Michael Rhodes, long time bass player and collaborator with Dave Stewart has passed away in Nashville

Michael Rhodes: A Nashville Legend Lost Too Soon.

We are sad to announce that Michael Rhodes passed away on the 4th March in his hometown of Nashville.

Michael played on Dave Stewart’s first Nashville album, The Blackbird Diaries and became one of Dave’ go-to musicians for not only The Ringmaster General and Lucky Numbers albums, but a whole host of other recordings including the In Your Dreams album with Stevie Nicks. He also became an important part of Dave’s live band performing with many of the other Nashville players that Dave Stewart works with. Most recently he had recorded on Joss Stone’s album, Never Forget My Love which was co-written and produced by Dave Stewart.

Michael Rhodes was born on March 16, 1956, in California and began playing bass at the age of 11. He moved to Nashville in the early 1980s to pursue a career in music and quickly became one of the most sought-after session bass players in the city. Over the course of his career, Michael Rhodes played on countless albums, including some of the best-selling albums in country music history, such as Garth Brooks’ “No Fences” and “Ropin’ the Wind.”

He also toured with numerous artists, including Joe Bonamassa, Faith Hill, and Mark Knopfler. Michael Rhodes was known for his impeccable timing, versatility, and ability to play a wide range of musical styles, from rock to blues to country. He is credited as having worked on over 1300 songs throughout his career. He also won numerous awards, including the Academy of Country Music’s Bass Player of the Year award in 2003 and 2006 and was inducted into The Musicians Hall of Fame in 2019.

You can see Michael performing with Dave Stewart in their own tribute to Tom Petty, It’s Good To Be King below.

RIP Michael Rhodes.