Aubrey Nunn (born 19 November 1966,

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London, part of the London Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural institution, cultural, intellectual, and educational ...

, North London, England) is an English bass guitarist, songwriter, producer, and educator. He is best known as a long-serving former member of the British band

Faithless Faithless are an English dance music Band (rock and pop), band that formed in 1995, with its core original members being Rollo Armstrong, Rollo, Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz. During the band's initial period of success, Sister Bliss and Maxi Ja ...

. He has the accolade of having performed on two of the UK Top 40 Best-Selling Studio Albums of All Time.

Musical biography

Having fronted the pop band Troy Tempest during the mid-1980s, Nunn gave up music to study languages, eventually teaching English at Lycée Boucher de Perthes in Picardy, Northern France. The death of a mutual friend in 1989 saw him return to London to form The Big Truth Band with Jamie Catto (later of

and 1 Giant Leap, and Paul Herman (writer and producer of

Dido Dido ( ; , ), also known as Elissa ( , ), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in Tunisia), in 814 BC. In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (located ...

and Corinne Bailey-Rae) with whom he extensively toured the UK university circuit, releasing only one EP ''The Summer EP'' on Akashic Records. In 1993, Nunn joined

Heavy Stereo Heavy Stereo were an English alternative rock band, who were active from 1993 to 1999. There were known for their 1970s glam rock styled sound, and their sole album, ''Déjà Voodoo''. They were also on the same record label and opened for Oas ...

, (later to sign to

Creation Records Creation Records Ltd. was a British independent record label founded in 1983 by Alan McGee, Dick Green, and Joe Foster. Its name came from the 1960s band The Creation, whom McGee greatly admired. The label ceased operations in 1999, although ...

), fronted by

Gem Archer Colin Murray "Gem" Archer ( '; born 7 December 1966) is an English guitarist and singer. He is best known as a member of the rock bands Oasis, Beady Eye and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, making him and Chris Sharrock the only members ...

(later of

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Stiltskin Stiltskin is a Scottish Rock music, rock band that first achieved widespread popularity in the mid-1990s. Stiltskin are led by frontman Ray Wilson (musician), Ray Wilson, the only constant member throughout the band's history. They are best kn ...

(who had already achieved number one status in many European countries with their Levis' Jeans advertisement soundtrack "Inside"), simultaneously recording new material for the band with their guitarist and producer Peter Lawlor (although this was never released). In 1994, Nunn regrouped with Paul Herman to form the rock trio Bee alongside drummer Matt Benbrook (latter of Faithless, Skinny, and writer and producer of

Paolo Nutini Paolo Giovanni Nutini (born 9 January 1987) is a Scottish singer-songwriter from Paisley, Renfrewshire, Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. Nutini's debut album, ''These Streets'' (2006), peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. Its follow-u ...

). The band caught the attention of producer

Rollo Rollo (, ''Rolloun''; ; ; – 933), also known with his epithet, Rollo "the Walker", was a Viking who, as Count of Rouen, became the first ruler of Normandy, a region in today's northern France. He was prominent among the Vikings who Siege o ...

, and together they produced a demo recording, but failed to gain industry recognition. When Bee disbanded in 1995, Rollo asked all three members to join a new studio project he was already working on with

Maxi Jazz Maxwell Alexander Fraser (14 June 1957 – 23 December 2022), better known by his stage name Maxi Jazz, was a British musician, rapper, singer, songwriter and DJ. He was the lead vocalist of British electronic band Faithless from 1995 to 2011 ...

(who had been working with The Soul Food Cafe System and

Jah Wobble John Joseph Wardle (born 11 August 1958), known by the stage name Jah Wobble, is an English bass guitarist and singer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd (PiL) in the late 1970s and early 1980s; ...

), and the DJ/keyboardist

Sister Bliss Ayalah Deborah Bentovim (born 30 December 1970), better known by her stage name Sister Bliss, is a British keyboardist, record producer, DJ and songwriter. In the studio, she is best known for her work with Rollo Armstrong as one half of the pr ...

, to be named Faithless. The resulting studio sessions formed the basis of the band's debut album '' Reverence''. Alongside his tenure with Faithless (1995 – late 2006), Nunn contributed bass guitar performances to releases by

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...

, Corinne Bailey-Rae,

'' No Angel'' and ''

Life For Rent ''Life for Rent'' is the second studio album by English singer Dido, released by Arista Records on 29 September 2003. The album was produced by her brother Rollo Armstrong and American songwriter Rick Nowels. Work on the album began in mid-20 ...

