Phil Spalding

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Phil Spalding
Birth namePhilip Trevor Spalding
Born(1957-11-19)19 November 1957
London, England
Died5 February 2023(2023-02-05) (aged 65)
Genres
Occupations
Instruments
Years active1976–2023
Websitephilspalding.com

Philip Trevor Spalding (19 November 1957 – 5 February 2023) was an English bass player. He was best known as a session musician and player of Fender Precision Bass guitars. He played and appeared with performing artists such as Mike Oldfield, Mick Jagger, Seal, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Elton John, Heaven 17 and Randy Crawford.[1]

At an early age, he was a successful child model and appeared in a television advertisement for Smiths Crisps. Spalding was a computer operator for a high street bank, before joining rock artist Bernie Tormé in 1976. Later he joined Original Mirrors before beginning a collaboration with Toyah, in December 1980. Whilst with The Toyah band, he recorded and co-wrote songs for studio albums and toured with the band, until 1983.[2] Later he was a member of GTR and Mike Oldfield's band. He later appeared on albums by Michel Polnareff, Suggs, Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue.[1]

Spalding also recorded all bass tracks on The Lion King soundtrack studio album.

As someone formerly affected by hepatitis C, he appeared on BBC Oxford on 28 July 2008 to promote a vaccine trial for the disease.[3] Spalding started a patient support group called Hep C Positive in Swindon, and worked with the charity Liver4Life to raise awareness of hepatitis C.

In February 2012, he joined the Simon Townshend band for the 'Secret Weapon' UK tour in support of the album Looking Out, Looking In. Spalding played bass with The Who at their promotional acoustic concerts at Pryzm in Kingston, London on 12 February 2020.

He was a Freemason and was a member of Westminster City School Lodge no. 4305.

Spalding died on 5 February 2023, at the age of 65.[4][5]

Discography

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With Max Bacon

  • The Higher You Climb (Now & Then, 1995)
  • From the Banks of the River Irwell (Blue Print, 2002)

With Melanie C

With Roger Chapman

  • Hybrid and Lowdown (Polydor, 1990)

With Ray Charles

With Joe Cocker

With Randy Crawford

  • Play Mode (WEA Records, 2000)

With Stephen Dale Petit

With Marcella Detroit

With Julia Downes

  • Let Sleeping Dogs Lie (Mercury, 1983)

With Terence Trent D'Arby

With Delta Goodrem

With GTR

  • GTR (Arista, 1986)

With Geri Halliwell

With Mick Jagger

With Elton John

With Beverley Knight

With Nick Lachey

With Kylie Minogue

With Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

With Michel Polnareff

  • Kāma-Sūtra (Epic Records, 1990)

With Skin

With Matthew Sweet

With Roger Taylor

With Judie Tzuke

With Robbie Williams

Notes

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  1. ^ a b "Phil Spalding credits". allmusic.com. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
  2. ^ Toyah: The Changeling tour programme. 1980.
  3. ^ "BBC News. Hepatitis 'C' Vaccine Trials". youtube.com. BBC News. 28 February 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
  4. ^ "On behalf of the SPALDING family It's with great sadness and broken hearts that we must announce the passing of PHIL SPALDING". PhilSpalding.com. Retrieved 12 April 2023. Phil passed away at home on Sunday, 5th February 2023
  5. ^ "Phil Spalding Passed Away". DMME. 6 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.

References

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