Andrew Michael Rourke (born 17 January 1964) is an English musician, best known as the bassist of
the Smiths
The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to em ...
. He is known for his melodic approach to bass playing.
Career
Rourke's father was Irish while his mother was English. He received an acoustic guitar from his parents when he was seven years old. At the age of 11 he befriended the young John Maher (soon to be
Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr (born John Martin Maher, 31 October 1963) is an English musician, songwriter and singer. He first achieved fame as the guitarist and co-songwriter of the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. He has since performed with numerou ...
) with whom he shared an interest in music. The pair spent lunch breaks in school jamming and playing on their guitars. When Marr and Rourke formed a band, he invited Rourke (still then a guitarist) to try on bass, which he fell in love with and has stuck with ever since.
Rourke left school when he was 15. He passed through a series of menial jobs and played guitar and bass in various rock bands, as well as in the short-lived funk band
Freak Party
Freak Party was the short-lived Manchester funk band that consisted of future members of The Smiths. Its members were schoolmates, Johnny Maher (later known as Johnny Marr) on guitar, Andy Rourke on bass, and Simon Wolstencroft, later of The Fall ...
, with his schoolfriend Johnny Marr.
Marr later teamed up with Morrissey to form the Smiths. Rourke joined the band after its first gig, and remained through most of its existence. Suffering from heroin addiction, he was sacked from the band in early 1986, rejoining two weeks later just before they released '' The Queen Is Dead''. In his absence, second guitarist Craig Gannon joined the band. Marr described Rourke's contribution to that album as "something no other bass player could match". The Smiths released '' Strangeways, Here We Come'' in 1987 to critical acclaim, but split soon after.
Immediately after the break-up, Rourke and Smiths drummer Mike Joyce played with
Sinéad O'Connor
Shuhada Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor on 8 December 1966; ) is an Irish singer-songwriter. Her debut album, '' The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and charted internationally. Her second album, ''I Do Not Want Wha ...
– Rourke (but not Joyce) appears on the album ''
I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
''I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got'' is the second album by Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor, released in March 1990 on Ensign/Chrysalis Records. It contains O'Connor's version of the Prince song " Nothing Compares 2 U", which was released as a si ...
'' (1990). Along with Craig Gannon, they provided the rhythm section for two singles by former Smiths singer Morrissey – " Interesting Drug" and "
The Last of the Famous International Playboys
"The Last of the Famous International Playboys" is a song by British solo artist Morrissey. Co-written by Morrissey and former Smiths producer Stephen Street, the song was Morrissey's third release after the Smiths break-up. Morrissey was inspire ...
" (both 1989). Rourke also played bass on Morrissey's " November Spawned a Monster" and " Piccadilly Palare" (both 1990) and composed the music for Morrissey's songs "Yes, I Am Blind" (the B-side of " Ouija Board, Ouija Board", 1989); "Girl Least Likely To" (a B-side on the 12-inch single of "November Spawned a Monster"; also released as a bonus track on the 1997 reissue of '' Viva Hate''); and "Get Off the Stage" (the B-side of "Piccadilly Palare").
Rourke has also played and recorded with
the Pretenders
Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Fa ...
(appearing on some of the tracks on 1994's ''
Last of the Independents
''Last of the Independents'' is the sixth studio album by rock group The Pretenders, released in 1994. For this album, the band is officially credited as being Chrissie Hynde (vocals, guitar), Adam Seymour (guitar), Andy Hobson (bass) and Marti ...
'');
Killing Joke
Killing Joke are an English rock band from Notting Hill, London, England, formed in 1979 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (bass).
Their first album, '' Killing Joke'', was released ...
,
Badly Drawn Boy
Damon Michael Gough (born 2 October 1969), known by the stage name Badly Drawn Boy, is an English indie singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
Gough chose his stage name from a character in the show ''Sam and his Magic Ball'', which he sa ...
(with whom Rourke toured for two years),
Aziz Ibrahim
Aziz-Ur-Rahman Ibrahim (born 16 March 1964) is a British guitarist. He was born in Longsight, Manchester to Pakistani parents. He is best known for his work as guitarist with Simply Red, The Stone Roses (post-John Squire) and their former v ...
(formerly of
the Stone Roses
The Stone Roses were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. One of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist Ian Brown, ...
