Frank Zappa’s Bassist Tom Fowler Passed Away At 73

Tom Fowler, the acclaimed bassist known for his work with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention and Ray Charles, passed away this week at 73.

His death was confirmed by engineer and producer Dennis Moody, who shared on Facebook that Fowler died on July 2 due to complications from an aneurysm he suffered the previous week. Moody praised Fowler as “one of the most creative, intelligent, and wackiest people I’ve ever met.” He also recalled their long friendship and collaboration, stating:

“Tom played bass on a half-dozen Frank Zappa albums and spent the last 10 years with Ray Charles. We met when I was 20 and remained friends forever, touring the world and making lots of incredible music.”

Arthur Barrow, who also played bass for Zappa in the late ’70s and early ’80s, expressed his sorrow in a Facebook post, calling Fowler a hero. Barrow wrote:

“The first time I heard Echidna’s [Arf (Of You)], I almost fell over when he played the big 5/16 lick on the bass!
“I had no idea that a clumsy bass could do such a thing! He inspired me to buy a bass and start practicing. I have known him since about 1976. RIP old friend — missing you very much.”

A Look Back at Tom Fowler’s Remarkable Musical Journey

Born on June 10, 1951, in Salt Lake City, Fowler initially played the violin before switching to bass. He made his recording debut with Zappa on 1973’s Over-Nite Sensation, which also featured his brother Bruce Fowler on trombone. Throughout the ’70s, Fowler appeared on several more Zappa albums, up to 1978’s Studio Tan.

During that period, Fowler also played bass for artists like George Duke, Jean-Luc Ponty, and Steve Hackett. He was a member of the jazz fusion band Air Pocket, which included his brothers Walt (trumpet, miraphon), Bruce (trombone), Steve (alto saxophone, flute), and Ed (bass). From 1993 to 2004, he played with Ray Charles and appeared on Charles’s final studio album, Genius Loves Company, which won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2005.

Reflecting on his approach to live performances, Fowler told Zappa Books in 2000:

“A live situation has to have lots of peaks and valleys, and if it’s a good show, then you can have slow stuff. Ray Charles doing super slow. Frank Zappa and Ray Charles in concert together for the first time, with special guest appearances from Jean-Luc Ponty and It’s a Beautiful Day. And there’s my life in a one concert nutshell. Fowler Brothers as the opening act. Then we all go to my restaurant and eat something.”