turned out to be a mistake because he was not really the right type of bassist for them, and he had been hired to replace Lane in haste without the band properly auditioning him beforehand. Furthermore, McLagan stated that Yamauchi embraced a drinking and partying lifestyle when he, Rod Stewart,

Ronnie Wood Ronald David Wood (born 1 June 1947) is an English rock musician, best known as an official member of the Rolling Stones since 1975, as well as a member of Faces and the Jeff Beck Group. Wood began his career in 1964, playing guitar with a ...

and

Kenney Jones Kenneth Thomas "Kenney" Jones (born 16 September 1948) is an English drummer best known for his work in the groups Small Faces, Faces, and the Who. Jones was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Small Faces/Faces ...

were now attempting to minimize their own legendary drinking behaviour and become more creative. “We made a mistake really with Tetsu,” said McLagan. “It wasn’t his fault, but he was a party boy and thought he was in for lots of drinks and a little bit of playing, while we were looking for more creation and a lot less boozing." According to Rod Stewart, Yamauchi was "a sweet Japanese guy who barely spoke English", and because of this communication barrier his bandmates often found it difficult to understand how he was feeling. Despite any misgivings some of his bandmates may have harboured about his compatibility, Yamauchi nevertheless remained a fully-contributing member of Faces for over two years - appearing on two single releases, the 1974 live album '' Coast to Coast: Overture and Beginners'' and participating in a number of global-scale stadium tours - and his association with the band only came to an end when the group itself dissolved at the end of 1975. Following the breakup of Faces, Yamauchi recorded a solo album and continued working as a session musician. In the late 1970s he returned to Japan, continuing to work as a session musician and tour and record with his own bands and with other artists. He retired from the music industry in the late 1990s, and moved to the countryside with his family to live a quiet life. According to his friend

, Yamauchi refused to speak to anyone from the press, living a "humble and very religious" lifestyle, and considering it "juvenile and vain" for people of his age to still be performing rock and roll; he has refused the invitation to take part in a Faces reunion.

Discography

Solo

* ''Tetsu'' (1972) * ''Kikyou'' (1976) * ''Dare Devil'' (1992) with Peter Brötzmann, Shoji Hano, Haruhiko Gotsu * ''Friends'' (1998), with Hiroshi Segawa, Ken Narita * ''Tetsu & The Good Times Roll Band Live'' (2009). Recorded in 1976

with Samurai

* ''Samurai'' (1970) * ''Kappa'' (1971)

With Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu and Rabbit

*'' Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu and Rabbit'' (1972)

with Free

*'' Heartbreaker'' (1973)

with the Faces

*''Pool Hall Richard / I Wish It Would Rain'' (single, 1973) Yamauchi appears on the live b-side of this single. *'' Coast to Coast: Overture and Beginners'' (live album, 1974) *'' You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything'' (single, 1974) *'' Five Guys Walk into a Bar...'' (box set, 2004) He appears on numerous previously-unreleased live and studio tracks from 1973-75 on this collection.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yamauchi, Tetsu 1946 births Japanese jazz bass guitarists Japanese expatriates in the United Kingdom Free (band) members Living people People from Fukuoka Musicians from Fukuoka Prefecture Faces (band) members Japanese rock bass guitarists