News that few expected and leaves us astonished: John Giblin died on May 14, 2023, a significant loss for fans of 80s pop rock music.
The Scottish musician, known for his extraordinary contributions on electric bass in many famous songs including Italian, was part of the British group Simple Minds.
Important contributions with the fretless bass and the double bass.
His collaborations with internationally renowned artists have been many: Peter Gabriel, Jon Anderson, Phil Collins, Alan Parsons, Roger Waters, Kate Bush, just to name a few. In Italy, he has collaborated with: Renato Zero, Eros Ramazzotti, Franco Battiato, Claudio Baglioni, Zucchero, Lucio Dalla, Piano Daniele and many famous artists. His famous bassline of him however remains that of ” Why are you not a apple ” in the album “A gloomy day” by Lucio Battisti.
He had also participated in Sanremo in 2018, Claudio Baglioni’s edition, with Geoff Westley conducting.
John Giblin: A Life Dedicated to Music
The artist was born in Bellshill, near Glasgow – in Scotland – on February 28, 1952. On his Facebook profile, there are few friends and few posts, but many photos that portray him in private sequences such as those with his grandson and then acute reflections on our days as well as photos in which we see him with his inseparable bass.
The British musician has always had a close bond with Italy and its musicians.
A true talent capable of touching the emotional strings of the audience is lost, an ability to excite through an important instrument in the structure of a song.
During an interview, he said that his secret to being a great musician is fear. His aspiration has always been to give his best in every performance in any musical genre. The fact that the public appreciated what he played has always been considered a privilege.
By the way, he was also lucky enough to work with amazing musicians like Phil Palmer and Steve Ferrone.
He also had admiration for Peter Gabriel who he particularly appreciated for the Amnesty International concerts and the one dedicated to Nelson Mandela.
Other important collaborations have been with Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler and Sting.
He has always loved Italy and the Italians. He has also stated that his best friends are Italian.
His hope would have been to live in Italy.
Thanks to Claudio Baglioni, he was able to have a car and therefore was able to get to know the Belpaese far and wide.
He recalls that experience thus during an interview with Cronaca di Torino: « A blessing to be around wonderful people in the most beautiful country and to be paid. »
Personally I have good memories of when he played in Catanzaro. I brought him a dedication and he was happy to receive it. We later had some messages in which he turned out to be a nice person too, very shy and polite.
Goodbye John, though the record grooves will always remember you!
Amelia Warner
Amelia Warner writes all the Latest Articles. She mostly covers Entertainment topics, but at times loves to write about movie reviews as well.
