Biography

Brian Keith "Herbie" Flowers (born 19 May 1938) is an English musician specialising in electric bass, double bass and tuba. He is noted as a member of Blue Mink, T. Rex and Sky and as one of Britain's best-known session bass players, having contributed to recordings by Elton John (Tumbleweed Connection, Madman Across the Water), David Bowie (Space Oddity, Diamond Dogs), Lou Reed (Transformer, including the prominent bass line of "Walk on the Wild Side"), Melanie (Candles in the Rain), Roy Harper (Bullinamingvase), David Essex (Rock On), Allan Clarke, Al Kooper (New York City (You're a Woman)), Bryan Ferry (The Bride Stripped Bare), Harry Nilsson (Nilsson Schmilsson, Son of Dracula), Cat Stevens (New Masters, Foreigner), Paul McCartney (Give My Regards to Broad Street), George Harrison (Somewhere in England, Gone Troppo, Brainwashed) and Ringo Starr (Stop and Smell the Roses). He also played bass on Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds. By the end of the 1970s, Flowers had played bass on an estimated 500 hit recordings.