T-Bone Wolk, best known for his work with Hall And Oates, died Saturday, 27 February, of a heart attack at the age of 58.
Wolk, left, with guitarist GE Smith, during their SNL days. From T-Bone Wolk.com
Since the late '70s, Wolk has been one of the steadiest-working bassists in popular music. A small sampling of his discography is as follows: Carly Simon, Shawn Colvin, Elvis Costello, Roseanne Cash, Cyndi Lauper, Harry Nilsson, Amanda Marshall, Grey Eye Glances, Paul Carrack, Diane Ziegler, Charlie Musselwhite, Jewel, Ivo, Jellyfish, Avril Lavigne, Billy Joel, Joe Pesci, Leslie Miller, John Eddie and Chynna Phillips.
Wolk's two highest-profile gigs, however, were his long-standing stints with Hall And Oates, which began in 1981 (he got the job after playing on Kurtis Blow's breakthrough rap smash, The Breaks) and his on-camera role as bassist in the Saturday Night Live house band, in which he was paired with fellow Hall And Oates band member, guitarist GE Smith.
But Wolk wasn't simply a bass player. He co-produced several Hall And Oates albums, and recently, on Daryl Hall's continuing Internet Show, Live From Daryl's House, he played guitar and served as musical director.
Check out a portion of an episode below, during which Wolk, playing guitar, joins Hall And Oates for a spot-on rendition of Back Stabbers.
T-Bone Wolk will be greatly missed.
