John Weider
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John Weider (21 April 1947 – 6 November 2023) was an English
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
musician who played
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
,
bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
, and
violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
. He is best remembered as the guitarist for
the Animals The Animals, currently billed as Eric Burdon & the Animals (featuring original frontman Eric Burdon) and also as Animals & Friends (featuring original drummer John Steel (drummer), John Steel), are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Ne ...
from 1966 to 1968. He was also the bass player for
Family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
from 1969 to 1971.


Biography


Early career

As a teenager, Weider initially joined the Steve Laine Combo. The Combo played R&B at places such as
The Flamingo Club The Flamingo Club was a jazz nightclub in Soho, London, between 1952 and 1969. It was located at 33–37 Wardour Street from 1957 onwards and played an important role in the development of British rhythm and blues and modern jazz. During the ...
in
Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...
with the likes of
Georgie Fame Georgie Fame (born Clive Powell; 26 June 1943) is an English R&B and jazz musician. Fame, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still performing, often working with contemporaries such as Alan Price, Van Morrison and Bill Wyman. Fame is the only B ...
. Weider left Steve Laine when that group went to Europe to become the
Liverpool Five The Liverpool Five were a beat group that was part of the British Invasion-era of the 1960s. The group played throughout Europe and Asia before achieving the peak of their success in the United States between 1965 and 1967. Career Formed in En ...
. Later he played alongside
Steve Marriott Stephen Peter Marriott (30 January 1947 – 20 April 1991) was an English actor, musician, guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a student at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London and appeared in the West End, before taking a r ...
in a band called Steve Marriott and the Moments. He then went on to replace
Mick Green Michael Robert Green (22 February 1944 – 11 January 2010) was an English rock and roll guitarist who played with Johnny Kidd & the Pirates, The Pirates (with and without Johnny Kidd (singer), Johnny Kidd), Billy J. Kramer The Dakotas (band), ...
as lead guitarist in
Johnny Kidd & the Pirates Johnny Kidd & the Pirates (known simply as The Pirates after their reunion) were an English rock band led by singer/songwriter Johnny Kidd. Their musical journey spanned the late 1950s to the mid-1960s, during which they achieved considerable ...
. In August 1965 Weider was the first in a succession of guitar players replacing
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...
in
John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers were an English blues rock band led by multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter John Mayall. The band has been influential as an incubator for British rock and blues musicians. Many of the best known bands t ...
. This was followed by a stint in Jimmy Winston and His Reflections, with whom he recorded two singles.


Eric Burdon and the Animals

In 1966,
Eric Burdon Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941) is an English singer and songwriter. He was previously the lead vocalist of the rhythm and blues, R&B and Rock music, rock band The Animals and the funk band War (band), War. He is regarded as one of the Br ...
,
frontman The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
for
the Animals The Animals, currently billed as Eric Burdon & the Animals (featuring original frontman Eric Burdon) and also as Animals & Friends (featuring original drummer John Steel (drummer), John Steel), are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Ne ...
, put together a new Animals lineup when the original group, with the exception of drummer
Barry Jenkins Barry Jenkins (born November 19, 1979) is an American filmmaker. After making his filmmaking debut with the short film ''My Josephine'' (2003), he directed his first feature film '' Medicine for Melancholy'' (2008) for which he received an Inde ...
, ceased working with Burdon. The new group, variously called "Eric Burdon and the New Animals" or "Eric Burdon and the Animals", included Weider on guitar and violin. The first album by the new ensemble was the 1967 effort '' Winds of Change'', in which the Animals abandoned their old
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
sound and went
psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...
. Weider stayed with the group until its dissolution in December 1968, after releasing three albums that year ''
The Twain Shall Meet ''The Twain Shall Meet'' is the second album by Eric Burdon & the Animals. It was released in 1968 on MGM Records. Background The record includes " Sky Pilot", an anti-war song of the Vietnam War era, and "Monterey", the band's tribute to the 1 ...
'', ''
Every One of Us ''Every One of Us'' is an album by Eric Burdon & The Animals. It was released in 1968 on MGM Records. Background ''Every One of Us'' was the second of three albums released by the band in the United States in that year (the album was not relea ...
'', and '' Love Is'', the latter being a soul-based psychedelic rock album. After bassist
Danny McCulloch Daniel Joseph "Danny" McCulloch (18 July 1945 – 29 January 2015) was an English musician best known as the bassist of the 1960s psychedelic rock group Eric Burdon and The Animals. Early life Danny McCulloch was born in Shepherd's Bush, W ...
and guitarist
Vic Briggs Victor Harvey Briggs III (14 February 1945 – 30 June 2021) was a British blues and rock musician, best known as the lead guitarist with Eric Burdon and The Animals from 1966 to 1968. Briggs, a convert to Sikhism, later played classical ...
were fired from the band in mid-1968, Weider and new guitarist
Andy Summers Andrew James Summers (born 31 December 1942) is an English guitarist best known as a member of the rock band the Police. Prior to joining the Police, Summers had been a member of several bands during the 1960s, including Zoot Money's Big Roll ...
(later of
the Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Within a few months of their first gig, the line-up settled as Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar, primary songwriter), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussi ...
) alternated between guitar and bass during the band's concerts.Sutcliffe, Phil & Fielder, Hugh (1981). ''L'Historia Bandido''. London and New York: Proteus Books.. Page 47.


