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Tag: Andy Rourke

  • Gary Mounfield, former Stone Roses bassist, has died at 63

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    LONDON (AP) — Gary Mounfield, the former bass player of the Stone Roses and Primal Scream, two of the most influential British rock bands of the past four decades, has died. He was 63.

    His former Stone Roses bandmate, Ian Brown, confirmed the death of Mounfield, who was better known by his fans as Mani, on Thursday on social media — “rest in peace Mani,” he said, alongside a kiss symbol.

    Mounfield was part of The Stone Roses’ classic lineup alongside singer Brown, guitarist John Squire and drummer Alan “Reni” Wren during their 1989 self-titled classic debut album, which featured hits such as “I Wanna Be Adored,” “She Bangs The Drums” and “I Am The Resurrection.”

    The album heralded a new sound in British music as the 1980s drew to a close, mixing classic rock rifts with dance music. Hailing from Manchester, the band augured in the “Madchester” sound that dominated the early 1990s and laid the foundations for the ensuing “Britpop” phenomenon with the likes of Blur, Oasis and Pulp.

    He was also part of the band during the less well-received second album “Second Coming” in 1994.

    After The Stone Roses breakup in 1996, citing musical differences, Mani joined Scottish rock band Primal Scream, first playing on their album “Vanishing Point,” released a year later, where his bass playing was a key part of krautrock-influenced lead single “Kowalski.” Mounfield would go on to record four more albums with the band.

    Tributes from his peers were swift.

    Tim Burgess, the lead singer of fellow indie band The Charlatans, posted a picture of himself with his arm around Mounfield.

    “I shared this photo a week or so ago on Mani’s birthday — it never failed to bring a smile to my face — and that was exactly the same for the man himself,” he said.

    Mani also had a guest role in the 2022 movie “24 Hour Party People” and was in a supergroup called Freebass, alongside bass players Andy Rourke of The Smiths and Peter Hook of New Order.

    He was due to embark on a speaking tour in September 2026, called “The Stone Roses, Primal Scream, And Me,” which was due to see him reflect on his life in rock ‘n’ roll.

    Mounfield married his late wife Imelda after the two met during the 13-month recording of “Second Coming” at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales, and they had two sons together.

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  • Bass Guitarist Andy Rourke Of The Smiths, One Of Britain’s Most Influential Bands, Dies At 59

    Bass Guitarist Andy Rourke Of The Smiths, One Of Britain’s Most Influential Bands, Dies At 59

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    By PAN PYLAS, The Associated Press.
    Published:

    Andy Rourke, bass guitarist of The Smiths, one of the most influential British bands of the 1980s, has died after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer, his former bandmate Johnny Marr said Friday. He was 59.

    In a lengthy post on Instagram, guitarist and songwriter Marr paid tribute to Rourke, who he first met when both were schoolboys in 1975.

    “Throughout our teens we played in various bands around south Manchester before making our reputations with The Smiths from 1982 to 1987, and it was on those Smiths records that Andy reinvented what it is to be a bass guitar player,” Marr said.

    During their short time together as a four-piece band, The Smiths deliberately stayed away from the mainstream of popular music, garnering a cult following on the independent music scene.

    Though much of the attention focused on the song-writing partnership of Marr and frontman Steven Patrick Morrissey, better known as Morrissey, the sound of The Smiths owed much to Rourke’s bass and his rhythm section partner, drummer Mike Joyce.

    As their popularity swelled, the band released some of the most enduring British music of the 1980s, including “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” and “Girlfriend In A Coma”.


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    The Smiths songs garnered a reputation of being depressing, but were in fact darkly humorous and accompanied by stirring and uplifting guitars. Their albums, including The Queen is Dead and Meat is Murder, remain a staple of any self-respecting music fan and are at the forefront of the revival of vinyl records.

    “I was present at every one of Andy’s bass takes on every Smiths session,” Marr said. “Sometimes I was there as the producer and sometimes just as his proud mate and cheerleader. Watching him play those dazzling baselines was an absolute privilege and genuinely something to behold.”

    Marr said he and Rourke maintained their friendship in the years after the band split up, recalling that Rourke played in his band at Madison Square Garden as recently as September 2022.

    “It was a special moment that we shared with my family and his wife and soul mate Francesca,” Marr said. “Andy will always be remembered, as a kind and beautiful soul by everyone who knew him, and as a supremely gifted musician by people who love music. Well done Andy. We’ll miss you brother.”

    After The Smiths, Rourke played alongside The Pretenders and Sinead O’Connor, as well as with the supergroup Freebass, which included Gary Mounfield from the Stone Roses and Peter Hook from New Order.

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    Becca Longmire

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