Trevor Bolder
His thunderous bass lines provided the backbone for David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and powered decades of Uriah Heep's hard rock.
1950–2013 (age 63)·English rock bassist, musician, songwriter and record producer·Birthday: June 9·Baby Boomers
Biography
Trevor Bolder's entry into rock history was dramatic. In 1972, as a young bassist, he was recruited into the Spiders from Mars, the band that gave life to David Bowie's alien rock star, Ziggy Stardust. Bolder's driving, melodic bass on albums like 'Aladdin Sane' was crucial, anchoring the glam-rock chaos. After the Spiders disbanded, he briefly played with Mott the Hoople before finding a permanent home with the British hard rock institution Uriah Heep in 1976. There, for most of the next four decades, his steady, powerful playing and songwriting contributions became a fixture of the band's sound, helping them navigate the shifting tides of rock music. Known for his reliability and solid stage presence, Bolder was the unsung engine room for two of rock's most theatrical acts, his work heard by millions who may never have known his name.
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.
Trevor was born in 1950, 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 Trevor Was Born
The biggest hits of 1950
#1 Movie
Cinderella
Best Picture
All About Eve
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Trevor's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1950Born
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1955Started school
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1963Became a teenager
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Could drive
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1968Could vote
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Turned 21
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1980Turned 30
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 40
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 50
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 60
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2013Died at 63
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
Key Achievements
- Played bass on classic David Bowie albums including 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars' and 'Aladdin Sane'.
- Served as the longtime bassist for Uriah Heep, appearing on over 15 of their studio albums from 1976 onward.
- Toured and recorded with Mott the Hoople following the breakup of the Spiders from Mars.
Did You Know?
Before music, he worked as a postman and a furniture van driver.
He was originally a trumpet player before switching to bass guitar.
Bolder was brought into the Spiders from Mars by guitarist Mick Ronson, who was a friend from their hometown of Hull.
“My bassline on 'Aladdin Sane' was a simple, relentless question to the chaos.”
