Steve Currie

Steve Currie (20 May 1947 – 28 April 1981) was an English musician who was best known as the bass player and a long-term member of the English glam rock band T. Rex.^[1]

Whilst working for the local Tax office, Currie played with local Grimsby group "The Rumble Band". He joined T. Rex (recently renamed from Tyrannosaurus Rex) as bass guitarist in November 1970 (although the band were still listed as a duo) and continued to play with them until late 1976.

He appeared on all of Marc Bolan's most memorable hit singles from "Hot Love" (1971) to "Laser Love" (1976), as well as the albums Electric Warrior (1971) to Dandy in the Underworld (1977). His innovative and, for the time, sophisticated bass playing can be seen to good effect in the movie Born to Boogie.

After leaving T. Rex, he went into session work, working for Chris Spedding.

He died in a car crash on 28 April 1981, whilst returning to his home near Vale de Parra, Algarve, Portugal. His death came less than four years after T. Rex lead singer Marc Bolan had died in a car crash in Barnes, South West London, and just six months after Steve Took's death. The site where Marc Bolan died has since become a shrine which in 2007 was recognised by the English Tourist Board (Enjoy England) as a site of Rock 'n Roll Importance. Steve Currie is commemorated with a memorial plaque on the steps at Bolan's Rock Shrine, as are Mickey Finn, Steve Took, June Bolan (née Child) (his widow) and later member of T. Rex Dino Dines.^[2]

References