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{{Short description|English musician (1964–2023)}}{{EngvarB|date=June 2014}}
{{Short description|English musician (1964–2023)}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{sources|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox musical artist
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Andy Rourke
| name = Andy Rourke
| image = Andy Rourke.jpg
| image = The Smiths BW (cropped).jpg
| caption = Rourke in 2007
| caption = Rourke in 2005
| birth_name = Andrew Michael Rourke
| birth_name = Andrew Michael Rourke
| alias =
| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1964|1|17|df=y}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1964|1|17|df=y}}
| birth_place =
| birth_place = [[Manchester]], England
| origin = [[Manchester]], [[Lancashire]], England
| origin =
| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|5|19|1964|1|17|df=y}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|5|19|1964|1|17|df=y}}
| death_place =
| death_place = [[New York City]], U.S.
| instrument = Bass guitar, guitar, cello
| instrument = {{hlist|Bass guitar|guitar|cello}}
| genre = [[Alternative rock]], [[indie pop]]
| genre = {{hlist|[[Alternative rock]]|[[indie pop]]}}
| occupation = Musician
| occupation = Musician
| years_active =
| years_active =
| label = [[24 Hour Service Station]]
| label = {{hlist|[[24 Hour Service Station]]|[[Rough Trade Records|Rough Trade]]}}
| associated_acts = [[The Smiths]], [[Morrissey]], [[Freebass]], [[Moondog One]], [[the Adult Net]], [[D.A.R.K.]]
| past_member_of = {{hlist|[[Freak Party]]|[[The Smiths]]|[[Freebass]]|[[D.A.R.K. (band)|D.A.R.K.]]|[[Blitz Vega]]|[[The Pretenders]]}}
| website =
| website = {{Official website|http://www.andyrourke.com/}}
| spouse = {{marriage |Francesca Mor |2012}}<ref name="The Guardian - Obit" />
}}
}}
'''Andrew Michael Rourke''' (17 January 1964 – 19 May 2023) was an English musician best known as the [[bassist]] of the 1980s indie rock band [[the Smiths]]. Regarded as one of the greatest bassists of his generation, he was known for his melodic and [[funk]]-inspired approach to bass playing.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://mixdownmag.com.au/features/the-10-most-innovative-indie-bass-guitar-players-of-all-time/ |title=The 10 most innovative indie bassists of all time |first1=David |last1=Tomisich |newspaper=Mixdown Magazine |date=15 July 2023 |access-date=4 September 2023 |via=www.mixdownmag.com.au}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nme.com/photos/40-of-the-greatest-bassists-of-all-time-picked-by-nme-readers-1412783 |title=40 Of The Greatest Bassists Of All Time – Picked By NME Readers |first1=Emily|last1=Barker|newspaper=NME |date=24 July 2014 |access-date=4 September 2023 |via=www.nme.com}}</ref>


Rourke joined the Smiths after their first gig, having known guitarist [[Johnny Marr]] since [[secondary school]], and played on their entire discography. After the group broke up in 1987, he performed on some of lead vocalist [[Morrissey]]'s early solo releases. Rourke recorded with [[Sinéad O'Connor]] and [[the Pretenders]] in the early 1990s, and was a member of the [[supergroup (music)|supergroup]] [[Freebass]] and the band [[D.A.R.K. (band)|D.A.R.K.]], and later [[Blitz Vega]] with [[Kav Sandhu]]. He organised the [[Versus Cancer]] concerts from 2006 to 2009.
'''Andrew Michael Rourke''' (17 January 1964 – 19 May 2023) was an English musician, best known as the bassist of [[the Smiths]]. He was known for his melodic approach to bass playing.


==Life and career==
==Early life==
Rourke was born in [[Manchester]], [[Lancashire]], in 1964,<ref name="The Guardian - Obit">{{cite news |first1=Dave |last1=Simpson |title=Andy Rourke obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/may/19/andy-rourke-obituary#:~:text=Born%20in%20Manchester%2C%20Rourke%20–%20the,%2C%20Mary%20(nee%20Stones). |access-date=19 May 2023 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=19 May 2023}}</ref><ref name="Telegraph Obituaries">{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2023/05/19/andy-rourke-melodic-bassist-smiths-died-obituary/|title=Telegraph Obituaries – Andy Rourke, musician whose melodious bass-playing was a crucial component of the Smiths' sound |date=19 May 2023 |accessdate=19 May 2023 |website=www.telegraph.co.uk}}</ref> and grew up on the Racecourse Estate in [[Ashton upon Mersey]]. His Irish father, Michael, worked as an architect;<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Andy Rourke obituary: A beautiful soul who created tunes within tunes |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/obituaries/2023/05/27/andy-rourke-obituary-a-beautiful-soul-who-created-tunes-within-tunes/ |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=The Irish Times |language=en}}</ref> his mother, Mary (nee Stone),<ref name=":0" /> was English.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Power |first1=Ed |title=Andy Rourke and The Smiths: The four Manchester-Irish friends who took on the world |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/2023/05/19/andy-rourke-and-the-smiths-the-four-manchester-irish-friends-who-took-on-the-world/ |access-date=9 April 2024 |work=The Irish Times |date=19 May 2023}}</ref> He was raised by his father in Ashton-upon-Mersey, and later [[Sharston]], after his mother separated from him and left the family home.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Campbell |first=Sean |date=December 2002 |title=Second-Generation Irish Rock Musicians in England: Cultural Studies, Pop Journalism and Musical 'Roittes' |url=https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/5606/1/402845.pdf |access-date=2023-06-25 |website=ljmu.ac.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/paddy-english-man-part-1-1.252576 |title=Paddy English man |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |date=20 November 1999}}</ref>
⚫
Rourke's father was Irish while his mother was English.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/paddy-english-man-part-1-1.252576 |title=Paddy English man |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |date=20 November 1999}}</ref> He received an acoustic guitar from his parents when he was seven years old. At the age of 11 he befriended the young John Maher (soon to be [[Johnny Marr]]) with whom he shared an interest in music. The pair spent lunch breaks in school [[Jam session|jamming]] and playing on their guitars. When Marr and Rourke formed a band, he invited Rourke (still then a guitarist) to try on bass, which he fell in love with and has stuck with ever since.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tMMOZKC9Og "Andy Rourke Interview"], ''YouTube''. Retrieved 1 September 2011.</ref>


⚫
He received an [[acoustic guitar]] from his parents when he was seven years old. At the age of 11, he befriended a young John Maher (soon to be [[Johnny Marr]]) with whom he shared an interest in music: both attended [[St Paul's Catholic High School|St Augustine's Grammar School]] in [[Sharston]]. The pair spent lunch breaks in school [[Jam session|jamming]] and playing on their guitars. When Marr and Rourke formed a band, Rourke switched to [[Bass guitar|bass]], which he fell in love with and continued to play for the rest of his career.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tMMOZKC9Og "Andy Rourke Interview"], ''[[YouTube]]''. Retrieved 1 September 2011.</ref>
⚫
Rourke left school when he was 15.<ref name="auto">{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/salvatore-bono/catching-up-with-andy-rou_b_819098.html |work=HuffPost|title=Catching Up With Andy Rourke of The Smiths |date=8 February 2011}}</ref> He passed through a series of menial jobs and played guitar and bass in various rock bands, as well as in the short-lived [[funk]] band [[Freak Party]], with his schoolfriend Johnny Marr.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/jan/23/how-we-made-smiths-first-gig |title=How we made: Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce on the Smiths' first gig |first=Dave |last=Simpson |newspaper=The Guardian |date=23 January 2012 |access-date=7 February 2019 |via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref>


