Tim Drummond, Bassist for Neil Young and Bob Dylan, passes away. In-demand session bassist performed with everyone from James Brown and Miles Davis to Jewel and the Beach Boys. Journeyman bassist Tim Drummond, who performed with Neil Young, Crosby, Stills and Nash and Bob Dylan among many more rock legends, passed away January 10th, the St. Louis County, Missouri coroners office confirmed to Rolling Stone. No cause of death was given but investigators revealed there was no trauma. Drummond served as primary bassist on Youngs 1972 masterpiece Harvest and contributed to every studio LP the singer-songwriter released from 1974s On the Beach to 1980s Hawks & Doves. Drummond was also a member of Youngs short-lived backup bands the Shocking Pinks, the Stray Gators and the International Harvesters. After reuniting with the Harvest crew for 1992s Harvest Moon, Drummonds two-decade-long tenure with Young ended with the rockers 1993 MTV Unplugged performance. Astrid Young, Neil Youngs half-sister who played alongside Drummond on Harvest Moon, wrote on Facebook, RIP Tim Drummond. Long may you run. One of the best bass players and a great guy. Sad to hear this, producer Craig Leon tweeted. Drummonds credits run deep and diverse and include the Beach Boys 16 Big Ones, Don Henleys Building the Perfect Beast, a trio of Ry Cooder albums and Jewels Pieces of You. The bassist performed alongside legends Miles Davis, John Lee Hooker and Taj Mahal on Jack Nitzsches score for the 1990 film The Hot Spot and collaborated with the likes of James Brown, Lonnie Mack, Rick Danko, J.J. Cale and John Mayall through the years. In addition to being an in-demand session bassist, Drummond also co-wrote Saved with Bob Dylan, the title track from Dylans 1980 album. Drummond was on the bass for the entire run of Dylans gospel trilogy – Slow Train Coming, Saved and Shot of Love – and, along with longtime collaborators keyboardist Spooner Oldham and drummer Jim Keltner, was a member of the powerful backup band that accompanied Dylan on his Slow Train Coming tour. I cant praise [Dylan] enough. Hes not only a dear friend, but he was just great, Drummond recently told a journalist about touring Slow Train Coming. At that time I was semi-bandleader, and I kept telling the band, Watch [Dylans] right heel when hes stomping. Dont tap your toe, watch your heel. Thats where the beat is. And thats exactly right. Its the heel that counts. If you tap your toe, youd be off. Drummond also joined Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young on the road during the bands infamous 1974 doom tour and performed on CSNs 1977 single Just a Song Before I Go. Drummond spoke about his experiences on the 1974 CSNY trek, including the night he and Stills hung out with Dylan after a Minneapolis concert. He played us all the songs from Blood on the Tracks on acoustic guitar, he said. We were on twin beds, across from each other. Oh God, I cant tell you how great it was. At one point Stephen said something to him about the songs not being good. I was so goddamn embarrassed. He was probably coked out. Dylan, being the arrogant man that he was said, Well, Stephen, play me one of your songs. That was the end of it. Stephen couldnt even find one string from another at that point. He also recalled what the tour was like onstage. The guitar duels between Stephen and Neil got really loud, Drummond said. Id just wander between the amplifiers and do my thing so I could hear myself. I was lucky I made it through that tour without ruining my ears. Drummonds death comes just three months after Rick Rosas, who played bass alongside Neil Young for nearly 25 years and was known as Rick the Bass Player, passed away at the age of 65 following a battle with cancer. Tim Drummond, RIP.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 22:39:37 +0000
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