Dave Wintour obituary | Music

My pal Dave Wintour, who has died aged 77 of most cancers, was some of the sought-after bass session performers from the Nineteen Sixties onwards, enjoying with a formidable checklist of artists on this planet of rock and well-liked music.

Many artists benefited from Dave’s deft contact on the bass, together with Dusty Springfield, Clifford T Ward, Rooster Shack, Rick Wakeman and Leo Sayer. He performed bass on Roger Daltrey’s 1975 solo album Experience a Rock Horse and on the Who’s authentic 1969 Tommy album.

Dave toured with Neil Sedaka and is featured on the 1974 album Stay on the Royal Pageant Corridor with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1975 he performed on the Stealers Wheel LP Proper or Improper. Then in 1995 Dave turned a Wurzel for seven years.

Dave was born in Lydney, Gloucestershire, within the Forest of Dean, the son of Edith (nee Phipps), a college secretary, and Jack Wintour, a miner, and later a market gardener. He grew up within the Forest together with his sister, Julie, attending Bream toddler and junior faculty and Lydney grammar faculty.

As a younger man he bought a job in a music store in Gloucester and joined a band, the Chas Kingsley Combo. His expertise was noticed and he was requested to be a session musician on the Dolphin nightclub in Gloucester. From there his music profession took off. His pal Fiachra Trench remembers enjoying with Dave on the Empire Ballroom in Leicester Sq. for tea dances because the Johnny Joseph Band when the revolving stage caught and revolved round to the entrance of home and again, over and over. They did handle to play by their laughter.

In 1986 Dave met Joan Stafford; they married quickly afterwards, their daughter Clemmie was born, they usually settled again within the Forest of Dean.

When Dave “retired” from the Wurzels in 2003, the household moved to Donegal, Eire. With the music scene there so vibrant, Dave was by no means in need of musicians to play with. His final tour was in 2019 with the Eric Bell Trio – I noticed him because the tour handed by Abergavenny and, modest as ever, he requested if it was a very good gig. He was magnificent.

Dave was humorous and might be a naughty satan at instances, with a twinkle in his eye, however a extra light, variety and beneficiant man you might by no means meet.

He’s survived by Joan and Clemmie, by his son, Matthew, from his earlier marriage, to Meg, which resulted in divorce, and two grandsons, Harry and Joseph, and by his sister, Julie, and stepson, Matthew.