⚫
Rourke left school when he was 15<ref name="auto">{{cite news |date=8 February 2011 |title=Catching Up With Andy Rourke of The Smiths |work=HuffPost |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/salvatore-bono/catching-up-with-andy-rou_b_819098.html}}</ref> and passed through a series of menial jobs, playing guitar and bass in various rock bands, as well as in the short-lived [[funk]] band [[Freak Party]], with Marr.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Simpson |first1=Dave |date=23 January 2012 |title=How we made: Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce on the Smiths' first gig |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/jan/23/how-we-made-smiths-first-gig |access-date=7 February 2019 |via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref>
Marr later teamed up with [[Morrissey]] to form the Smiths. Rourke joined the band after its first gig, and remained through most of its existence. Suffering from [[heroin]] addiction,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/andy-rourke-tells-all |title=Andy Rourke Tells All |author=Michael Moynihan |website=[[The Daily Beast]] |date=13 October 2013}}</ref> he was sacked from the band in early 1986, rejoining two weeks later just before they released ''[[The Queen Is Dead]]''. In his absence, second guitarist [[Craig Gannon]] joined the band.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Barnett |first1=David |title=I started something I couldn't finish: the Smiths reunion that wasn't |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jan/30/the-smiths-reunion-mike-joyce-craig-gannon-morrissey-johnny-marr |access-date=11 January 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=30 January 2018}}</ref> Marr described Rourke's contribution to that album as "something no other bass player could match". The Smiths released ''[[Strangeways, Here We Come (album)|Strangeways, Here We Come]]'' in 1987 to critical acclaim, but split soon after.


==Career==
Immediately after the break-up, Rourke and Smiths drummer [[Mike Joyce (musician)|Mike Joyce]] played with [[Sinéad O'Connor]] – Rourke (but not Joyce) appears on the album ''[[I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got]]'' (1990). Along with Craig Gannon, they provided the rhythm section for two singles by former Smiths singer Morrissey – "[[Interesting Drug]]" and "[[The Last of the Famous International Playboys]]" (both 1989). Rourke also played bass on Morrissey's "[[November Spawned a Monster]]" and "[[Piccadilly Palare]]" (both 1990) and composed the music for Morrissey's songs "Yes, I Am Blind" (the B-side of "[[Ouija Board, Ouija Board]]", 1989); "Girl Least Likely To" (a B-side on the 12-inch single of "November Spawned a Monster"; also released as a bonus track on the 1997 reissue of ''[[Viva Hate]]''); and "Get Off the Stage" (the B-side of "Piccadilly Palare").
===The Smiths===
{{main|The Smiths}}
[[File:The Smiths (1984 Sire publicity photo) 002.jpg|thumb|left|Rourke (furthest left) with the Smiths in 1985]]
Marr later teamed up with [[Morrissey]] to form the Smiths. Rourke joined the band after its first gig in 1982, when Marr fired original bass player Dale Hibbert, and remained through the rest of its existence.<ref name=petridis/> The band's second studio album, ''[[Meat Is Murder]]'', featured the track "[[Barbarism Begins at Home]]", a seven-minute funk-inspired track regarded by several critics as one of Rourke's greatest contributions.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fleischer |first1=Norman |title=13 Essential tracks of The Smiths |url=https://nbhap.com/sounds/essential-tracks-the-smiths/7 |access-date=19 May 2023 |work=[[Nothing but Hope and Passion]] |date=20 February 2014|quote=It's the shining moment of bassist Andy Rourke who delivers his best work on this almost seven-minute long monster.}}</ref><ref name=petridis>{{cite news |last1=Petridis |first1=Alexis |title=Andy Rourke was the other melodic genius in the Smiths: spry, funky and masterful |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/may/19/andy-rourke-the-smiths-bassist |access-date=19 May 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=19 May 2023|quote=[…] on Barbarism Begins at Home, regularly held up as the greatest example of Rourke's playing in the Smiths' oeuvre, he plays writhingly funky slap bass […]}}</ref><ref name=rolling>{{cite magazine |last1=Garratt-Stanley |first1=Fred |title=Take a look back at some of Andy Rourke's best ever basslines |url=https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/features/take-a-look-back-at-some-of-andy-rourkes-best-ever-basslines-29407/ |access-date=19 May 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=19 May 2023|quote=The song's thick slaps and rapid fingerwork showcased Rourke's unique talents expertly.}}</ref> He was also praised for [[rockabilly]]-inspired basslines on the tracks "Rusholme Ruffians" and "Nowhere Fast".<ref name=petridis/><ref name=dig/> Some of Rourke's other noted performances include "[[This Charming Man]]" and "[[How Soon Is Now?]]".<ref name=rolling/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Golsen |first1=Tyler |title=Andy Rourke’s isolated bass from The Smiths song ‘This Charming Man’ proves he was a genius |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/andy-rourke-isolated-bass-the-smiths-song-this-charming-man/ |access-date=9 April 2024 |work=Far Out |date=19 May 2023}}</ref>

Suffering from heroin addiction,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/andy-rourke-tells-all |title=Andy Rourke Tells All |first1=Michael |last1=Moynihan |website=[[The Daily Beast]] |date=13 October 2013}}</ref> Rourke was arrested for drug possession and sacked from the band in early 1986, via a handwritten note left on his car windscreen by Morrissey.<ref name=mojo/> Experienced [[session musician]] [[Guy Pratt]] was brought in as a replacement and found Rourke's compositions difficult to learn; he was relieved when Rourke was restored two weeks later, having been cleared to tour the United States.<ref name=petridis/> Just after Rourke's reinstatement, the Smiths released their third studio album, ''[[The Queen Is Dead]]''. In his absence, second guitarist [[Craig Gannon]] joined the band.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Barnett |first1=David |title=I started something I couldn't finish: the Smiths reunion that wasn't |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jan/30/the-smiths-reunion-mike-joyce-craig-gannon-morrissey-johnny-marr |access-date=11 January 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=30 January 2018}}</ref> Marr described Rourke's contribution to that album as "something no other bass player could match", and the heavy bassline on the [[The Queen Is Dead (song)|title track]] as one of the best he had heard.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kemp |first1=Sam |title=The Story Behind The Song: How The Smiths created 'The Queen Is Dead' |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-smiths-the-queen-is-dead-story/ |access-date=21 May 2023 |work=Far Out |date=8 September 2022}}</ref> Rourke played [[cello]] on several Smiths tracks, including "[[Shakespeare's Sister (song)|Shakespeare's Sister]]",<ref>{{cite news |title=Every Song by The Smiths Ranked From Worst to Best |url=https://consequence.net/2022/05/the-smiths-songs-ranked-list/8/ |access-date=29 June 2023 |work=[[Consequence of Sound]] |date=20 May 2022}}</ref> "Rubber Ring",<ref name=dig/> "Oscillate Wildly"<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zuel |first1=Bernard |title=A shot across the bow |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/a-shot-across-the-bow-20121228-2byjb.html |access-date=29 June 2023 |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=29 December 2012}}</ref> and the [[Troy Tate]] version of "Pretty Girls Make Graves".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Catchpole |first1=Chris |title=The Smiths' 50 Greatest Songs Ranked! |url=https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/the-mojo-list/the-50-greatest-smiths-songs-ranked/ |access-date=29 June 2023 |work=Mojo |date=19 May 2023}}</ref> The Smiths released their fourth and final studio album ''[[Strangeways, Here We Come]]'', in 1987 to critical acclaim, and broke up soon after.<ref name="nme">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/features/music-features/andy-rourke-the-smiths-bassist-obituary-3445484|title=Andy Rourke, 1964 – 2023: The Smiths bassist was a key thread in their rich tapestry|first=Mark|last=Beaumont|website=[[NME]] |date=19 May 2023|accessdate=19 May 2023}}</ref>

