Ricky Gardiner: Difference between revisions

| associated_actspast_member_of = [[Iggy Pop]], [[David Bowie]]

Gardiner joined his first band, "the Vostoks", at school in 1962. Next there were "the Kingbees" and "the System", with whom he formed [[Beggars Opera (band)|Beggars Opera]] in 1969.

He played in his own outfit with this band, "Beggars Opera", and also with friends [[David Bowie]] and [[Iggy Pop]]. For Bowie he played lead guitar on the 1977 album ''[[Low (David Bowie album)|Low]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/qgn8/|title= David Bowie – Low|accessdate= 5 January 2009|last= Goldring|first= Susie|date= 18 April 2007|work= Classic Pop/Rock Review|publisher= [[BBC]]}}</ref> For Pop he worked on his album ''[[Lust for Life (Iggy Pop album)|Lust for Life]]'' the same year: the issue included "[[The Passenger (song)|The Passenger]]", regarded as one of Pop's best songs,<ref name="Bowie: An Illustrated Record">{{cite book |title= Bowie: An Illustrated Record|last= Carr|first= Roy|authorlink= Roy Carr|author2=Murray, Charles Shaar |authorlink2=Charles Shaar Murray |year= 1981|publisher= [[Avon (publishers)|Avon]] / [[Eel Pie Publishing]]|location= New York City / London|isbn= 0-380-77966-8|oclc= 7862636|page= 118}}</ref> for which Gardiner composed the music. Bowie biographer David Buckley described it as being "possessed with one of the greatest riffs of all time".<ref name="Strange Fascination">{{cite book |title= Strange fascination: David Bowie: the definitive story|last= Buckley|first= David|year= 1999|publisher= [[Virgin Books]]|location= London|isbn= 978-1-85227-784-0|oclc= 43757665|page= 318}}</ref>

On 19 October 1977, Gardiner was selected by [[Tony Visconti]] to play guitar for the pre-recorded backing of Bowie's performance on [["Heroes" (David Bowie song)|"Heroes"]] on the [[BBC]]'s ''[[Top of the Pops]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.davidbowienews.com/2017/10/david-bowie-heroes-top-of-the-pops-1977-nacho-version/|title=David Bowie – "Heroes" – ''Top of the Pops'', 1977 – (Nacho version)|date=19 October 2017|website=David Bowie News {{!}} Celebrating the Genius of David Bowie|language=en-GB|access-date=16 September 2019}}</ref> The recording was made at [[Good Earth Studios]] in [[Soho, London|Soho]], London with Bowie, Visconti, and pianist [[Sean Mayes]]. Gardiner emulated [[Robert Fripp]]'s guitarfeedback-driven sound<ref>{{cite bybook| usinglast=O'Leary| feedbackfirst=Chris| asyear=2019| hetitle=Ashes hadto notAshes: realisedThe anSongs [[EBow]]of hadDavid beenBowie used:1976–2016| location=London |publisher=Repeater| isbn=978-1912248308 }}</ref> guitar line. "I was asked to reproduce Robert Fripp's line", he told Stephen Dalton in 2001, "I did not realise at the time that he [Fripp] had used an EBow. I did my best using feedback alone. As we went through the song, my amplifier started dying. As the song finished, so did the amp.".

From the 1970s, Gardiner played and composed in a variety of music styles, including [[Ambient music|ambient]], [[European classical music|classical]], and rock.

In 2017, photographs Gardiner took at the [[Château d'Hérouville]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.davidbowienews.com/2017/05/behind-the-scenes-photos-by-ricky-gardiner-at-chateau-dherouville-recording-david-bowies-low-album/|title=Behind the scenes photos by Ricky Gardiner at Château d'Hérouville recording David Bowie's Low album|date=9 May 2017|website=David Bowie News {{!}} Celebrating the Genius of David Bowie|language=en-GB|access-date=16 September 2019}}</ref> during the making of David Bowie's ''Low'' album in 1977, were included in a hardcover book that accompanied the vinyl and CD box set of ''[[A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982)]]'', alongside photographs by [[Anton Corbijn]], [[Helmut Newton]], [[Andrew Kent]], [[Steve Shapiro]],

Gardiner passed awaydied on 13 May 2022, ataged the73, ageafter ofa 73long battle with [[Parkinson's disease]].<ref>[http://www.bowiewonderworld.com/bowienews/news.htm "Ricky Gardiner", 16 May 2022]. Bowiewonderworld.com, Retrieved 16 May 2022</ref>