Bruce Thomas

For the actor, see Bruce Thomas (actor).
Bruce Thomas
Born (1948-08-14) 14 August 1948 (age 76)
Stockton-on-Tees, England
GenresRock
InstrumentBass guitar
Years active1977–present

Bruce Thomas (born 14 August 1948) is an English bass guitarist, best known as bassist for the Attractions;[1] the band formed in 1977 to back Elvis Costello in concert and on record.

In addition to his work with the Attractions, Thomas has recorded with Billy Bragg, John Wesley Harding, Suzanne Vega, and Tasmin Archer.

Thomas has also been a nonfiction writer for several decades, and is the author of Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit (1994), a biography of the renowned martial artist and movie star, and The Body of Time (and the Energies of Being), ISBN 0-14-019301-4 (1991), a short book about metaphysics. Rough Notes, published in 2015, is both a memoir of his time with The Attractions and a documentary history of the British music scene of the 1970s.[2]

Early life

Thomas attended Grangefield Grammar School in Stockton on Tees, and after leaving, worked as a trainee commercial-artist at the local Evening Gazette newspaper. Thomas was originally a harmonica player in local bands. He was in a band called The Tremors and switched to bass guitar when their bass player failed to appear one night.[3] Thomas eventually joined the Roadrunners (with Paul Rodgers and Micky Moody). After Rodgers switched from playing bass to being their up-front singer, the band changed their name to The Wildflowers, and in late 1966 decided to quit their respective day-jobs and move to London. After achieving little success, the band eventually split.[4]

Bands

Thomas remained in London, playing with the bands Bitter Sweet and Bodast in the late 1960s and recording with Quiver, the Sutherland Brothers, Moonrider and Al Stewart in the early 1970s.

His inventive and highly melodic bass work with Costello brought Thomas his greatest fame. Between 1977 and 1987, Elvis Costello & The Attractions released nine record albums, including This Year's Model (1978), Armed Forces (1979), Imperial Bedroom (1982), Punch the Clock (1983), and Blood & Chocolate (1986), and toured extensively.

During his tenure with the Attractions, Thomas used a wide variety of bass guitars. He at various times owned a selection of Fender Precisions, a Danelectro Longhorn[3] and a Wal bass.[5]

After Costello's initial split with the Attractions in 1987, Thomas recorded with such other artists as Billy Bragg, John Wesley Harding, and Suzanne Vega. In 1990, he released his first book The Big Wheel, a memoir in which the key characters are recognisable without ever being identified by name. Costello, for instance, is called "the singer." Apparently annoyed by his depiction in the book, Costello responded with the song "How To Be Dumb" on his album Mighty Like a Rose (1991).[6] Costello has described his relationship with Thomas during this period as "pretty non-existent".

Despite this estrangement, Costello was persuaded by co-producer Mitchell Froom to invite Thomas to play on the album Brutal Youth (1994). Thomas was featured on five tracks of the album.[7] The reunited Elvis Costello & the Attractions followed the album with a tour and another album All This Useless Beauty (1996). Toward the end of a second tour, Costello announced that he would be splitting with the group as soon as the tour was over. Elvis Costello & the Attractions played their final concert on 15 September 1996, in Nagoya, Japan.[8]

Costello has said in interviews with a variety of publications, including the Rocky Mountain News, that the old animosity between himself and Thomas returned. Costello said that Thomas deliberately sabotaged some songs onstage, which was the breaking point. The other two Attractions, Steve Nieve and Pete Thomas (no relation to Bruce), have continued to tour and record with Costello as The Imposters, with Davey Faragher, formerly of Cracker, on bass. Bruce Thomas has said that he simply lost interest in playing with Costello. In an interview Thomas stated "no reformation is ever going to come about under my initiative – or under any other circumstances I can foresee."[9]

Honours

In 2003, Thomas was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Elvis Costello and the Attractions.[10] Thomas appeared onstage with Costello to accept the honour, but they did not perform together. Thomas's book On the Road... Again, the sequel to The Big Wheel, was published that same year.

References

  1. ^ Palmer, Robert (2 February 1981). "Elvis Costello Shows Range and Consistency". New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
  2. ^ Thomas, Bruce (30 July 2015). Rough Notes: dancing about architecture. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1508919926.
  3. ^ a b "Bruce Thomas (Elvis Costello & the Attractions) RADIO INTERVIEW". Knowyourbassplayer.com. 15 January 2015.
  4. ^ "THE ROAD RUNNERS". Stanlaundon.com. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  5. ^ "1987 Bruce Thomas Interview - Elvis Costello Fan Forum". Elviscostello.info.
  6. ^ "Bruce Thomas - Uber Rock Interview Exclusive". Uberrock.co.uk. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Brutal Youth - Elvis Costello - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  8. ^ "Elvis in Tokyo; Plays Final (?) Gigs with Attractions". MTV. Archived from the original on 23 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Q & A with Bruce Thomas". Therebelmagazine.blogspot.co.uk. 24 March 2013.
  10. ^ "Inductees by Year (2003)". Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved 22 January 2011.