⚫
Rourke and drummer [[Mike Joyce (musician)|Mike Joyce]] started legal proceedings against Morrissey and Marr over [[Royalty payment|royalties]]. Short on money due to his heroin addiction, Rourke settled out of court for £83,000 and 10% of future royalties while relinquishing all further claims; Joyce pursued the claim until 1996 and was awarded substantially more in court.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Garner |first1=Clare |title=Devious, truculent and unreliable |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/devious-truculent-and-unreliable-1314122.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/devious-truculent-and-unreliable-1314122.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=11 January 2022 |work=The Independent |date=12 December 1996}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Having spent the settlement, Rourke later found himself being declared [[bankruptcy in the United Kingdom|bankrupt]] following a petition of the [[HM Revenue and Customs|Inland Revenue]] in 1999.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The London Gazette |journal=The London Gazette |date=4 February 1999 |page=1363 |url=http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/55394/pages/1363/page.pdf |access-date=16 February 2014}}</ref>

=== Post-Smiths ===

==== 1990s ====
[[File:Andy Rourke.jpg|thumb|right|Rourke in 1994]]
Soon after the break-up of the Smiths, Rourke and Joyce played with [[Sinéad O'Connor]]. Rourke appears on her second studio album ''[[I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got]]'' (1990).<ref name="soc">{{cite news |last1=Heller |first1=Jason |title=Sinéad O'Connor got what she didn't want: mainstream acceptance |url=https://www.avclub.com/sinead-o-connor-got-what-she-didn-t-want-mainstream-ac-1798266078 |access-date=19 May 2023 |work=The A.V. Club |date=4 February 2014}}</ref><ref name="DS">Simpson, Dave. "[https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/may/19/andy-rourke-obituary Andy Rourke obituary]". ''The Guardian'', 19 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023</ref> With Craig Gannon, he provided the rhythm section for two singles by Smiths vocalist Morrissey – "[[Interesting Drug]]" and "[[The Last of the Famous International Playboys]]" (both 1989). Rourke also played bass guitar on Morrissey's "[[November Spawned a Monster]]" and "[[Piccadilly Palare]]" (both 1990)<ref name=dig/> and composed the music for Morrissey's songs "Yes, I Am Blind" (the B-side of "[[Ouija Board, Ouija Board]]", 1989); "Girl Least Likely To" (a B-side on the 12-inch single of "November Spawned a Monster"; also released as a bonus track on the 1997 reissue of ''[[Viva Hate]]''); and "Get Off the Stage" (the B-side of "Piccadilly Palare").<ref name=mojo>{{cite news |last1=Stokes |first1=Paul |title="The Smiths Were A Gang. A Band Of Brothers…" Andy Rourke Interviewed |url=https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/stories/andy-rourke-interviewed/ |access-date=21 May 2023 |work=Mojo |date=19 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Goddard |first1=Simon |title=Mozipedia: The Encyclopaedia of Morrissey and the Smiths |date=2012 |publisher=Ebury Publishing |isbn=978-0-09-192710-3 |page=143 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O3pEsVdZWUoC&dq=%22get+off+the+stage%22+morrissey+rourke&pg=PA143 |access-date=21 May 2023}}</ref><ref name="nme" />

In 1994, he worked as a session bassist with [[the Pretenders]], appearing on six tracks on ''[[Last of the Independents]],''<ref name="petridis" /> as well as working with [[Killing Joke]],<ref name="petridis" /> [[Badly Drawn Boy]] (with whom Rourke toured for two years),<ref>{{cite web |last1=Breathnach |first1=Cillian |title=Smiths bassist Andy Rourke has died aged 59 |url=https://guitar.com/news/music-news/smiths-bassist-andy-rourke-dies-aged-59/ |website=Guitar.com |access-date=22 May 2023 |date=19 May 2023}}</ref> [[Aziz Ibrahim]] (formerly of [[the Stone Roses]])<ref>{{cite web |title=AZIZ: YOU LIKE IT? |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-smiths-108-1392114 |website=NME.com |access-date=22 May 2023 |date=28 February 1999 |quote=Joyce explained that the band formed when Andy Rourke started working with Ibrahim.}}</ref> and ex-[[Oasis (band)|Oasis]] guitarist [[Paul Arthurs|Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs]] as Moondog One, which also included former Smiths members Joyce and Gannon.<ref name="nme" /> Rourke also played bass guitar for [[Ian Brown]], both on tour and on Brown's fifth solo studio album, ''[[The World Is Yours (Ian Brown album)|The World Is Yours]]'' (2007).<ref name=brown/>

==== 2000s ====
⚫
Rourke formed [[Freebass]] with bassists [[Mani (musician)|Mani]] (ex-Stone Roses) and [[Peter Hook]] (ex-[[New Order (band)|New Order]]) in 2007 and remained active in the group until August 2010. Early in 2009, he moved to New York City, where he had a programme on [[East Village Radio]]<ref name="auto" /> and worked as a club DJ with Olé Koretsky under the name Jetlag. This led to Rourke and Koretsky forming the alternative rock band [[D.A.R.K. (band)|D.A.R.K.]] with [[Dolores O'Riordan]], lead vocalist with [[the Cranberries]].<ref>{{cite web |first1=Matthew |last1=Strauss |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/64388-members-of-the-smiths-the-cranberries-form-new-band-dark-share-curvy/ |title=Members of the Smiths, the Cranberries Form New Band D.A.R.K., Share "Curvy" |website=Pitchfork |date=26 March 2016 |access-date=7 February 2019}}</ref> The trio released their debut studio album, ''[[Science Agrees]]'', in 2016,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2016/09/cranberriessmiths-supergroup-d-a-r-k-share-gothic-club-track-the-moon-listen/ |work=[[Consequence of Sound]] |title=Cranberries/Smiths supergroup D.A.R.K. share gothic club track 'The Moon' |first=Alex |last=Galbraith |date=6 September 2016 |access-date=21 May 2017}}</ref> through the independent label [[Cooking Vinyl]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-09-06 |title=Cranberries/Smiths supergroup D.A.R.K. share gothic club track "The Moon" — listen |url=https://consequence.net/2016/09/cranberriessmiths-supergroup-d-a-r-k-share-gothic-club-track-the-moon-listen/ |access-date=2023-12-27 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2016, Rourke appeared on the cover of [[Bass Guitar (magazine)|''Bass Guitar'']].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-08-30 |title=Andy Rourke on Bass Guitar Magazine |url=http://www.andyrourke.com/blog/2016/8/30/andy-rourke-on-bass-guitar-magazine |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=Andy Rourke |language=en-US}}</ref>

In January 2018, it was announced that Rourke, Joyce and Gannon would take part in Classically Smiths, a series of classical music concerts based on the Smiths' discography, with the [[Manchester Camerata]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Snapes |first1=Laura |title=The Smiths partially reunite for classical concerts |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jan/22/the-smiths-partially-reunite-for-classical-concerts |access-date=21 May 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=22 January 2018}}</ref> Rourke released a statement, saying that he had never agreed to take part in the event; Joyce and Gannon subsequently withdrew and the events were cancelled.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Barnett |first1=David |title=I started something I couldn't finish: the Smiths reunion that wasn't |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jan/30/the-smiths-reunion-mike-joyce-craig-gannon-morrissey-johnny-marr |access-date=21 May 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=30 January 2018}}</ref>

After the death of O'Riordan, Rourke formed [[Blitz Vega]]<ref>{{cite news |date=21 April 2019 |title=The Smiths bassist Andy Rourke lanches new band Blitz Vega |work=Gigwise |url=https://www.music-news.com/news/Underground/121332/The-Smiths-bassist-Andy-Rourke-lanches-new-band-Blitz-Vega |access-date=19 May 2023}}</ref> with guitarist and vocalist [[Kav Sandhu]], formerly of [[Happy Mondays]]. Their first single, "Hey Christo", was released in 2019.


