Rick Wills

Rick Wills (born 5 December 1947, London, England), is a British bass player. He is best known for his work with rock band Foreigner and his associations with the Small Faces and Bad Company.

Career

Wills played in the early days of rock music in Cambridge, from c.1961 in the Vikings, then a succession of local bands: the Sundowners, Soul Committee, Bullet and Cochise before joining Frampton's Camel.^[1]

Wills joined the blues-rock band Joker's Wild in 1966, replacing Tony Sainty, until they broke up in 1968. He played bass on Peter Frampton's first three albums before ending parting from Frampton in 1975. He became the bassist with Roxy Music in 1976 and played on Viva (1976), before leaving the band and joining The Small Faces in 1977, during their reunion period. He left The Small Faces and appeared on David Gilmour's eponymous album in 1978. The next year, Wills became a member of rock band Foreigner .^[2] and remained with them for fourteen years.

After leaving Foreigner in 1992,^[3] he joined Bad Company and stayed with them until Boz Burrell rejoined the band in 1998.^[2] On April 24, 2001, he appeared at The Steve Mariott Memorial Concert, as part of a backing band with Bobby Tench, Zak Starkey and Rabbit Bundrick.^[4][5]

Wills was reunited with The Small Faces drummer Kenney Jones in the The Jones Gang during 2006^[6] and appeared with The RD Crusaders for The Teenage Cancer Trust at The London International Music Show on June 15, 2008.^[7]

Discography

With Parrish and Gurvitz 1972 produced by George Martin.

With Roxy Music^[2]

• Viva! Atco (1976)

With The Small Faces^[2]

• Playmates (1977)
• 78 in the Shade Atlantic (1978)

With David Gilmour^[2]

• David Gilmour Harvest (1978)

With Foreigner^[2]

• Head Games Atlantic (1979)
• 4 Atlantic
• Agent Provocateur Atlantic (1984)
• Inside Information Atlantic (1987)
• Unusual Heat Atlantic (1991)

With Bad Company^[2]

• What You Hear Is What You Get: The Best of Bad Company Atco (1993)
• Company of Strangers Elektra(1995)
• Stories Told & Untold Elektra (1997)

References

Further reading

• The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll - 3rd Edition

External links

• Rick Wills discography at Discogs