Ricky Gardiner was a guitarist who played on the David Bowie album “Low” and the Iggy Pop album “Lust for Life.”
- Died: Friday, May 13, 2022. (Who else died on May 13?)
- Details of death: Died at the age of 73.
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David Bowie and Iggy Pop collaborator
Ricky Gardiner was a Scottish guitarist who co-founded the progressive rock band Beggars Opera. The band had some success in Germany. He played lead guitar on the pioneering David Bowie art rock album “Low”, released in 1977, which was the first album of his Berlin trilogy. That same year, he played guitar on Iggy Pop’s classic album “Lust for Life.” He co-wrote the Iggy Pop track “The Passenger,” coming up with the iconic melody for the song. He toured with David Bowie and Iggy Pop during that period. Later, he recorded his own material, mostly electronic music.
Notable Quote
“It was certainly a case of the chord sequence ‘slipping through’ while I was ‘lost in the glory’ of a beautiful spring morning,” he said. “I heard myself playing in the distance. The strength, inherent in a round, arrested my attention and I registered the sequence for future use.” – Gardiner talking about coming up with the melody for “The Passenger” in a 2005 interview with The Independent
Tributes to Ricky Gardiner
Full Obituary: Pitchfork
