Boz Burrell
Learned to play bass guitar in three days for a King Crimson audition, a pivot that landed him a permanent role with the band.
1946–2006 (age 60)·British singer and bassist·Birthday: August 1·Baby Boomers
Biography
Boz Burrell joined King Crimson in 1971 as a vocalist, but founder Robert Fripp taught him bass fundamentals over a long weekend. Burrell then recorded the album 'Islands' with the group. He left Crimson in 1972 and formed Bad Company with former Free members Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke. Burrell played bass on all six of Bad Company's platinum albums between 1974 and 1982, including the self-titled debut that sold five million copies. His melodic, anchoring lines supported hits like 'Can't Get Enough' and 'Feel Like Makin' Love.' Burrell possessed a soulful baritone but rarely sang lead in the band. He departed Bad Company in 1982, later playing with various blues and rock acts. His transition from vocalist to bassist remains one of rock's more abrupt and successful instrument changes. Burrell died of a heart attack in Spain in 2006, leaving a legacy on two seminal rock records: 'Islands' and 'Bad Company.'
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Boz was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Boz Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Boz's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
Key Achievements
- Played bass on Bad Company's 1974 debut, an album that sold over 5 million copies in the US.
- Recorded the King Crimson album 'Islands' (1971) after learning bass in days.
- Performed on all six of Bad Company's original platinum-selling studio albums.
Did You Know?
Before music, Burrell worked as a male model in London.
His nickname 'Boz' came from a childhood mispronunciation of 'bus.'
He was considered as a replacement vocalist for both Genesis and Uriah Heep before joining Bad Company.
“I learned the bass lines in a weekend; sometimes you just have to get on with it.”
