Rick Wills
Rick Wills | |
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 Wills in 1978 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Richard William Wills |
| Born | 5 December 1947 Cambridge,England |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupation | Bassist |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Formerly of | Foreigner |
Richard William Wills(born 5 December 1947) is an English bass guitarist. He is best known for his work with the rock bandForeignerand his associations with theSmall Faces,Roxy Music,Peter Frampton,Spooky Tooth,David Gilmour,Bad CompanyandThe Jones Gang.
Career
[edit]Rick Wills played in the early days of rock music in Cambridge, from c. 1961 in the Vikings, then in a succession of local bands: the Sundowners, Soul Committee,[1]Bullitt (withDavid Gilmouron guitar andJohn 'Willie' Wilsonon drums) andCochisebefore joiningFrampton's Camel.[2]
Wills joined the rock bandJokers Wildin mid-1966, (with David Gilmour on guitars and vocals), until they broke up in 1967.[3]He played bass onPeter Frampton's first three albums before parting from Frampton in 1975. He became the bassist withRoxy Musicin 1976, before leaving them and joining theSmall Facesin 1977, during their reunion period. He left the Small Faces and appeared on David Gilmour's eponymous album in 1978, with Willie Wilson on drums. The next year, Wills became a member of rock bandForeigner[4]and remained with them for 14 years. At that time he was the longest-tenured bass player of Foreigner, though was later surpassed byJeff Pilson.
After leaving Foreigner in 1992,[5]he joinedBad Companyand stayed with them untilBoz Burrellrejoined the band in 1998.[4]In July 1999 he filled in forLynyrd SkynyrdbassistLeon Wilkesonfor live shows when Wilkeson briefly became ill. He appeared at The Steve Marriott Memorial Concert on 24 April 2001, as part of a backing band withBobby Tench,Zak StarkeyandRabbit Bundrick.[6][7]
Wills was reunited with Small Faces drummerKenney JonesinThe Jones Gangduring 2006,[8]and appeared with theRD Crusadersfor theTeenage Cancer Trustat The London International Music Show on 15 June 2008.[9]Wills left The Jones Gang in the summer of 2015 and was replaced by Pat Davey.
On 12 January 2015, inSarasota, Florida,Wills and original drummerDennis Elliottjoined Foreigner on stage to play "Headknocker".
On 28 October 2021, Wills joined the Mick Jones-less band for a three song encore at the Hampton Casino Ballroom in Hampton, NH.
On 4 August 2023, Wills joined Foreigner for a few songs at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavillion in Gilford NH, having recently moved toAmherst, NH.
In 2024, Wills was selected for induction into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame,as a member of Foreigner.[10]
Discography
[edit]- Cochise
- Cochise(1970)
- Swallow Tales(1971)
- So Far(1972)
- Past Loves (A History)(1992) - Compilation
- Velvet Mountain: An Anthology 1970-1972(2013) - Compilation Double Album
- With Peter Frampton[4]
- Wind of Change-A&M(1972)
- Frampton's Camel– A&M (1973)
- Somethin's Happening– A&M Records|A&M (1974)
- With Roxy Music[4]
- With Kevin Ayers 1976
- With The Small Faces[4]
- Playmates–Atlantic(1977)
- 78 in the Shade– Atlantic (1978)
- With David Gilmour[4]
- David Gilmour–Harvest(1978)
- Head Games– Atlantic (1979)
- 4– Atlantic (1981)
- Agent Provocateur– Atlantic (1984)
- Inside Information– Atlantic (1987)
- Unusual Heat– Atlantic (1991)
- With Bad Company[4]
- What You Hear Is What You Get: The Best of Bad Company– Atco (1993)
- Company of Strangers–Elektra(1995)
- Stories Told & Untold– Elektra (1997)
- With The Jones Gang[4]
- Any Day Now- AAO Music (2005)
References
[edit]- ^Dosanjh, Warren; Brown, Mick (2015).The Music Scene of 1960s Cambridge.Cambridge: Warren Dosanjh. p. 60.
- ^"Roots of Cambridge Rock family tree".Cambridge Evening News.Retrieved18 July2010.
- ^Gilmour, Peter (April 2015)."Jokers Wild"(PDF).The Music Scene of 1960s Cambridge.6th Edition: 58–59 – via Warren Dosanjh & Mick Brown.
- ^abcdefghi"Rick Wills".allmusic.com.Retrieved18 February2010.
- ^Phoenix."Foreigner band members".www.4eigner.net.Retrieved18 February2010.
- ^"Astoria concert 2001".humble-pie.net. 24 April 2001. Archived fromthe originalon 22 January 2009.Retrieved14 February2009.
- ^"Mustn't Grumble: Steve Marriott Memorial Concert".allmusic.com.Retrieved18 February2010.
- ^"The Jones Gang".butgroup.com. Archived fromthe originalon 20 March 2009.Retrieved18 February2010.
- ^"RD Crusaders play at LIMS".www.soundonsound. 5 January 2008.
- ^"2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees".Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.22 April 2024.Retrieved22 April2024.
Further reading
[edit]- The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll – 3rd Edition
External links
[edit]- Rick Willsdiscography atDiscogs
- Rick WillsatIMDb
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