Can't believe this news. One of the absolute legends of rock, co-writer of All Right Now Andy Fraser has died.




This from All Access website.

London-born ANDY FRASER, a child prodigy who played with JOHN MAYALL’S BLUESBREAKERS before his 16th birthday, then joined FREE as a bass player, where he created the famous riff in “All Right Now,” passed away in his TEMECULA, CA, home of unknown causes at the age of 62.

“We were brothers,” writes FRASER about his time in FREE with PAUL KOSSOFF, PAUL RODGERS and SIMON KIRKE, producing and co-writing the anthemic “All Right Now” with RODGERS. “Like a gang, or a team of commandos, where we could be sure we were all watching each other’s backs. I still live by the values formulated at that time.”

The song was recognized by ASCAP in 1990 for accumulating one million airplays on U.S. radio by late 1999. BMI LONDON gave him an award in 2006 marking more than three million plays. It went to #1 in more than 20 territories.

FRASER went on to form SHARKS with guitarist CHRIS SPEDDING, leaving after just a single, critically acclaimed album. After moving to CALIFORNIA, he wrote hits for ROBERT PLAMER (“Every Kinda People”), JOE COCKER, CHAKA KHAN, ROD STEWART and PAUL YOUNG.

FRASER contracted a rare form of cancer, Kaposi’s sarcoma, in the ‘80s, and was diagnosed with AIDS shortly after coming out as a homosexual. Up until his passing, he was considered the “poster child” for living with AIDS and not have it be a death sentence.

In mid-2013, FRASER played a supporting role as bassist in the band of protege TOBI for a short series of U.K. dates. Accompanying EARNSHAW and FRASER, was CHRIS SPEDDING. FRASER has produced and mentored EARNSHAW on a number of album releases.

Just last month, FRASER appeared at a GRAMMY party for ROCK AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING, where he took pictures with PIERCE BROSNAN. He was planning on going out on tour with his old pal FRANKIE MILLER after the pair once tried to form a band together back in the ‘80s.

"I’ve never really thought of myself as a bass player,” he recently wrote. “If it was appropriate for me not to play bass, say for example most of ‘All Right Now’ doesn’t have any bass in it. When people talk to me as a bass player, I find it strange because, well, actually it was one of the things I do, and luckily enough it’s one of the things I could do sort of in my sleep, and people have spoken of me as a bass player ever since."

FRASER is survived by daughters HANNAH and JASMINE. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Read more: [www.allaccess.com]



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2015-03-18 11:49 by Silver Dagger.

God bless you Andy. One of the masterpieces of rock.

Quote
Silver Dagger
God bless you Andy. One of the masterpieces of rock.

Absolutely. Jesus, and I saw Paul Rogers late last year at the RAH, I guess they're all around the same sort of age. 62. F**k, what a tragic loss.

[ I want to shout, but I can hardly speak ]

Such a shame departing this life at 62.

Free and 'Alright Now' in particular, were a great band and a song that lives on forever.

R.I.P. Andy.

Sad news....The 1st time I heard "All Right Now" I thought it was the Stones...RIP Andy

Shocking news....

I was only listening to him talking to Johnny Walker on Sounds of the 70's, a few weeks ago!

God bless you Andy. RIP

What a drag it is gettin' old

Noooooo, that's terrible news. I have the Sharks album and played it only the other day. Rest In Peace Andy.

RIP Andy. Side note, I always thought Bon Scott looked a bit like Paul Rodgers.

I didn't know he wrote the brilliant 'Every Kind of People' for Robert Palmer and played bass on his, also brilliant, 'Clues' album.

R.I.P. Andy.

Another one lost way too young--and also part of the soundtrack of my life (and the lives of many of us, I'm sure). RIP, Andy.

Thanks for the music, never forgotten. R.I.P. Andy. For Free it was not always about filling every second with a noise the spaces in the music were just as important.Timeless.Last week I just bought 4 Free remastered CD's. I will cherish these.

Andy Fraser didn't have AIDS, but was HIV Positve. He seemed in rude health during interviews from recent years, but I suspect his immune system packed-in eventually.

Rest in peace, Andy Fraser.

RIP Andy Fraser and thanks for some great music

Free - "Moonshine" - live - best guitar solo ever (Paul Kossoff)

As this is a Stones site,
here are Mick Taylor and Fraser playing HTW.

[www.youtube.com]

RIP Andy



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-03-18 10:30 by smokeydusky.

Dreadful DREADFUL news. All Right Now remains just about my favourite ever song. THAT bassline-awesome. Free were just a wonderful band, blusy, melodic, spacious and ferocious. Love them. THE band of the early 70s......yeah, I know about another one we all seem to like, but Free were just something else.

Saw them live in Perth at Beatty Park Aquatic Centre - with Deep Purple (who everyone went to see), Manfred MAnn and an Aussie band called Chain. Great show. By the end of the night EVERYONE was "HOW GREAT WERE FREE - did anyone else play on the bill?" sort of thing.....they were, they ARE a seminal rock band.

RIP Andy - Be My Friend

The Who covered it a few times in 1970. I tried to find a version but only found this later version from 79.

Sad news!
Never forgot seeing that new unknown band 1970 on a big fesival in Dusseldorf.
I liked them and S.Kirke gave me young boy his sticks afterwards.
A few weeks later they had a Nr.1 hit wordwide and were big news.