Remembering 2024’s Music Losses: Herbie Flowers

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As with a number of instances in my music posts, I give you names that you don’t know, and have probably never heard. When I explain who it is, you immediately go, “Oh, yeah!” This is a case of that today as we look at another person to whom we bade farewell last year. You’ll hear it in your head as soon as I tell you. Herbie Flowers While Herbie Flowers made a few thousand recordings, the one you’ll hear in your head immediately is his bass line in Lou Reed’s classic “Walk on the Wild Side.” Herbie Flowers was a session musician. His list of credits is a who’s who: Elton John’s Tumbleweed Connection, Cat Stevens’ Foreigner, David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs, and Olivia Newton-John’s If Not for You are some of the big albums he played on. That’s a wild combination of styles and genres, especially for someone who fancied himself as a jazz bass player. But it was that session on Lou Reed’s Transformer album, which produced “Walk on the Wild Side,” that cemented Herbie Flowers’ talent in music history. You hear that bass line and no introduction is needed. Flowers passed away in September at the age of 86, leaving a long list of great works as a solo artist and a session musician…and that bass line in “Walk on the Wild Side.” Herbie Flowers Born Brian Keith Flowers, May 19, 1938, Isleworth, Middlesex Died September 5, 2024 (natural causes) (age 86) Instead of “Walk on the Wild Side,” which you probably have playing in your head right now, here’s an interview with Herbie Flowers about that session and creating that iconic bass part: