Bruce Thomas (musician)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bruce Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 August 1948 Stockton-on-Tees, England |
| Genres | Rock |
| Instrument | Bass guitar |
| Years active | 1977–present |
Bruce Thomas (born 14 August 1948) is an English bass guitarist, best known as bassist for the Attractions;[1] the band formed in 1977 to back Elvis Costello in concert and on record.
In addition to his work with the Attractions, Thomas has recorded with Billy Bragg, John Wesley Harding, Suzanne Vega, and Tasmin Archer.
Thomas has also been a nonfiction writer for several decades, and is the author of Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit (1994), a biography of the renowned martial artist and movie star, and The Body of Time (and the Energies of Being), ISBN 0-14-019301-4 (1991), a short book about metaphysics. Rough Notes, published in 2015, is both a memoir of his time with The Attractions and a documentary history of the British music scene of the 1970s.[2] A Tall Story...That Won't Go Away, published in 2025, is his from-the-inside look at the Paul Is Dead conspiracy theory.
Thomas attended Grangefield Grammar School in Stockton on Tees, and after leaving, worked as a trainee commercial-artist at the local Evening Gazette newspaper. Thomas was originally a harmonica player in local bands. He was in a band called The Tremors and switched to bass guitar when their bass player failed to appear one night.[3] Thomas eventually joined the Roadrunners (with Paul Rodgers and Micky Moody). After Rodgers switched from playing bass to being their up-front singer, the band changed their name to The Wildflowers, and in late 1966 decided to quit their respective day-jobs and move to London. After achieving little success, the band eventually split.[4]
