Jimmy Bain, the legendary bassist of Last In Line and former member of Dio and Rainbow, has sadly departed this mortal coil at the tender age of 58. One might say he’s joined the great gig in the sky, though hopefully with better catering.
Our Jimmy first made a splash in the rock pond when he joined Rainbow for their 1976 album “Rising”. It was a bit like being invited to tea with the Queen, only to find out she prefers coffee. The notoriously temperamental guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, whose mood swings were more unpredictable than British weather, gave Jimmy the boot the following year. One imagines it was about as pleasant as stepping on a Lego brick in the dark.
Undeterred by this setback, Jimmy bounced back with the resilience of a rubber ball in a squash court. He joined several bands, hopping from one to another like a frog on a particularly hot lily pad. But it was in 1983 that he truly hit the jackpot, when Ronnie James Dio, the diminutive giant of rock, invited him to join his eponymous band, Dio. It was a match made in heavy metal heaven, lasting longer than most Hollywood marriages – a whopping 19 years until 2002.
During his tenure with Dio, Jimmy’s bass lines were as solid as a Yorkshire pudding and twice as satisfying. He contributed to some of the band’s most iconic albums, including “Holy Diver” and “The Last in Line”. His playing was so tight, you couldn’t have slipped a guitar pick between the notes.
But Jimmy wasn’t content to rest on his laurels like a cat in a sunbeam. Oh no, this chap had more lives than a Buddhist cat. His most recent venture was with the band Last In Line, cheekily named after Dio’s second album. It was a reunion of sorts, bringing together the original Dio lineup, minus the man himself (who had sadly gone to that great stage in the sky in 2010). They replaced Ronnie with Andrew Freeman as lead singer.
Last In Line wasn’t just a nostalgia trip, mind you. They were cooking up new material faster than a chip shop on a Friday night. Their debut album, “Heavy Crown”, was set for release in February 2016, promising to be heavier than a sumo wrestler after Christmas dinner.
Throughout his career, Jimmy’s bass playing was as distinctive as a bagpiper in a library. He had a knack for crafting bass lines that were catchier than the common cold, yet complex enough to keep music theorists scratching their heads for days.
Jimmy’s influence on the world of rock and metal was as far-reaching as the British Empire in its heyday. He inspired countless bassists to pick up the instrument, probably causing a shortage of bass strings in music shops across the globe.
As news of Jimmy’s untimely departure spread, Fellow musicians praised his talent, his friendship, and his ability to maintain perfect hair even during the sweatiest of gigs – truly a superhuman feat.
While Jimmy may have left us, his music will continue to rock on, much like the motion of the Royal Guards outside Buckingham Palace – steady, unwavering, and slightly intimidating to tourists.
So here’s to you, Jimmy Bain. May your bass lines forever rumble in rock heaven, and may your memory be as enduring as a Keith Richards health regimen. Rock on, good sir, rock