Also in 2019, Blitz Vega recorded a live EP at [[Abbey Road Studios]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Smiths bassist Andy Rourke lanches new band Blitz Vega |url=https://www.music-news.com/news/Underground/121332/The-Smiths-bassist-Andy-Rourke-lanches-new-band-Blitz-Vega |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=Music-News.com |language=en-US}}</ref> and featured on [[Red Stripe]] Presents: This Feeling TV presented by [[Laura Whitmore]] and [[Gordon Smart]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Check Out The Episode Nine Of 'This Feeling' TV featuring The Smiths Bassist Andy Rourke’s New Band 'Blitz Vega' And More |url=http://www.stopcryingyourheartout.co.uk/2019/05/check-out-episode-nine-of-this-feeling.html |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=Latest Oasis, Liam And Noel Gallagher News STOPCRYINGYOURHEARTOUT.COM}}</ref> In 2022, Blitz Vega released the single "Strong Forever", featuring Johnny Marr as their guest guitarist.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Grow |first=Kory |date=17 November 2022 |title=Hear the Smiths' Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke Reunite for First New Song in 35 Years |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-smiths-johnny-marr-andy-rourke-new-song-blitz-vega-1234631760/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |access-date=11 December 2022}}</ref>
Rourke also played and recorded with [[the Pretenders]]<ref name="musicradar.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.musicradar.com/bass |title=Bass guitar news, reviews and tutorials |website=MusicRadar |access-date=7 February 2019}}</ref> (appearing on some of the tracks on 1994's ''[[Last of the Independents]]''); [[Killing Joke]], [[Badly Drawn Boy]] (with whom Rourke toured for two years), [[Aziz Ibrahim]] (formerly of [[the Stone Roses]]), and ex-[[Oasis (band)|Oasis]] guitarist [[Paul Arthurs|Bonehead]] as [[Moondog One]], which also included Mike Joyce and Craig Gannon. Rourke also played bass for [[Ian Brown]], both on tour and on Brown's album ''[[The World Is Yours (Ian Brown album)|The World Is Yours]]''.


== Personal life ==
⚫
Rourke and Joyce started legal proceedings against Morrissey and Marr over royalties. Short on money due to his heroin addiction, Rourke settled out of court for £83,000 and 10% of future royalties while relinquishing all further claims; Joyce pursued the claim until 1996 and was awarded substantially more in court.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Garner |first1=Clare |title=Devious, truculent and unreliable |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/devious-truculent-and-unreliable-1314122.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/devious-truculent-and-unreliable-1314122.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=11 January 2022 |work=The Independent |date=12 December 1996}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Having spent the settlement, Rourke later found himself being declared [[bankruptcy in the United Kingdom|bankrupt]] following a petition of the [[HM Revenue and Customs|Inland Revenue]] on 25 January 1999.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The London Gazette |journal=The London Gazette |date=4 February 1999 |page=1363 |url=http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/55394/pages/1363/page.pdf |access-date=16 February 2014}}</ref>
Rourke moved to New York City in early 2009, where he remained until his death. In 2012, he married Francesca Mor.<ref name="The Guardian - Obit" />


=== Versus Cancer ===
Rourke, his then-manager Nova Rehman, his production company, Great Northern Productions, and others organised [[Manchester v Cancer]], a series of concerts to benefit cancer research, later known simply as [[Versus Cancer]]. The initiative was prompted when Rehman's father and sister were diagnosed with the disease. The first Manchester v Cancer concert took place in January 2006. It featured a reunion between Rourke and his former Smiths bandmate Johnny Marr, who performed one song together. The second Manchester v Cancer concert took place in March 2007. Rourke performed with former Oasis guitarist Bonehead's band Elektrik Milk. Rourke was less involved in organising the third concert in February 2008 or the fourth in December 2009.
Rourke, his then-manager Nova Rehman, his production company, Great Northern Productions, and others organised [[Manchester v Cancer]], a series of concerts to benefit cancer research, later known simply as [[Versus Cancer]]. The initiative was prompted when Rehman's father and sister were diagnosed with the disease. The first Manchester v Cancer concert took place in January 2006. It featured a reunion between Rourke and his former Smiths bandmate [[Johnny Marr]], who performed one song together.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ando |first1=Jeff |date=29 January 2006 |title=Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke reunite |work=Gigwise |url=https://gigwise.com/news/12893/ |access-date=19 May 2023}}</ref> He organised further concerts in the three following years.<ref>{{cite news |date=30 March 2017 |title=Versus Cancer wows crowds |work=Manchester Evening News |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/music/versus-cancer-wows-crowds-986359 |access-date=19 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=30 November 2007 |title=Versus Cancer in 2008 return |work=Manchester Evening News |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/music/versus-cancer-in-2008-return-1011826 |access-date=19 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=6 November 2009 |title=Happy Mondays Latest Act Added to Versus Cancer Charity Gig |work=Live4Ever |url=https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2009/11/happy-mondays-latest-act-added-to-versus-cancer-charity-gig/ |access-date=19 May 2023}}</ref>


==Death==
⚫
Rourke formed [[Freebass]] with bass players [[Gary Mounfield|Mani]] (ex-the Stone Roses) and [[Peter Hook]] (ex-[[New Order (band)|New Order]]) in 2007 and remained active in the group until August 2010. Early in 2009, he moved to New York City,<ref>[http://jetlagnyc.blogspot.com.au/search/label/info "About JetLag"], ''Jetlag''. Retrieved 10 January 2012.</ref> where he had a programme on [[East Village Radio]]<ref name="auto"/> and worked as a club DJ with Olé Koretsky under the name Jetlag. This led to Rourke and Koretsky forming the band [[D.A.R.K.]] with singer [[Dolores O'Riordan]] from [[The Cranberries]].<ref name="official_website">{{cite web |url=http://jetlagnyc.blogspot.com/search/label/info |title=About D.A.R.K.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/64388-members-of-the-smiths-the-cranberries-form-new-band-dark-share-curvy/ |title=Members of the Smiths, the Cranberries Form New Band D.A.R.K., Share "Curvy" |website=Pitchfork |date=26 March 2016 |access-date=7 February 2019}}</ref> The trio released their debut album, ''Science Agrees'' on 9 September 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2016/09/cranberriessmiths-supergroup-d-a-r-k-share-gothic-club-track-the-moon-listen/ |work=[[Consequence of Sound]] |title=Cranberries/Smiths supergroup D.A.R.K. share gothic club track 'The Moon' |first=Alex |last=Galbraith |date=6 September 2016 |access-date=21 May 2017}}</ref>
⚫
On the morning of 19 May 2023, Rourke died from a "lengthy" battle with [[pancreatic cancer]] at [[Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center]] in [[New York City]]. He was 59.<ref name="The Guardian - Obit" /><ref name="Telegraph Obituaries" /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Blakey |first1=Ashlie |title=The Smiths bassist Andy Rourke dies after battle with pancreatic cancer |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/smiths-bassist-andy-rourke-dies-26946016 |access-date=19 May 2023 |work=Manchester Evening News |date=19 May 2023}}</ref><ref name="Marshall 2023">{{cite news |last1=Marshall |first1=Alex |title=Andy Rourke, Bassist for the Smiths, Dies at 59 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/19/arts/music/andy-rourke-the-smiths-dead.html |access-date=19 May 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=19 May 2023}}</ref>