Family

By 1969, Weider was in
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
playing in a group called Stonehenge, members of whom would later form
Crabby Appleton Crabby Appleton was an American rock band in the early 1970s. Fronted by singer-songwriter Michael Fennelly, they scored a Top 40 hit with their first single, "Go Back." History Though nearly everyone in the group was from a Los Angeles, C ...
, when
Ric Grech Richard Roman Grechko (1 November 1946 – 17 March 1990), better known as Ric Grech, was a British rock musician. He is best known for playing bass guitar and violin with the rock band Family as well as in the supergroups Blind Faith and Tr ...
abruptly left Family to join Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and Ginger Baker in the new 'supergroup'
Blind Faith Blind Faith were an English rock supergroup that consisted of Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech. They followed the success of each of the member's former bands, including Clapton and Baker's former group Cream and ...
during Family's first
U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
tour and the band needed a new bassist immediately. Weider thus replaced Grech in Family. Like Grech, he was both a bassist and a violinist, and many of Family's songs had incorporated violin in their
arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...
s. Weider joined midway through the tour, which ended prematurely owing to lead singer
Roger Chapman Roger Maxwell Chapman (born 8 April 1942 in Leicester), also known as Chappo, is an English Rock music, rock vocalist. He is best known as a member of the progressive rock band Family (band), Family, which he joined along with Charlie Whitney ...
's visa problems, and a fight with rock promoter/venue owner Bill Graham, which made return visits to the U.S. difficult. The
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
" No Mule's Fool", Family's first single with Weider as a band member, took the band in a
country rock Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal sty ...
direction. Weider appears on Family's two 1970 albums, '' A Song for Me'' and '' Anyway'' released ten months apart. He left the band in the summer of 1971.


Later career

Weider later joined
Stud Stud may refer to: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay bar in San Francisco * ...
, a group that featured guitarist-bassist
Jim Cregan James Cregan (born 9 March 1946) is an English rock guitarist and bassist, best known for his associations with Family, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, and Rod Stewart. Cregan is a former husband of the singer Linda Lewis and worked with her a ...
, who would become Family's final bass player in 1972. The band also included the rhythm section of
John Wilson John Wilson may refer to: Academics * John Wilson (historian) (1799–1870), author of ''Our Israelitish Origin'' (1840), a founding text of British Israelism * John Wilson (agriculturalist) (1812–1888), British agriculturalist * John Matthias ...
and
Richard McCracken Richard 'Charlie' McCracken, credited as both Richard and Charlie McCracken, (born 26 June 1948) is a Northern Irish bassist who was a member of Irish blues rock power trio Taste, featuring Rory Gallagher. He also played with The Spencer Davis ...
from
Taste The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste. Taste is the perception stimulated when a substance in the mouth biochemistry, reacts chemically with taste receptor cells l ...
,
Rory Gallagher William Rory Gallagher ( ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995) was an Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as "Ireland's first rock star", he is known for his virtuosic style of guitar playing and live performances. He has sometim ...
's pre-solo power trio. Weider served as a multi-instrumentalist in Stud, playing guitar, bass, piano, violin and cello. After Stud broke up, Weider did some session work and released his self-titled debut solo album in 1976. In the mid 1970s, he was also a member of the band Moonrider with
Keith West Keith Hopkins (born 6 December 1944, Dagenham, Essex, England), known by his stage name Keith West, is a British rock singer, songwriter and music producer. He is best known for his single " Excerpt from A Teenage Opera" ("Grocer Jack"), w ...
. Weider played violin and sang backing vocals on "Nightmare (Please Wake Me Up)", the closing track from
the Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...
's
John Entwistle John Alec Entwistle (9 October 194427 June 2002) was an English musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the rock band the Who. Entwistle's music career spanned over four decades. Nicknamed "The Ox" and "Thunderfingers", he was the band ...
's second solo album, ''
Whistle Rymes ''Whistle Rymes'' is the second solo studio album by the English rock musician John Entwistle, released on 3 November 1972 by Track Records in the UK and on 4 November 1972 by Decca Records in the US. Entwistle co-produced the album with John Alco ...
'' (1972). He played guitar on the
Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...
track "I'm Flash", which also featured Entwistle, on the album '' Flash Fearless Vs. the Zorg Women, Pts. 5 & 6'' (1975), and later Cooper's 4-CD box set ''
The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper ''The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper'' (1999) is a 4-CD box set by Alice Cooper. It includes select tracks from every studio album released until then, plus many B-sides, unreleased songs, and other rarities. It also includes Alice Cooper's auth ...
'' (1999). In 1979, he was featured on Gulliver's album ''Ridin' the Wind''. Weider's more recent albums were more closely associated with
new-age music New-age is a genre of music intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management to bring about a state of ecstasy rather tha ...
.


Death

Weider died at the age of 76 on 6 November 2023. His death was not reported or confirmed until May 2025.


Solo discography

* ''John Weider'' (1976) * ''Intervals in Sunlight'' (1987) * ''Essence'' (1989) * ''Ancients Weep'' (1990)


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Weider, John 1947 births 2023 deaths English rock bass guitarists British male bass guitarists The Animals members Family (band) members People from Shepherd's Bush British rhythm and blues boom musicians British rock violinists British male violinists Johnny Kidd & the Pirates members