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Rick Wills

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Rick Wills
Rick Wills and Ian McLagan in 1978
Rick Wills and Ian McLagan in 1978
Background information
Birth nameRichard William Wills
Born (1947-12-05) 5 December 1947 (age 76)
Cambridge, England
OriginFinchley, London, England
GenresRock
OccupationMusician
Instrument(s)Bass, vocals
Years active1966–present

Richard "Rick" William Wills (born 5 December 1947) is a British bass guitarist. He is best known for his work with the rock band Foreigner and his associations with the Small Faces, Peter Frampton and Bad Company.

Career

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, Bullitt (with David Gilmour on guitars and William "Willie" Wilson on drums) and Cochise before joining Frampton's Camel.[1]

Wills joined the rock band Joker's Wild in 1966, (with David Gilmour on guitars and vocals), replacing Tony Sainty, until they broke up in 1968. He played bass on Peter Frampton's first three albums before parting from Frampton in 1975. He became the bassist with Roxy Music in 1976, before leaving them and joining the Small Faces in 1977, during their reunion period. He left the Small Faces and appeared on David Gilmour's eponymous album in 1978, with William Wilson on drums. The next year, Wills became a member of rock band Foreigner[2] and remained with them for 14 years. At that time he was the longest-tenured bass player of Foreigner, though was later surpassed by Jeff Pilson.

After leaving Foreigner in 1992,[3] he joined Bad Company and stayed with them until Boz Burrell rejoined the band in 1998.[2] In July 1999 he filled in for Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist Leon Wilkeson for live shows when Wilkeson briefly took ill. He appeared at The Steve Marriott Memorial Concert on 24 April 2001, as part of a backing band with Bobby Tench, Zak Starkey and Rabbit Bundrick.[4][5]

Wills was reunited with Small Faces drummer Kenney Jones in the Jones Gang during 2006,[6] and appeared with The RD Crusaders for The Teenage Cancer Trust at The London International Music Show on 15 June 2008.[7]. Wills left The Jones Gang in the summer of 2015 and was replaced by Pat Davey.

On 12 January 2015, in Sarasota, Florida, Wills and original drummer Dennis Elliott joined Foreigner on stage to play "Headknocker".

Discography

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[2]
With Roxy Music[2]

With Kevin Ayers 1976

  • Yes we have no Mañanas (So Get Your Mañanas Today)
With The Small Faces[2]
With David Gilmour[2]
With Foreigner[2]
With Bad Company[2]
With The Jones Gang[2]
  • Any Day Now - AAO Music (2005)

References

  1. ^ "Roots of Cambridge Rock family tree". Cambridge Evening News. Retrieved 18 July 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Rick Wills". allmusic.com. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  3. ^ Phoenix. "Foreigner band members". www.4eigner.net. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  4. ^ "Astoria concert 2001". humble-pie.net. 24 April 2001. Archived from the original on 22 January 2009. Retrieved 14 February 2009.
  5. ^ "Mustn't Grumble: Steve Marriott Memorial Concert". allmusic.com. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  6. ^ "The Jones Gang". butgroup.com. Archived from the original on 20 March 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  7. ^ "RD Crusaders play at LIMS". www.soundonsound. 5 January 2008.

Further reading

  • The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll – 3rd Edition
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