All three of Rourke's former Smiths bandmates paid tribute to him, with Morrissey writing: "He didn't ever know his own power, and nothing that he played had been played by someone else. His distinction was so terrific and unconventional and he proved it could be done...I suppose, at the end of it all, we hope to feel that we were valued. Andy need not worry about that."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Skinner |first=Tom |date=2023-05-19 |title=Morrissey remembers The Smiths' Andy Rourke: "He will never die as long as his music is heard" |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/morrissey-remembers-the-smiths-andy-rourke-he-will-never-die-as-long-as-his-music-is-heard-3445637 |access-date=2023-07-27 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref> Johnny Marr describing Rourke as a "beautiful soul by those who knew him and as a supremely gifted musician by music fans",<ref name=":0" /> as well as speaking about the early days of their friendship: "We were best friends, going everywhere together [...] When we were fifteen I moved into his house with him and his three brothers and I soon came to realise that my mate was one of those rare people that absolutely no one doesn't like."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Blistein |first=Emily Zemler,Jon |last2=Zemler |first2=Emily |last3=Blistein |first3=Jon |date=2023-05-19 |title=Smiths Bassist Andy Rourke Dies at 59 After Battle With Cancer |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-smith-andy-rourke-obituary-1234738244/ |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref>
⚫
Rourke died from pancreatic cancer on 19 May 2023, at the age of 59.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Blakey |first1=Ashlie |title=The Smiths bassist Andy Rourke dies after battle with pancreatic cancer |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/smiths-bassist-andy-rourke-dies-26946016 |access-date=19 May 2023 |publisher=Manchester Evening News |date=19 May 2023}}</ref>


==Equipment==
==Equipment==
Throughout his career, Rourke used a [[Fender Precision Bass]],<ref name="MusicRadar 2017 interview">{{cite web |last1=Puttick |first1=Kate |title=Andy Rourke on D.A.R.K, pre-show nerves, the bass he can't live without and more |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/andy-rourke-on-dark-pre-show-nerves-the-bass-he-cant-live-without-and-more |website=MusicRadar.com |access-date=22 May 2023 |language=en |date=21 February 2017 |quote=That would be my 1964 [[Fender Precision Bass|P Bass]] I bought it in New York in 1982, it's been with me ever since.}}</ref> <!--[[Squier|Squier Precision Bass]] {{cn}}--> a [[Fender Jazz Bass]], a Yamaha BB3000 bass and others.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McIver |first1=Joel |title=Andy Rourke: "If I wasn't eating or in the bath, I had a bass in my hand. I played it constantly" |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/andy-rourke-bass-cover-interview |website=[[Guitar World]] |access-date=22 May 2023 |language=en |date=19 May 2023}}</ref>
Throughout his career, Rourke used a [[Fender Precision Bass]], [[Squier|Squier Precision Bass]], [[Fender Jazz Bass]],<ref name="musicradar.com"/> and a [[Yamaha Corporation|Yamaha BB2000]]; for amplification, he used [[Peavey Electronics|Peavey Mark III Head]] with [[Ampeg|Ampeg SVT cabinet]] and [[Trace Elliot|Trace Elliot GP-11]].


==Discography==
==Discography==

===The Smiths===
===The Smiths===
{{main article|The Smiths discography}}
{{main article|The Smiths discography}}
Line 53: Line 82:
===Morrissey===
===Morrissey===
'''Singles'''
'''Singles'''
* "[[Piccadilly Palare]]"<ref>{{cite news |title=Single Stories: Morrissey, "Piccadilly Palare" |url=https://www.rhino.com/article/single-stories-morrissey-piccadilly-palare |access-date=19 May 2023 |work=Rhino |date=9 October 2018}}</ref>
*"[[Piccadilly Palare]]"
* "[[Interesting Drug]]"<ref name=dig>{{cite news |last1=York |first1=Alan |title=Best Andy Rourke Basslines: 10 Classics From The Smiths and beyond |url=https://www.thisisdig.com/feature/best-andy-rourke-basslines/ |access-date=19 May 2023 |work=Dig! |date=19 May 2023}}</ref>
*"[[Interesting Drug]]"
*"[[November Spawned a Monster]]"
* "[[November Spawned a Monster]]"<ref name=dig/>
*"[[The Last of the Famous International Playboys]]"
* "[[The Last of the Famous International Playboys]]"<ref name=dig/>


'''Albums'''
'''Albums'''
* ''[[Bona Drag]]'' (1990)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Plagenhoef |first1=Scott |title=Bona Drag [20th Anniversary Edition] |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14737-bona-drag-20th-anniversary-edition/ |access-date=19 May 2023 |work=Pitchfork |date=15 October 2010}}</ref>
* ''[[Bona Drag]]'' (1990)


===FreeBass===
===Freebass===
'''Singles'''
'''Singles'''
*"Live Tomorrow You Go Down" – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station
* "Live Tomorrow You Go Down" – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station<ref>{{cite web |title=Live Tomorrow You Go Down – Freebass |url=https://24hourdistribution.com/release/live-tomorrow-freebass/ |publisher=24 Hour Distribution |access-date=21 May 2023}}</ref>


'''EPs'''
'''EPs'''
*Two Worlds Collide – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station
* ''Two Worlds Collide'' – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station<ref>{{cite web |title=Two Worlds Collide |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/two-worlds-collide-mw0001999186 |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=21 May 2023}}</ref>
*You Don't Know This About Me (The Artur Baker Remixes) – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station
* ''You Don't Know This About Me (The Arthur Baker Remixes)'' – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ramirez |first1=AJ |title=Freebass: You Don't Know This About Me The Arthur Baker Remixes EP |url=https://www.popmatters.com/131139-freebass-you-dont-know-this-about-me-the-arthur-baker-remixes-ep-2496137554.html |access-date=21 May 2023 |work=Pop Matters |date=1 October 2010}}</ref>
*Fritz von Runte vs Freebass Redesign – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station
* ''Fritz von Runte vs Freebass Redesign'' – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station<ref>{{cite web |title=Freebass Redesign EP – Fritz von Runte |url=https://24hourdistribution.com/release/freebass-redesign-ep-fritz-von-runte/ |publisher=24 Hour Distribution |access-date=21 May 2023}}</ref>
*Two Worlds Collide (The Instrumental Mixes) – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station
* ''Two Worlds Collide (The Instrumental Mixes)'' – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station<ref>{{cite web |title=Two Worlds Collide – The Instrumental Mixes – Freebass |url=https://24hourdistribution.com/release/worlds-collide-ep-instrumental-mixes-freebass/ |publisher=24 Hour Distribution |access-date=21 May 2023}}</ref>


'''Albums'''
'''Albums'''
*''[[It's a Beautiful Life (album)|It's a Beautiful Life]]'' – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station / Essential
* ''[[It's a Beautiful Life (album)|It's a Beautiful Life]]'' – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station / Essential<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bergstrom |first1=John |title=Freebass: It's a Beautiful Life |url=https://www.popmatters.com/136031-freebass-its-a-beautiful-life-2496087439.html |access-date=21 May 2023 |work=Pop Matters |date=23 January 2011}}</ref>


