John Entwistle
John Alec Entwistle (9 October 1944 – 27 June 2002) was an English musician who was best known as the bassist for the rock band The Who. His bass playing style influenced many other bass players who came after him.[1][2] Entwistle is regarded by many as the greatest bassist in the history of rock music.
John Entwistle | |
|---|---|
 John Entwistle in 1976 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Alec Entwistle |
| Also known as | The Ox Thunderfingers |
| Born | 9 October 1944 Chiswick, Middlesex, England |
| Died | 27 June 2002 (age 58) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Bass, French horn, vocals |
| Years active | 1962 - 2002 |
| Labels | Polydor, MCA |
| Associated acts | The Who |
| Website | johnentwistle.com |
Entwistle played his bass guitar as a lead instrument, employing a "full treble, full volume" sound, as well as often using pentatonic lines and a typewriter finger approach. He recorded the first bass solo in the history of popular music on The Who's song "My Generation". Other notable examples of Entwistle's playing are "Boris the Spider" and "The Real Me". As he developed his sound and refined his skill, Entwistle's bass sounded like a VOX Amplifier. At the time of his death he had a collection of over 400 instruments that reflected the different brands he used over his career: Fender, Rickenbacker, Alembic, Warwick were the brands he used most. He owned many of the most expensive bass guitars in the history of the world.
Entwistle played bass for The Who and as a solo performer from 1964 until 2002. His bass guitar sound was the main reason The Who gave the loudest concert on record at the time.
Entwistle died in a hotel room at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on 27 June 2002. The Las Vegas coroner said that he died of a heart attack caused by cocaine.[3]
In 1990, Entwistle was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Who.