Gary Mervin Thain (May 15, 1948 – December 8, 1975) was a New Zealand bassist, best known for his work with British rock band Uriah Heep.
Biography
Thain was born in Christchurch. He had two older brothers, Colin and Arthur. He recorded in Christchurch with The Strangers (not to be confused with the Australian band of the same name).[1] At 17, he moved to Australia and joined The Secrets, which dissolved in 1966.[2] Later, Thain was part of the rock trio The New Nadir. With drummerPeter Dawkins, he traveled from New Zealand to London, and once jammed with Jimi Hendrix before the trio split in 1969.
Amongst musicians of his time, Thain was considered an excellent bassist. Unlike many of his contemporaries, his style was melodic and progressive. He rarely played along with the root notes of the chords, but preferred his own jazz, funk, or progressive bass line. Many typical professional rock bassists never attained his ability to break up a song's direction.
Thain primarily used a 1962 Fender Jazz Bass during his stint in Uriah Heep, though he also used a Gibson Thunderbird bass and a modified Fender Precision Bass. Thain's overdriven bass tone was often created using an Acoustic 360 bass amp from Acoustic Control Corporation. Thain chose to play finger style rather than using a pick.