===D.A.R.K.===
===D.A.R.K.===
*''[[Science Agrees]]'' (2016)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Healy |first1=Pat |title=Science Agrees |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21989-science-agrees/ |access-date=19 May 2023 |work=Pitchfork |date=3 September 2016}}</ref>
*''Science Agrees'' (2016)


===Sinéad O'Connor===
===Sinéad O'Connor===
*''[[I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got]]'' (1990)
'''Albums'''
* ''[[I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got]]'' (1990)<ref name="soc" />
'''Singles'''

* "[[The Emperor's New Clothes (song)|The Emperor's New Clothes]]" (1990)


===The Pretenders===
===The Pretenders===
'''Albums'''
*''[[Last of the Independents]]'' (1994)
* ''[[Last of the Independents]]'' (1994)<ref>{{cite news |last1=York |first1=Alan |title=Last Of The Independents: How Pretenders Roared Back Into Battle |url=https://www.thisisdig.com/feature/last-of-the-independents-pretenders-album/ |access-date=19 May 2023 |work=Dig! |date=9 May 2021}}</ref>
'''Singles'''

* "[[I'll Stand by You]]" (1994)
* "Night in My Veins" (1994)
* "997" (1994)
* "Money Talk" (1994)


===Ian Brown===
===Ian Brown===
*''[[The World Is Yours (Ian Brown album)|The World Is Yours]]'' (2007)
* ''[[The World Is Yours (Ian Brown album)|The World Is Yours]]'' (2007)<ref name=brown>{{cite news |title=Ian Brown: 'The World Is Yours' |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-nme-9020-341149 |access-date=19 May 2023 |work=NME |date=27 September 2007}}</ref>

=== Blitz Vega ===

* "Hey Christo" (2019)
* "Lost & Found" (2019)
* "LA Vampire" (2019)
* "Strong Vampire" (2022)


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
* Middles, Mick. ''The Smiths: The Complete Story''. Omnibus 1985, 1988
* [[Johnny Rogan]]. ''Morrissey and Marr: The Severed Alliance''. Omnibus 1992, 1993. {{ISBN|0-7119-3000-7}})


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.andyrourke.com Official website]
* [http://www.andyrourke.com Official website]
* {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000045842}}
* {{discogs artist}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0974547}}
* [http://www.versuscancer.org ''Versus Cancer'']
* [http://www.versuscancer.org ''Versus Cancer'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050524205026/http://foreverill.com/bass.htm ''Forever Ill'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050524205026/http://foreverill.com/bass.htm ''Forever Ill'']
* [http://www.pretenders.org.uk ''Pretenders 977 Radio'']
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tMMOZKC9Og "Andy Rourke Interview"] ''YouTube''.
* [http://www.vulgarpicture.com Vulgar Picture]
* {{NPG name|id=09991}}
* {{NPG name|id=09991}}


Line 105: Line 156:
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
⚫
[[Category:20th-century British guitarists]]
[[Category:21st-century British guitarists]]
[[Category:24 Hour Service Station artists]]
[[Category:24 Hour Service Station artists]]
[[Category:British alternative rock musicians]]
[[Category:British indie pop musicians]]
[[Category:British indie pop musicians]]
[[Category:British indie rock musicians]]
[[Category:British indie rock musicians]]
[[Category:British alternative rock musicians]]
[[Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer in New York (state)]]
[[Category:The Adult Net members]]
[[Category:English cellists]]
[[Category:British people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:English expatriate musicians in the United States]]
[[Category:English people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:English rock bass guitarists]]
[[Category:English rock bass guitarists]]
⚫
[[Category:Male bass guitarists]]
[[Category:English rock guitarists]]
[[Category:English rock guitarists]]
⚫
[[Category:Freebass members]]
[[Category:British male bass guitarists]]
[[Category:Musicians from Manchester]]
[[Category:Musicians from Manchester]]
[[Category:The Adult Net members]]
[[Category:The Pretenders members]]
[[Category:The Pretenders members]]
[[Category:The Smiths members]]
[[Category:The Smiths members]]
⚫
[[Category:Freebass members]]

Latest revision as of 03:11, 10 September 2024

Andy Rourke
Rourke in 2005
Rourke in 2005
Background information
Birth nameAndrew Michael Rourke
Born(1964-01-17)17 January 1964
Manchester, England
Died19 May 2023(2023-05-19) (aged 59)
New York City, U.S.
Genres
OccupationMusician
Instruments
  • Bass guitar
  • guitar
  • cello
Labels
Formerly of
Spouse
Francesca Mor
​
(m. 2012)​
[1]
WebsiteOfficial website

Andrew Michael Rourke (17 January 1964 – 19 May 2023) was an English musician best known as the bassist of the 1980s indie rock band the Smiths. Regarded as one of the greatest bassists of his generation, he was known for his melodic and funk-inspired approach to bass playing.[2][3]

Rourke joined the Smiths after their first gig, having known guitarist Johnny Marr since secondary school, and played on their entire discography. After the group broke up in 1987, he performed on some of lead vocalist Morrissey's early solo releases. Rourke recorded with Sinéad O'Connor and the Pretenders in the early 1990s, and was a member of the supergroup Freebass and the band D.A.R.K., and later Blitz Vega with Kav Sandhu. He organised the Versus Cancer concerts from 2006 to 2009.

Early life

[edit]

Rourke was born in Manchester, Lancashire, in 1964,[1][4] and grew up on the Racecourse Estate in Ashton upon Mersey. His Irish father, Michael, worked as an architect;[5] his mother, Mary (nee Stone),[5] was English.[6] He was raised by his father in Ashton-upon-Mersey, and later Sharston, after his mother separated from him and left the family home.[7][8]

He received an acoustic guitar from his parents when he was seven years old. At the age of 11, he befriended a young John Maher (soon to be Johnny Marr) with whom he shared an interest in music: both attended St Augustine's Grammar School in Sharston. The pair spent lunch breaks in school jamming and playing on their guitars. When Marr and Rourke formed a band, Rourke switched to bass, which he fell in love with and continued to play for the rest of his career.[9]

Rourke left school when he was 15[10] and passed through a series of menial jobs, playing guitar and bass in various rock bands, as well as in the short-lived funk band Freak Party, with Marr.[11]

Career

[edit]

The Smiths

[edit]
Main article: The Smiths
Rourke (furthest left) with the Smiths in 1985

Marr later teamed up with Morrissey to form the Smiths. Rourke joined the band after its first gig in 1982, when Marr fired original bass player Dale Hibbert, and remained through the rest of its existence.[12] The band's second studio album, Meat Is Murder, featured the track "Barbarism Begins at Home", a seven-minute funk-inspired track regarded by several critics as one of Rourke's greatest contributions.[13][12][14] He was also praised for rockabilly-inspired basslines on the tracks "Rusholme Ruffians" and "Nowhere Fast".[12][15] Some of Rourke's other noted performances include "This Charming Man" and "How Soon Is Now?".[14][16]

Suffering from heroin addiction,[17] Rourke was arrested for drug possession and sacked from the band in early 1986, via a handwritten note left on his car windscreen by Morrissey.[18] Experienced session musician Guy Pratt was brought in as a replacement and found Rourke's compositions difficult to learn; he was relieved when Rourke was restored two weeks later, having been cleared to tour the United States.[12] Just after Rourke's reinstatement, the Smiths released their third studio album, The Queen Is Dead. In his absence, second guitarist Craig Gannon joined the band.[19] Marr described Rourke's contribution to that album as "something no other bass player could match", and the heavy bassline on the title track as one of the best he had heard.[20] Rourke played cello on several Smiths tracks, including "Shakespeare's Sister",[21] "Rubber Ring",[15] "Oscillate Wildly"[22] and the Troy Tate version of "Pretty Girls Make Graves".[23] The Smiths released their fourth and final studio album Strangeways, Here We Come, in 1987 to critical acclaim, and broke up soon after.[24]

Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce started legal proceedings against Morrissey and Marr over royalties. Short on money due to his heroin addiction, Rourke settled out of court for £83,000 and 10% of future royalties while relinquishing all further claims; Joyce pursued the claim until 1996 and was awarded substantially more in court.[25] Having spent the settlement, Rourke later found himself being declared bankrupt following a petition of the Inland Revenue in 1999.[26]

Post-Smiths

[edit]

1990s

[edit]
Rourke in 1994

Soon after the break-up of the Smiths, Rourke and Joyce played with Sinéad O'Connor. Rourke appears on her second studio album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got (1990).[27][28] With Craig Gannon, he provided the rhythm section for two singles by Smiths vocalist Morrissey – "Interesting Drug" and "The Last of the Famous International Playboys" (both 1989). Rourke also played bass guitar on Morrissey's "November Spawned a Monster" and "Piccadilly Palare" (both 1990)[15] and composed the music for Morrissey's songs "Yes, I Am Blind" (the B-side of "Ouija Board, Ouija Board", 1989); "Girl Least Likely To" (a B-side on the 12-inch single of "November Spawned a Monster"; also released as a bonus track on the 1997 reissue of Viva Hate); and "Get Off the Stage" (the B-side of "Piccadilly Palare").[18][29][24]

In 1994, he worked as a session bassist with the Pretenders, appearing on six tracks on Last of the Independents,[12] as well as working with Killing Joke,[12] Badly Drawn Boy (with whom Rourke toured for two years),[30] Aziz Ibrahim (formerly of the Stone Roses)[31] and ex-Oasis guitarist Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs as Moondog One, which also included former Smiths members Joyce and Gannon.[24] Rourke also played bass guitar for Ian Brown, both on tour and on Brown's fifth solo studio album, The World Is Yours (2007).[32]

2000s

[edit]

Rourke formed Freebass with bassists Mani (ex-Stone Roses) and Peter Hook (ex-New Order) in 2007 and remained active in the group until August 2010. Early in 2009, he moved to New York City, where he had a programme on East Village Radio[10] and worked as a club DJ with Olé Koretsky under the name Jetlag. This led to Rourke and Koretsky forming the alternative rock band D.A.R.K. with Dolores O'Riordan, lead vocalist with the Cranberries.[33] The trio released their debut studio album, Science Agrees, in 2016,[34] through the independent label Cooking Vinyl.[35]

In 2016, Rourke appeared on the cover of Bass Guitar.[36]

In January 2018, it was announced that Rourke, Joyce and Gannon would take part in Classically Smiths, a series of classical music concerts based on the Smiths' discography, with the Manchester Camerata.[37] Rourke released a statement, saying that he had never agreed to take part in the event; Joyce and Gannon subsequently withdrew and the events were cancelled.[38]

After the death of O'Riordan, Rourke formed Blitz Vega[39] with guitarist and vocalist Kav Sandhu, formerly of Happy Mondays. Their first single, "Hey Christo", was released in 2019.

Also in 2019, Blitz Vega recorded a live EP at Abbey Road Studios[40] and featured on Red Stripe Presents: This Feeling TV presented by Laura Whitmore and Gordon Smart.[41] In 2022, Blitz Vega released the single "Strong Forever", featuring Johnny Marr as their guest guitarist.[42]

Personal life

[edit]

Rourke moved to New York City in early 2009, where he remained until his death. In 2012, he married Francesca Mor.[1]

Versus Cancer

[edit]

Rourke, his then-manager Nova Rehman, his production company, Great Northern Productions, and others organised Manchester v Cancer, a series of concerts to benefit cancer research, later known simply as Versus Cancer. The initiative was prompted when Rehman's father and sister were diagnosed with the disease. The first Manchester v Cancer concert took place in January 2006. It featured a reunion between Rourke and his former Smiths bandmate Johnny Marr, who performed one song together.[43] He organised further concerts in the three following years.[44][45][46]

Death

[edit]

On the morning of 19 May 2023, Rourke died from a "lengthy" battle with pancreatic cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He was 59.[1][4][47][48]

All three of Rourke's former Smiths bandmates paid tribute to him, with Morrissey writing: "He didn't ever know his own power, and nothing that he played had been played by someone else. His distinction was so terrific and unconventional and he proved it could be done...I suppose, at the end of it all, we hope to feel that we were valued. Andy need not worry about that."[49] Johnny Marr describing Rourke as a "beautiful soul by those who knew him and as a supremely gifted musician by music fans",[5] as well as speaking about the early days of their friendship: "We were best friends, going everywhere together [...] When we were fifteen I moved into his house with him and his three brothers and I soon came to realise that my mate was one of those rare people that absolutely no one doesn't like."[50]

Equipment

[edit]

Throughout his career, Rourke used a Fender Precision Bass,[51] a Fender Jazz Bass, a Yamaha BB3000 bass and others.[52]

Discography

[edit]

The Smiths

[edit]
Main article: The Smiths discography

Morrissey

[edit]

Singles

Albums

Freebass

[edit]

Singles

  • "Live Tomorrow You Go Down" – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station[55]

EPs

  • Two Worlds Collide – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station[56]
  • You Don't Know This About Me (The Arthur Baker Remixes) – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station[57]
  • Fritz von Runte vs Freebass Redesign – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station[58]
  • Two Worlds Collide (The Instrumental Mixes) – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station[59]

Albums

D.A.R.K.

[edit]

Sinéad O'Connor

[edit]

Albums

Singles

The Pretenders

[edit]

Albums

Singles

  • "I'll Stand by You" (1994)
  • "Night in My Veins" (1994)
  • "997" (1994)
  • "Money Talk" (1994)

Ian Brown

[edit]

