Rhodes passed away at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 4.
Michael Rhodes, a bassist and session musician elected into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2019, has died. He was 69.
A spokesman for Billboard confirmed Rhodes’ death. Rhodes died at his home in Nashville, Tennessee (March 4). At the time of publication, no cause of death was reported.
Rhodes was born in 1953 in Monroe, Louisiana. He learned to play guitar at 11 and went on to play professionally before switching to bass.
He moved to Nashville in 1977 after living in Austin and Memphis, where he joined the local rock band Nerve and Tree Publishing’s house demo band. He got “a terrific crash education in the technique of playing a song, and what was needed for a song” there, he told Nashville Arts.
He went on to have a successful session career, appearing on award-winning songs such as Shawn Colvin’s “Sunny Came Home” (1996) and Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance” (2000).
He even had the honor of appearing on LeAnn Rimes’ and Trisha Yearwood’s 1997 versions of Diane Warren’s “How Do I Live.”
His incredibly long list of credits includes recordings for Willie Nelson, Etta James, Mark Knopfler, Alan Jackson, Stevie Nicks, Brian Wilson, Joss Stone, Dolly Parton, the (Dixie) Chicks, J.J. Cale, Wynonna, Merle Haggard, Randall Bramblett, Amy Grant, Hank Williams Jr, the Highwaymen, John Oates, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Bob Seger, Dave Stewart, Keith Whitley, Joan Baez, Lionel Richie, Burt Bacharach, Aaron Neville, Johnny Cash, Lonnie Mack.
In recent years, he has frequently played in Joe Bonamassa’s band.
“Rest in Peace, dear friend,” Bonamassa wrote on Twitter. “I can’t wrap my head around it right now.”
Memorial arrangements will be made at a later date.
Instead of flowers, his family suggests that donations be sent to the Music Health Alliance, which helps musicians needing healthcare and assistance. Checks can be mailed to Music Health Alliance, 2737 Larmon Dr, Nashville, TN 37204, or sent online at musichealthalliance.com.
Rhodes’ family also suggests listening to music that means something to you; Rhodes listened to John Coltrane before passing away. “He liked jazz and John Coltrane and all those guys,” Rhodes’ wife explains. “That always fed him.”
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