Read other articles:

NSRDC BQM-108

XBQM-108A adalah kendaraan udara tak berawak eksperimental VTOL yang dikembangkan oleh Angkatan Laut Amerika Serikat selama tahun 1970-an. Meskipun XBQM-108A berhasil melakukan tes penerbangan, proyek dibatalkan sebelum penerbangan dapat dilakukan. Referensi lbsSistem penggolongan peluru kendali dan drone trimatra Amerika Serikat tahun 19621–50 MGM-1 RIM-2 MIM-3 AIM-4 MGM-5 RGM-6 AIM-7/RIM-7 RIM-8 AIM-9 CIM-10 PGM-11 AGM-12 CGM-13/MGM-13 MIM-14 RGM-15 CGM-16 PGM-17 MGM-18 PGM-19 ADM-20 MGM...

 

Chai Ling

Chinese psychologist (born 1966) In this Chinese name, the family name is Chai. Not to be confused with Chai Jing. Chai Ling柴玲Chai Ling (2009)Born (1966-04-15) April 15, 1966 (age 57)Rizhao, Shandong, ChinaCitizenshipUnited StatesPeople's Republic of China (former)Alma materPeking UniversityBeijing Normal UniversityPrinceton University (MLA)Harvard Business School (MBA)Occupation(s)President and chief operating officer of JenzabarKnown forStudent leader during Tiananmen squ...

 

Angkatan Darat Kaukasus (Kekaisaran Rusia)

Para tentara Pasukan Kaukasus Rusia di hutan Sarkamisy Pasukan Kaukasus Rusia (Rusia: Кавказскaя армияcode: ru is deprecated ) pada Perang Dunia I adalah pasukan darat Rusia yang bertempur dalam Kampanye Kaukasus dan Kampanye Persia. Pasukan ini dikenal karena berhasil menimpakan kerugian besar terhadap pasukan Kesultanan Utsmaniyah pada Pertempuran Sarikamisy. Pasukan ini dikenal pula karena komposisi etnisnya yang amat beragam, terdiri atas satuan dari seluruh Kekaisaran Rusia...

United States license plate designs and serial formats

Layout of United States vehicle license plates Main article: Vehicle registration plates of the United States This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (June 2022) In the United States, the appearance of license plates is frequently chosen to contain symbols, colors, or slogans associated with the issuing jurisdiction, which are the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, the five inhabited U.S. territories, an...

 

Medenine Airfield

Medenine AirfieldNear: Medenine, Tunisia Medenine AirfieldLocation in TunisiaCoordinates33°20′59.45″N 010°26′32.72″E / 33.3498472°N 10.4424222°E / 33.3498472; 10.4424222Site informationOperator French Air Force Luftwaffe (National Socialist) Royal Air Force United States Army Air ForcesControlled byFrench Air Force (1935-1942)German Luftwaffe (1942-43)Royal Air Force (1943-45)Ninth Air Force (1943)Site historyIn use1938-45Battl...

 

Garett Bolles

American football player (born 1992) American football player Garett BollesBolles with the Broncos in 2017No. 72 – Denver BroncosPosition:Offensive tacklePersonal informationBorn: (1992-05-27) May 27, 1992 (age 31)Walnut Creek, California, U.S.Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)Weight:300 lb (136 kg)Career informationHigh school:Westlake(Saratoga Springs, Utah)College:Snow (2014–2015)Utah (2016)NFL draft:2017 / Round: 1 / Pick: 20Career history Denv...

尼古拉·雷日科夫

尼古拉·雷日科夫Николай Рыжков攝於2019年 俄羅斯聯邦委員會议员任期2003年9月17日—2023年9月25日选区别尔哥罗德州 俄羅斯国家杜马议员任期1995年12月17日—2003年9月17日选区别尔哥罗德州 苏联部長會議主席任期1985年9月27日—1991年1月14日总统米哈伊尔·谢尔盖耶维奇·戈尔巴乔夫前任尼古拉·亚历山德罗维奇·吉洪诺夫继任瓦连京·谢尔盖耶维奇·帕夫洛夫（总�...

 

约翰斯顿环礁

此條目可参照英語維基百科相應條目来扩充。 (2021年5月6日)若您熟悉来源语言和主题，请协助参考外语维基百科扩充条目。请勿直接提交机械翻译，也不要翻译不可靠、低品质内容。依版权协议，译文需在编辑摘要注明来源，或于讨论页顶部标记{{Translated page}}标签。 约翰斯顿环礁Kalama Atoll 美國本土外小島嶼 Johnston Atoll 旗幟颂歌：《星條旗》The Star-Spangled Banner約翰斯頓環礁�...

