18 Facts About Herbie Flowers

Brian Keith "Herbie" Flowers was an English musician specialising in bass guitar, double bass and tuba.

Herbie Flowers was a member of groups including Blue Mink, T Rex and Sky and was a prolific session musician.

Herbie Flowers played bass on Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds.

Herbie Flowers created his most famous bassline for Lou Reed's 1972 hit single "Walk on the Wild Side" from the album Transformer.

Herbie Flowers was born in Isleworth, Middlesex, England, on 19 May 1938.

Herbie Flowers began his musical training in 1956 when conscripted into the Royal Air Force, electing at first to serve for nine years as a bandsman playing tuba.

Herbie Flowers took up double bass as a second instrument to secure his "Junior Technician" stripe and later moved to bass guitar.

Later in the 1960s, Herbie Flowers began to acquire his reputation as a session player, working for record producers such as Shel Talmy, Mickie Most, Steve Rowland, Richard Perry, Gus Dudgeon and Tony Visconti.

In 1969 Herbie Flowers was a founding member of the group Blue Mink, playing on their song "Melting Pot" which reached No 3 in the UK singles chart, and early heavy rock band Rumplestiltskin.

Herbie Flowers was a member of CCS and the final line-up of T Rex, along with Dino Dines.

Herbie Flowers is known for having composed the novelty hit "Grandad" for Clive Dunn in 1970.

Herbie Flowers telephoned a friend, Ken Pickett, who came round, ringing the doorbell, and the sound of the doorbell provided the hook he needed.

Herbie Flowers played and recorded with Marc Bolan from late 1976 until Bolan's death, in September 1977, and appeared with him on the Marc television series in 1977.

Herbie Flowers worked as a bass guitar teacher at Ardingly College and led many "Rockshops" at schools, helping young people to create and perform their own songs, as well as covering many others.

Boita and Herbie Flowers reprised their roles when Poetry in Motion was performed live for a charity show at the Richmond Theatre on 5 April 1992.

Herbie Flowers played bass on Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds.

Herbie Flowers lived in Ditchling, East Sussex, and in September 2009 he founded the community choir Shoreham Singers-by-Sea, which had in excess of 150 members followed, in September 2010, by the Ditchling Singers.

Herbie Flowers died on 5 September 2024, at the age of 86.