), and ex-
Oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentBonehead as Moondog One, which also included Mike Joyce and Craig Gannon. Rourke also played bass for
Ian Brown
Ian George Brown (born 20 February 1963) is an English singer and multi-instrumentalist. He was the lead singer of the alternative rock band The Stone Roses from their formation in 1983. Following the split in 1996, he began a solo career, re ...
, both on tour and on Brown's album '' The World Is Yours''.
Rourke and Joyce started legal proceedings against Morrissey and Marr over royalties. Short on money due to his heroin addiction, Rourke settled out of court for £83,000 and 10% of future royalties while relinquishing all further claims; Joyce pursued the claim until 1996 and was awarded substantially more in court. Having spent the settlement, Rourke later found himself being declared
bankrupt
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debto ...
following a petition of the
Inland Revenue
The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation ...
on 25 January 1999.
Rourke, his then-manager Nova Rehman, his production company, Great Northern Productions, and others organised
Manchester v Cancer
{{Use British English, date=June 2013
Manchester v Cancer was a benefit concert that was held on 28 January 2006 at Manchester's MEN Arena, in aid of cancer research at the Christie Hospital in Manchester, Europe's largest cancer research and tre ...
, a series of concerts to benefit cancer research, later known simply as Versus Cancer. The initiative was prompted when Rehman's father and sister were diagnosed with the disease. The first Manchester v Cancer concert took place in January 2006. It featured a reunion between Rourke and his former Smiths bandmate Johnny Marr, who performed one song together. The second Manchester v Cancer concert took place in March 2007. Rourke performed with former Oasis guitarist Bonehead's band Elektrik Milk. Rourke was less involved in organising the third concert in February 2008 or the fourth in December 2009.
Rourke formed Freebass with bass players Mani (ex-the Stone Roses) and Peter Hook (ex- New Order) in 2007 and remained active in the group until August 2010. Early in 2009, he moved to New York City, where he has a programme on East Village Radio and works as a club DJ with Olé Koretsky under the name Jetlag. This led to Rourke and Koretsky forming the band D.A.R.K. with singer
Dolores O'Riordan
Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan ( ; 6 September 1971 – 15 January 2018) was an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. She was best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist for the alternative rock band the Cranberries. One of the most recogniza ...
from
The Cranberries
The Cranberries were an Irish rock band formed in Limerick, Ireland. Originally named the Cranberry Saw Us, the band were formed in 1989 by lead singer Niall Quinn, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler. Quinn was ...
. The trio released their debut album, ''Science Agrees'' on 9 September 2016.
Equipment
Throughout his career, Rourke has used a
Fender Precision Bass
The Fender Precision Bass (often shortened to "P-Bass") is a model of electric bass guitar manufactured by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In its standard, post-1957 configuration, the Precision Bass is a solid body, four-stringed instru ...
Fender Jazz Bass
The Fender Jazz Bass (often shortened to ''J-Bass'') is the second model of electric bass created by Leo Fender. It is distinct from the Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midrange and treble with less emphasis on th ...
The Last of the Famous International Playboys
"The Last of the Famous International Playboys" is a song by British solo artist Morrissey. Co-written by Morrissey and former Smiths producer Stephen Street, the song was Morrissey's third release after the Smiths break-up. Morrissey was inspire ...
Singles
*"Live Tomorrow You Go Down" – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station
EPs
*Two Worlds Collide – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station
*You Don't Know This About Me (The Artur Baker Remixes) – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station
*Fritz von Runte vs Freebass Redesign – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station
*Two Worlds Collide (The Instrumental Mixes) – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station
Albums
*'' It's a Beautiful Life'' – 2010 – 24 Hour Service Station / Essential
D.A.R.K.
*''Science Agrees'' (2016)
Sinéad O'Connor
*''
I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
''I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got'' is the second album by Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor, released in March 1990 on Ensign/Chrysalis Records. It contains O'Connor's version of the Prince song " Nothing Compares 2 U", which was released as a si ...
'' (1990)
The Pretenders
*''
Last of the Independents
''Last of the Independents'' is the sixth studio album by rock group The Pretenders, released in 1994. For this album, the band is officially credited as being Chrissie Hynde (vocals, guitar), Adam Seymour (guitar), Andy Hobson (bass) and Marti ...