Gary Thain

Gary Thain ( born May 15, 1948 in Christchurch, New Zealand, † December 8, 1975 in London, England) was a rock musician and a member of Uriah Heep.

• 3.1 Singles
• 3.2 albums

Career

Thain attended the Catholic school Xavier College in his native city. At age 13, where he won a singing contest. His first band he created with his brothers. His official musical career began at age 14 with the band The Strangers, in which he played bass. Other members were his brother Arthur ( lead guitar ), Graeme Ching (vocals and rhythm guitar) and Dave Beattie ( drums) who was later replaced by Peter Dawkins. The band released three singles, among which also the first written and published by Thain song I'll Never Be Blue was included. The dissolution of the Strangers, he went with the ' Secrets ', another New Zealand band, with whom he released a single. In the same year (1966 ) this band broke up again, when Thain and Paul Muggleston (also former member of The Strangers ) with Peter Dawkins and Dave Chapman to a new band - Me and the Others - got together. Having toured in Scotland and Wales, they took an engagement in Germany for some time.

When this band broke up, Gary and Peter founded with Ed Carter, the psychedelic -oriented group New Nadir, the primarily in Germany (Munich ), France and Switzerland ( Zurich ) occurred. New Nadir took in 1968 on an album which was not published until 2009. After the dissolution of New Nadir Thain Keef Hartley rose in a band whose music was composed of blues - oriented songwriting and jazzy arrangements. The Keef Hartley band played with Thain a six albums. Thain at the Motown bassist James Jamerson trained, melodic yet rhythmic and funky bass playing was a pivotal point of Hartley's music. With the band Thain 1969, at the Woodstock Festival on the second day before the band Santana. Officially, this performance has not been recorded. Thain also emerged as a co-author and arranger of material for the Keef Hartley band. In the single composed by him alone title You Say You're Together Now he can also be heard as a singer. The song was released in 1972 on The Brave 72nd.

Uriah Heep

After the album The 72nd Brave Hartley dissolved his band. At the same time, Thain received an offer from Uriah Heep, which he accepted promptly. As Thain joined Uriah Heep, this happened to be on tour in the USA. It replaced the ex- Colosseum bassist Mark Clarke. Thain's first gig with Uriah Heep was in Los Angeles on February 1, 1972. The band consisted this time from David Byron, Mick Box, Ken Hensley and Lee Kerslake. Four months later, Thain was the first time with Uriah Heep in the studio. The resulting album Demons and Wizards meant for the band to break through in America. It was followed by four more albums on which he partly also participated in the writing of the song material. Noteworthy among others the rhythm-and - blues number Sweet Lorraine and the ballad Circus.

Thain played more than 370 concerts with Uriah Heep. During an appearance in Dallas on September 15, 1974 Thain suffered an electric shock from which he never recovered. Since the accident he suffered from cardiac arrhythmia and his drug addiction worsened in the following years. Finally, he had to leave the band due to his unstable state in January 1975. On December 8, 1975 Gary Thain died at his home in Norwood Green, London at the age of 27 years, probably due to an overdose of stimulants. The official cause of death was an accident specified.