Blitz Vega

[edit]
  • "Hey Christo" (2019)
  • "Lost & Found" (2019)
  • "LA Vampire" (2019)
  • "Strong Vampire" (2022)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Simpson, Dave (19 May 2023). "Andy Rourke obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  2. ^ Tomisich, David (15 July 2023). "The 10 most innovative indie bassists of all time". Mixdown Magazine. Retrieved 4 September 2023 – via www.mixdownmag.com.au.
  3. ^ Barker, Emily (24 July 2014). "40 Of The Greatest Bassists Of All Time – Picked By NME Readers". NME. Retrieved 4 September 2023 – via www.nme.com.
  4. ^ a b "Telegraph Obituaries – Andy Rourke, musician whose melodious bass-playing was a crucial component of the Smiths' sound". www.telegraph.co.uk. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "Andy Rourke obituary: A beautiful soul who created tunes within tunes". The Irish Times. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  6. ^ Power, Ed (19 May 2023). "Andy Rourke and The Smiths: The four Manchester-Irish friends who took on the world". The Irish Times. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  7. ^ Campbell, Sean (December 2002). "Second-Generation Irish Rock Musicians in England: Cultural Studies, Pop Journalism and Musical 'Roittes'" (PDF). ljmu.ac.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  8. ^ "Paddy English man". The Irish Times. 20 November 1999.
  9. ^ "Andy Rourke Interview", YouTube. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  10. ^ a b "Catching Up With Andy Rourke of The Smiths". HuffPost. 8 February 2011.
  11. ^ Simpson, Dave (23 January 2012). "How we made: Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce on the Smiths' first gig". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 February 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Petridis, Alexis (19 May 2023). "Andy Rourke was the other melodic genius in the Smiths: spry, funky and masterful". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 May 2023. […] on Barbarism Begins at Home, regularly held up as the greatest example of Rourke's playing in the Smiths' oeuvre, he plays writhingly funky slap bass […]
  13. ^ Fleischer, Norman (20 February 2014). "13 Essential tracks of The Smiths". Nothing but Hope and Passion. Retrieved 19 May 2023. It's the shining moment of bassist Andy Rourke who delivers his best work on this almost seven-minute long monster.
  14. ^ a b Garratt-Stanley, Fred (19 May 2023). "Take a look back at some of Andy Rourke's best ever basslines". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 19 May 2023. The song's thick slaps and rapid fingerwork showcased Rourke's unique talents expertly.
  15. ^ a b c d e f York, Alan (19 May 2023). "Best Andy Rourke Basslines: 10 Classics From The Smiths and beyond". Dig!. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  16. ^ Golsen, Tyler (19 May 2023). "Andy Rourke's isolated bass from The Smiths song 'This Charming Man' proves he was a genius". Far Out. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  17. ^ Moynihan, Michael (13 October 2013). "Andy Rourke Tells All". The Daily Beast.
  18. ^ a b Stokes, Paul (19 May 2023). ""The Smiths Were A Gang. A Band Of Brothers…" Andy Rourke Interviewed". Mojo. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  19. ^ Barnett, David (30 January 2018). "I started something I couldn't finish: the Smiths reunion that wasn't". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  20. ^ Kemp, Sam (8 September 2022). "The Story Behind The Song: How The Smiths created 'The Queen Is Dead'". Far Out. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  21. ^ "Every Song by The Smiths Ranked From Worst to Best". Consequence of Sound. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  22. ^ Zuel, Bernard (29 December 2012). "A shot across the bow". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  23. ^ Catchpole, Chris (19 May 2023). "The Smiths' 50 Greatest Songs Ranked!". Mojo. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  24. ^ a b c Beaumont, Mark (19 May 2023). "Andy Rourke, 1964 – 2023: The Smiths bassist was a key thread in their rich tapestry". NME. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  25. ^ Garner, Clare (12 December 1996). "Devious, truculent and unreliable". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  26. ^ "The London Gazette" (PDF). The London Gazette: 1363. 4 February 1999. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  27. ^ a b Heller, Jason (4 February 2014). "Sinéad O'Connor got what she didn't want: mainstream acceptance". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  28. ^ Simpson, Dave. "Andy Rourke obituary". The Guardian, 19 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023
  29. ^ Goddard, Simon (2012). Mozipedia: The Encyclopaedia of Morrissey and the Smiths. Ebury Publishing. p. 143. ISBN 978-0-09-192710-3. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  30. ^ Breathnach, Cillian (19 May 2023). "Smiths bassist Andy Rourke has died aged 59". Guitar.com. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  31. ^ "AZIZ: YOU LIKE IT?". NME.com. 28 February 1999. Retrieved 22 May 2023. Joyce explained that the band formed when Andy Rourke started working with Ibrahim.
  32. ^ a b "Ian Brown: 'The World Is Yours'". NME. 27 September 2007. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  33. ^ Strauss, Matthew (26 March 2016). "Members of the Smiths, the Cranberries Form New Band D.A.R.K., Share "Curvy"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  34. ^ Galbraith, Alex (6 September 2016). "Cranberries/Smiths supergroup D.A.R.K. share gothic club track 'The Moon'". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  35. ^ "Cranberries/Smiths supergroup D.A.R.K. share gothic club track "The Moon" — listen". 6 September 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  36. ^ "Andy Rourke on Bass Guitar Magazine". Andy Rourke. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  37. ^ Snapes, Laura (22 January 2018). "The Smiths partially reunite for classical concerts". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  38. ^ Barnett, David (30 January 2018). "I started something I couldn't finish: the Smiths reunion that wasn't". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  39. ^ "The Smiths bassist Andy Rourke lanches new band Blitz Vega". Gigwise. 21 April 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  40. ^ "The Smiths bassist Andy Rourke lanches new band Blitz Vega". Music-News.com. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  41. ^ "Check Out The Episode Nine Of 'This Feeling' TV featuring The Smiths Bassist Andy Rourke's New Band 'Blitz Vega' And More". Latest Oasis, Liam And Noel Gallagher News STOPCRYINGYOURHEARTOUT.COM. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  42. ^ Grow, Kory (17 November 2022). "Hear the Smiths' Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke Reunite for First New Song in 35 Years". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  43. ^ Ando, Jeff (29 January 2006). "Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke reunite". Gigwise. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  44. ^ "Versus Cancer wows crowds". Manchester Evening News. 30 March 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  45. ^ "Versus Cancer in 2008 return". Manchester Evening News. 30 November 2007. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  46. ^ "Happy Mondays Latest Act Added to Versus Cancer Charity Gig". Live4Ever. 6 November 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  47. ^ Blakey, Ashlie (19 May 2023). "The Smiths bassist Andy Rourke dies after battle with pancreatic cancer". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  48. ^ Marshall, Alex (19 May 2023). "Andy Rourke, Bassist for the Smiths, Dies at 59". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  49. ^ Skinner, Tom (19 May 2023). "Morrissey remembers The Smiths' Andy Rourke: "He will never die as long as his music is heard"". NME. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  50. ^ Blistein, Emily Zemler,Jon; Zemler, Emily; Blistein, Jon (19 May 2023). "Smiths Bassist Andy Rourke Dies at 59 After Battle With Cancer". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 27 December 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  51. ^ Puttick, Kate (21 February 2017). "Andy Rourke on D.A.R.K, pre-show nerves, the bass he can't live without and more". MusicRadar.com. Retrieved 22 May 2023. That would be my 1964 P Bass I bought it in New York in 1982, it's been with me ever since.
  52. ^ McIver, Joel (19 May 2023). "Andy Rourke: "If I wasn't eating or in the bath, I had a bass in my hand. I played it constantly"". Guitar World. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  53. ^ "Single Stories: Morrissey, "Piccadilly Palare"". Rhino. 9 October 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  54. ^ Plagenhoef, Scott (15 October 2010). "Bona Drag [20th Anniversary Edition]". Pitchfork. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  55. ^ "Live Tomorrow You Go Down – Freebass". 24 Hour Distribution. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  56. ^ "Two Worlds Collide". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  57. ^ Ramirez, AJ (1 October 2010). "Freebass: You Don't Know This About Me The Arthur Baker Remixes EP". Pop Matters. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  58. ^ "Freebass Redesign EP – Fritz von Runte". 24 Hour Distribution. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  59. ^ "Two Worlds Collide – The Instrumental Mixes – Freebass". 24 Hour Distribution. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  60. ^ Bergstrom, John (23 January 2011). "Freebass: It's a Beautiful Life". Pop Matters. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  61. ^ Healy, Pat (3 September 2016). "Science Agrees". Pitchfork. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  62. ^ York, Alan (9 May 2021). "Last Of The Independents: How Pretenders Roared Back Into Battle". Dig!. Retrieved 19 May 2023.

Sources

[edit]
  • Middles, Mick. The Smiths: The Complete Story. Omnibus 1985, 1988
  • Johnny Rogan. Morrissey and Marr: The Severed Alliance. Omnibus 1992, 1993. ISBN 0-7119-3000-7)
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Andy_Rourke&oldid=1244946129"