John Giblin, a studio and touring bassist who was part of the ’70s new wave in the U.K., died May 14. He was 71.

Born in Scotland to a family of musicians, he started playing in rock and pop bands as a teen, then emerged as a later member of the fusion band Brand X before playing on Peter Gabriel’s No Self Control album in ’79. During those sessions, he was introduced to Kate Bush then played on her 1980 album, Never for Ever. They continued to sporadically collaborate for the rest of his life.

As an arranger, and session/touring player, he worked with Phil Collins (that’s his bass on “In the Air Tonight” and “You Can’t Hurry Love”), Chris de Burgh (“The Lady in Red”), Simple Minds, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Donovan, Mark Knopfler, Yes front man Jon Anderson, the Everly Brothers, Mavis Staples, Alan Parsons, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, and other acts while also recording film scores and contemporary music. Later, he favored acoustic bass, using it to accompany drummer Peter Erskine and pianist Alan Pasqua.

This article originally appeared in VG’s July 2023 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.