Andrew James Dalrymple Gill[1] (1 January 1956 – 1 February 2020)[2] was an English musician and record producer. He was the lead guitarist for the rock band Gang of Four, which he co-founded in 1976. Gill was known for his angular, jagged style of guitar on albums such as Entertainment! (1979) and Solid Gold (1981) and hit singles such as "At Home He's a Tourist", "Damaged Goods", "Anthrax", "What We All Want" and "I Love a Man in a Uniform".[3]
Gill was noted for a distinctive rhythm guitar style and sound, emphasizing a treble-heavy attack likened by one critic to "metal splintering."[6] He favoured tight linkage with drums and bass, and unlike many guitarists shunned the "warmer" sound of valve amplifiers in favour of the "coldness" and "thinness" of a Fender Stratocaster through transistor amps.[7][8]
Gill's death was announced by Gang of Four on 1 February 2020.[12][13] He was 64. A band's spokesman told The New York Times that the cause of death was listed as multiple organ failure and pneumonia.[14] On 14 May 2020, following a hospital investigation, Mayer realised that Gill was an early victim of the COVID-19 pandemic, following a music tour to China in November 2019.[15][16]
Gill was often mistaken for the journalist and music critic Andy Gill (1953–2019), who began his career at the NME in 1977 and was chief music critic of The Independent from 1990.[17]
