ELO bassist crushed by hay bale

[nofi]

original elo member kelly groucutt was killed instantly when a 700 pound hay bale rolled down a hill and landed on his van.

[godofthunder]

I just heard about this  The report I heard stated 1,330 lbs. for the haybale

[the mojo hobo]

Where did you see this? Most think he died last year.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article5798202.ece

Kelly Groucutt, musician, was born on September 8, 1945. He died after a heart attack on February 19, 2009, aged 63

[uwe]

Poor guy, whether dead now or a year ago, always had an illustrious choice of non-Fender basses:

Ampeg:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SZE2o5_Wgg&feature=related

Gibson G-3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fezrsTAf5x0&feature=fvw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwZx6GjCIOU&feature=related



Later on he'd be playing an Ovation Magnum.

Groucutt's harmony vocals were part of the giveaway ELO sound, the split with Lynne was acrimonious and I believe they never made up again.

Tragic, after all he had survived hay bales/airheads before ...



I'm not aware that there was a second ELO bassist unless we are talking about the Jeff Lynne resurrections of the name ELO in the nineties and noughties.

[uwe]

Ah, it wasn't Kelly, but Mike Edwards, one of the early cellists,



who now joins him (Kelly is upper left on that pic or maybe middle of top row?). The hay bale part is true though, except that he hadn't played with Olivia so it was his first (and as the case would be: last)encounter with one:

http://celebs.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978498017




Four strings are still four strings even if they are tuned in fifths instead of fourths.   No more a living thing then both of them, but no doubt they will be able to share some memories and complain about Herr Lynne! Giving Herr Edwards his deserved credit, he is the cellist in the black tie suit here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SZE2o5_Wgg&feature=player_embedded#!

[TBird1958]

Glad I got to see them back in the day......... They opened for Deep Purple on the "Stormbringer" tour when I saw them here in Seattle. At one point during the show both the cellos exploded! Awesome   

[nofi]

i saw the same link uwe put up and early this morning the name was groucutt.

[uwe]

"They opened for Deep Purple on the "Stormbringer" tour ..."

An unlikely combination if I've ever seen one. In Germany, Randy Pie was the opening act on the Stormbringer tour, that was a weird choice as well though Stormbringer was DP's funk rock album (and caused Blackmore to jump ship because he didn't want to play "shoeshine music" as he put it so succinctly in those PC free days):

[TBird1958]

Blackmore was his usual over-the-top egotistical self during the show ( and thus didn't disappoint me!) breaking some cheap Strats on the P.A. stacks and splitting the butt of his pant wide open during "Highway Star" 

[Highlander]

What a way to go... RIP

thought I'd post the BBC link...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-11195393

It was reported as a 600kg/1320lb (round) bale of hay which fell off the back of a tractor, rolling down the hill and struck his Transit van...

[uwe]

I'm actually seeing him on Friday in Munich in a slightly different musical setting ...




This is either corny or touching or both. The man in black seems to have found peace of mind with his Polish-American maiden (who just gave the old bugger his second child and a first daughter after his last child and son Jürgen was born in the sixties) even if they "like to go out to the woods and play". 

[Highlander]

Nice wig...

[Hornisse]

Don't forget the underrated LP, Discovery, where Kelly is pictured with a Hofner Beatle bass!

[uwe]

That, mein Herr, is an expensive hair transplant, not a cheap wig! Ritchie permanently won the war against his rapidly receding hairline sometime in 1978. A lengthy American tour opening up for REO. Speedwagon was to blame. Obviously, the tour schedule, demanding as it was, left time for a little visit to a specialist. Keep the fire burning ...

[Rhythm N. Bliss]

Don't feel too bad, nofi. Cellos are often thot to be basses. lol

Wot the HAY??!!??

Uwe~ Have fun seeing Blackmore's (Eye Candy Candice) Night.