He's Gone, Oh Why?
March 2, 2010 2:54 AM   Subscribe

Tom "T-Bone" Wolk, a.k.a. that guy with the hat, is dead at 58. Hall & Oates won't be the same without him.

From Variety:

Bassist Tom "T-Bone" Wolk, a long-time member of Daryl Hall and John Oates' band and a former linchpin of the "Saturday Night Live" house band, died of a heart attack Saturday. He was 58.

Wolk's tenure with Hall & Oates stretched back nearly 30 years, to their hit-making days on RCA Records. He was scheduled to appear with the duo Monday on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon."

From 1986 to 1992, he played on "Saturday Night Live" alongside guitarist G.E. Smith, a fellow member of Hall & Oates' group.

Born in Yonkers, N.Y., Wolk went to art school before breaking in as a musician in New York with such performers as Billy Vera and Lonnie Mack. He first attracted attention as a session man as the bassist on Kurtis Blow's 1980 rap hit "The Breaks."

A prolific sideman and multi-instrumentalist, Wolk also recorded and performed live with Elvis Costello, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Carly Simon, Avril Lavigne, Shawn Colvin and Jewel, among many others.
posted by bwg (30 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Holy cats! His work with Elvis Costello was something I've been writing about lately. He was a remarkable musician and I'm stunned to learn that he's passed, and so young.

Huge .
posted by Joey Michaels at 3:09 AM on March 2, 2010


Oh, man. Legendary good guy, and a slicker, more clever, dead-solid bassist than people give him credit for. Lots of other players would've cocked up that "Maneater" part something fierce. T-Bone played it perfectly and drilled it into our subconscious forever. Goodbye, sir.
posted by mintcake! at 3:37 AM on March 2, 2010



posted by dbiedny at 3:38 AM on March 2, 2010


My condolences to keyboard cat and the rest of the friends and family.
posted by Hiker at 3:40 AM on March 2, 2010


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posted by fixedgear at 4:07 AM on March 2, 2010


So long T. •salute•
posted by DWRoelands at 4:11 AM on March 2, 2010


He was often the most funnest part of Live From Daryl's House, and that's saying something, cause that's a pretty fun gig. RIP.
posted by ersatzkat at 5:01 AM on March 2, 2010 [2 favorites]


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posted by lester at 5:08 AM on March 2, 2010


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posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 5:33 AM on March 2, 2010 [4 favorites]


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posted by gcbv at 5:39 AM on March 2, 2010


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posted by Shoggoth at 5:41 AM on March 2, 2010


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posted by brand-gnu at 5:47 AM on March 2, 2010


Here's Tom playing bass on "The Breaks" by Kurtis Blow.
posted by Daddy-O at 5:51 AM on March 2, 2010


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posted by el_lupino at 6:19 AM on March 2, 2010


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posted by Joe Beese at 6:22 AM on March 2, 2010


Too young.
posted by misozaki at 6:27 AM on March 2, 2010 [1 favorite]


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posted by wheat at 6:37 AM on March 2, 2010


As a huge Hall and Oates fan (still):

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posted by mephron at 6:45 AM on March 2, 2010


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fucking Hell. Him and G.E. Smith were the hottest melodic section in the eighties. Just listen to "Maneater". Legendary Stuff.

Gone Waay to Soon...
posted by djrock3k at 6:49 AM on March 2, 2010


He's one of those guys that I didn't even realize how many of my favorite records he played on. I saw him play with Paul Carrack in the late 80's and he seemed to be having the time of his life playing music.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 6:51 AM on March 2, 2010


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posted by ericb at 6:55 AM on March 2, 2010


For a while, T-Bone and G.E.'s riffing going into commercial breaks was the best thing about Saturday Night Live.
RIP
posted by rocket88 at 6:56 AM on March 2, 2010 [2 favorites]


I had no idea he did The Breaks, wow. Respect.
posted by stinkycheese at 7:31 AM on March 2, 2010


Well that sucks.

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posted by Sailormom at 8:46 AM on March 2, 2010


If you like heavy guitar blues and have not been introduced, allow me to recommend this Buddy Guy album, which T-Bone and G.E. both play the shit out of. Amazing stuff.
posted by middleclasstool at 8:49 AM on March 2, 2010


Growing up in the 80's my dream was to become a session bass player (I never caught the rock star bug) and he was one I always envied/admired and wanted to meet, along with Carol Kaye (who I finally met last month). He certainly got me to appreciate "pocket" at a young age.
posted by sourwookie at 9:11 AM on March 2, 2010


I guess his kiss is off my list :(
posted by Ogre Lawless at 10:14 AM on March 2, 2010


For a while, T-Bone and G.E.'s riffing going into commercial breaks was the best thing about Saturday Night Live.

Quoted for emphasis. That's too bad.
posted by norm at 10:48 AM on March 2, 2010


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posted by Halloween Jack at 11:07 AM on March 2, 2010



posted by Smart Dalek at 6:46 PM on March 2, 2010


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