 

Stolen Kisses

1968 film by François Truffaut For other uses, see Stolen Kisses (disambiguation). Stolen KissesTheatrical release posterFrenchBaisers volés Directed byFrançois TruffautScreenplay by François Truffaut Claude de Givray Bernard Revon Based onCharactersby François TruffautMarcel MoussyProduced by François Truffaut Marcel Berbert Starring Jean-Pierre Léaud Delphine Seyrig Claude Jade Michael Lonsdale Harry-Max André Falcon Daniel Ceccaldi CinematographyDenys ClervalEdited byAgnès Guillem...

Constitution of the Soviet Union

Constitutions of the former Soviet UnionPolitics of the Soviet Union   Leadership Leaders President list Vice President Collective leadership State Council Presidential Council Communist Party Congress Central Committee History General Secretary Politburo Secretariat Orgburo Legislature Congress of Soviets Central Executive Committee Supreme Soviet Soviet of the Union Soviet of Nationalities Presidium Congress of People's Deputies Speaker 1989 Legislative election Governance Constitution...

 

Alaska Legislature

Legislative branch of the state government of Alaska This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources. Find sources: Alaska Legislature – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2013) (Learn how and whe...

 

Kompas

Indonesian daily newspaper published in Jakarta For the television network with the same name, see Kompas TV. This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Indonesian. (April 2014) Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a usef...

Ramanujan–Soldner constant

This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources.Find sources: Ramanujan–Soldner constant – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2024) Ramanujan–Soldner constant as seen on the logarithmic integral function. In mathematics, the Ramanujan–Soldner constant (also called the Soldner constant) is a...

 

1896 in the United States

List of events ← 1895 1894 1893 1896 in the United States → 1897 1898 1899 Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s See also: History of the United States (1865–1918) Timeline of United States history (1860–1899) List of years in the United States 1896 in the United States1896 in U.S. states States Alabama Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississ...

 

Süddeutsche Zeitung

German newspaper published in Munich This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. (March 2021) Süddeutsche ZeitungThe 20 May 2009 front pageTypeDaily newspaperFormatNordischOwner(s)Südwestdeutsche Medien Holding [de]EditorJudith WittwerFounded6 October 1945 (1945-10-06)Political alignmentProgressive-liberalism[1...

Cathédrale de Berlin

Si ce bandeau n'est plus pertinent, retirez-le. Cliquez ici pour en savoir plus. Cet article ne cite pas suffisamment ses sources (janvier 2017). Si vous disposez d'ouvrages ou d'articles de référence ou si vous connaissez des sites web de qualité traitant du thème abordé ici, merci de compléter l'article en donnant les références utiles à sa vérifiabilité et en les liant à la section « Notes et références ». En pratique : Quelles sources sont attendues ? C...

 

الرابطة التونسية المحترفة لكرة القدم للسيدات 2016–17

يفتقر محتوى هذه المقالة إلى الاستشهاد بمصادر. فضلاً، ساهم في تطوير هذه المقالة من خلال إضافة مصادر موثوق بها. أي معلومات غير موثقة يمكن التشكيك بها وإزالتها. (ديسمبر 2021) الرابطة التونسية المحترفة لكرة القدم للسيدات 2016–17 تفاصيل الموسم 2016–17 النسخة 12 البلد  تونس التاريخ 6 ن...

 

Karl XI dari Swedia

Charles XI dari Swedia pada pertempuran Lund tahn 1676. Charles XI (bahasa Swedia: Karl XI) (24 November 1655 – 5 April 1697) adalah raja Swedia dari tahun 1660 sampai kematiannya. Ia adalah satu-satunya anak dari Raja Karl X dari Swedia dan Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp. Referensi  Artikel ini menyertakan teks dari suatu terbitan yang sekarang berada pada ranah publik: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). perlu nama artikel . Encyclopædia Britannica (edisi ke...

Pemilihan umum Parlemen Eropa di Yunani 2014

Pemilihan umum Parlemen Eropa di Yunani 20142009201925 Mei 2014← Anggota sebelumnyaAnggota terpilih →Seluruh 21 kursi perwakilan Yunani di Parlemen EropaKehadiran pemilih59,97%[1]Kandidat   Partai pertama Partai kedua Partai ketiga   [[Berkas:|170px]] Ketua Alexis Tsipras Antonis Samaras Nikolaos Michaloliakos Partai Syriza ND XA Aliansi GUE-NGL EPP NI Ketua sejak 9 Februari 2008 30 November 2009 1 November 1993 Pemilu sebelumnya 1 kursi, 4,7...

 

MA Nurul Salam Bantarbolang

Artikel ini sebatang kara, artinya tidak ada artikel lain yang memiliki pranala balik ke halaman ini.Bantulah menambah pranala ke artikel ini dari artikel yang berhubungan atau coba peralatan pencari pranala.Tag ini diberikan pada Maret 2016. MAS Plus Al-Ulum MedanInformasiDidirikanApril 2010Jumlah kelasX, XI, XIIAlamatLokasiDesa Wanarata, Kecamatan Bantarbolang, Kota Pemalang, Jawa Tengah, IndonesiaMoto MA Nurul Salam merupakan madrasah aliyah setingkat sekolah menengah atas yang berlok...