John Rostill
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John Rostill | |
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| Birth name | John Henry Rostill |
| Born | 16 June 1942 Kings Norton, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England |
| Died | 26 November 1973 (aged 31) Radlett, Hertfordshire, England |
| Genres | Rock and roll, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Bassist, musician, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Bass guitar |
| Years active | 1962–1973 |
| Labels | Columbia |
John Henry Rostill (16 June 1942 – 26 November 1973) was an English musician, bassist and composer, recruited by
Biography
Born in
Stylistically, Rostill combined the solidity of
After the Shadows' break-up at the end of the 1960s, Rostill toured with Tom Jones.
Rostill was a prolific songwriter, contributing to the Shadows' output from the start (both as a solo composer and as part of the mid-sixties "Marvin/Welch/Bennett/Rostill" team). This combination composed the hits "The Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt" (a UK no. 5, 1964) and “Genie with the Light Brown Lamp" (UK no. 17, 1965)[2] as well as all the tunes on the 1964 Rhythm & Greens EP.
They also wrote the Cliff Richard and the Shadows hits, "I Could Easily Fall (In Love with You)" (UK no. 6, 1964), "Time Drags By" (UK no. 10, 1966) and "In the Country" (UK no. 6, 1967).[3]
He later went on to write for artists such as
As a Shadow, Rostill played a prototype Burns "Shadows" bass guitar which differed from the production model that followed. A replica of his bass was produced by Burns London in late 2006. His personal favourite instrument was a Fender Jazz bass, which he played in both the Terry Young Band and in Bournemouth band, the Interns. He also used it with the Shadows towards the end when the Burns instrument began to wear out.
John Rostill died in Radlett, Hertfordshire, England, on 26 November 1973 aged 31. He was found dead from barbiturate poisoning in his recording studio by his wife and Bruce Welch. The coroner recorded a verdict of "suicide while in a depressed state of mind".[4]
He left behind his wife Margaret and his son Paul, who was a year old when his father died.
Early career
- 1963 – Zoot Money Quartet
- Zoot Money (keyboards); Andy Summers (guitar); Jimmy Shipstone (guitar); John Rostill (bass); Colin Allen (drums)
- 1964 – The Interns
Discography
- 1969: Tom Jones Live in Las Vegas
- 1971: "Green Apples"/"Funny Old World" – Columbia – DB 8794.
Filmography
- Wonderful Life (US title: Swingers' Paradise[5])
- Finders Keepers
- Rhythm 'n Greens (B-film)
- Thunderbirds are Go (as puppets)
Pantomimes
- Aladdin (appeared with Cliff Richard)
- Cinderella (appeared with Cliff Richard)
Bibliography
- Funny Old World by Rob Bradford (1988)
References
- ^ a b Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 256. CN 5585.
- ^ Charlie Gillett, Simon Frith (1975). Rock File 3 (1st ed.). St. Albans, Herts.: Panther Books Ltd.
- ^ Charlie Gillett, Simon Frith (1976). Rock File 4 (1st ed.). St. Albans, Herts.: Panther Books Ltd. p. 291.
- ^ "Pop star took his own life". Liverpool Echo. No. 29, 209. 12 December 1973. p. 1 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Overview for Swingers' Paradise (1965)", Turner Classic Movies page
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