'' albums, both among the UK Top 40 Best-Selling Studio Albums of All Time,

, Freakpower, Gabrielle, Skinny, The Happening, Dina Vass, Pauline Taylor, Slovo and R. Kelly. He has multi-instrumental, writing and production credits for Dido's ''Life For Rent'' album and has appeared as a guest with 1 Giant Leap and

Tim Booth Timothy Booth (born 4 February 1960) is an English singer-songwriter, actor and dancer. He is the lead singer and co-founder of the indie rock band James, and co-wrote several of their hit singles including " Sit Down", " Come Home", and " La ...

(James) for their TV appearances. As a writer and producer he has also contributed writing and production to

Polly Scattergood Polly Scattergood (born 18 October 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. She has been described as wikt:ethereal, ethereal, dark, intense and quirky, while her musical style has been described as "early 21st century electropop, electro-dan ...

, Kelly Erez, Dan Akio and Paul Cattermole (

S Club 7 S Club, formerly known as S Club 7, are a British pop group formed in 1998 by Simon Fuller after he was fired as manager of the Spice Girls. Original members were Tina Barrett, Paul Cattermole, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O'Meara, Ha ...

). In 2009, he formed the studio project 'Tribadelica', with the Jamaican percussionist / vocalist Asambai, recording material for an intended album release. This was halted three months into production following Asambai's accidental death.

Equipment

For live work, Nunn has used several Fender Jazz Basses, notably a black 1967 (nicknamed D'Artagnan) which he used for most of his Faithless touring work, and a 1990 fretless Wal Custom Bass Mk 1. In the studio he has mainly used 1960s Fender Jazz Basses, a 1989 fretted Wal Custom Mk 1, and a 1962 Gibson EB2. For touring he has mainly used a pair of Ampeg SVT Classic heads and 810 cabs. His current setup is a 1963 Fender Jazz Bass and an Ashdown Drophead LB-30.

Industrial history

Briefly employed in A&R by Champion Records' boss Mel Medalie during the early days of Faithless, he was the managing director of Faithless' production companies from 1996 to 2006. In 2004, at the invitation of

Feargal Sharkey Seán Feargal Sharkey (born 13 August 1958) is a singer and environmentalist from Northern Ireland. He was the lead vocalist of punk band the Undertones in the 1970s and 1980s and a solo artist in the 1980s and 1990s. His 1985 solo single " ...

, he joined the UK Government task force the 'Live Music Forum', to evaluate the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 on the performance of live music. In 2007 he formed Thaitonic Productions with songwriter Alex Von Soos ( All Saints) to develop new artists. The same year, he was elected a member of the London Regional Committee of the UK Musicians Union for whom he has been a frequent industry panel member. In 2009, he joined Radio One Samui as a broadcaster, recording the highest listening figures at the station for "The 'O' Show". In 2010, he managed and performed with the Thailand-based jazz band The Samui Syndicate, featuring

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

-winning singer Keithen Carter (best known for The Mazda 'Zoom Zoom Zoom' advertisement) and Australian jazz pianist Josh Evans. The same year, he became the co-owner of The Spirit House, a cultural community centre in Maenam, Koh Samui, hosting local and international live music.

Personal life

Nunn's family is of Welsh descent from the Aberdare / Cwmaman area, and his relatives include

Stuart Cable Stuart James Cable (19 May 1970 – 7 June 2010) was a Welsh rock drummer and broadcaster, best known as the original drummer for the band Stereophonics. Early life Cable was born in Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, on 19 May 1970. When he was 10 ...

, formerly the drummer of Welsh rock band

Stereophonics Stereophonics are a Welsh pop and rock music, Welsh rock band formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in the Cynon Valley. The band consists of Kelly Jones (lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards), Richard Jones (Stereophonics), Richard Jones (n ...

and BBC broadcaster, who died in 2010. He was educated at

Highgate School Highgate School, formally Sir Roger Cholmeley's School at Highgate, is a co-educational, fee-charging, private day school, founded in 1565 in Highgate, London, England. It educates over 1,400 pupils in three sections – Highgate Pre-Preparato ...

. He holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Education and formerly taught at The International School of Samui where he was Head of Sixth Form (formerly Director of Music and Head of Senior School). Lives in Thailand on the island Koh Samui.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nunn, Aubrey English bass guitarists English male guitarists British male bass guitarists Living people 1966 births People educated at Highgate School