Zombies Bassist Jim Rodford Dies

Maggie Clarke / Twitter.com/TheZombiesMusic – Jim Rodford

Jim Rodford, bassist for The Zombies feat. Colin Blunstone & Rod Argent, has died after a fall on the stairs. He was 76.

Although he wasn’t The Zombies first bassist, Rodford was there at the beginning when his younger cousin Rod Argent was forming the band.  Rodford’s gig with St. Albans band The Bluetones kept the bassist from joining the group, but didn’t prevent him from giving his cousin a helping hand.

“He loaned us The Bluetones’ state of the art gear for our very first rehearsal, arranged the rehearsal space, and even showed Hugh [Grundy] the first kick and snare drum pattern our original drummer learned,” wrote Rod Argent on The Zombies’ social media pages, saying Rodford not only helped organize the band’s first gigs but was the first person outside The Zombies to hear and critique the band’s first record – “She’s Not There.”

Rodford went on to play in The Mike Cotton Sound and the Lonnie Donegan Band, was a founder of Rod Argent’s ’70s progressive rock band, Argent and joined The Kinks in 1978.  The bassist was the recipient of a Doctorate of Music, granted last year by the University of Hertfordshire.  He joined a newly reformed Zombies at the end of last century.

“When Colin [Blunstone] and I put together our second incarnation in late 1999, our first phone call was to Jim.  He gave us absolutely unflagging commitment, loyalty and unbelievable energy for eighteen years, and our gratitude is beyond measure,” Argent wrote.