Gary Rasmussen (left) with other members of Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Scott Morgan, Fred Smith and Scott Asheton. Joann Uhelszki photo.
Sonic’s Rendezvous Band bassist Gary Rasmussen has passed away after a short illness. He was aged 72.
A resident of Howell in Michigan, Rasmussen played bass with some of the region’s most influential bands in the late 1960s and ‘70s. He was a member of Scots Pirates, The Rendezvous Band, The Scott Morgan Group, The Up and more recently, Broken Arrow Blues Band. He also appeared on Patti Smith’s “Dream of Life” album.
After suffering a sore throat and back pain on Tuesday, Gary was admitted to hospital. He was transferred to University of Michigan Hospital where he was put into an induced coma after doctors diagnosed meningitis. He passed on Friday, surrounded by family and friends including longtime partner Marla Swartz.
The Up was the virtual house band for the White Panther Party. Elektra Records label boss Jac Holzman watched the MC5, the Stooges and The Up perform at the University of Michigan’s Union Ballroom on September 22, 1968, and signed the former two.
The Up never landed a major label deal but remained at the front of the Michigan underground scene until breaking up in 1972. They famously played the December 10, 1971, Ann Arbor rally headlined by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in solidarity with MC5 manager John Sinclair after his notorious marijuana bust.
A retrospective compilation of the Up was finally released by Alive/Total Energy in 1995. In the liner notes, John Sinclair (whose brother David managed the Up) wrote: “It’s common to name the MC5 and the Stooges among the forefathers of what they call punk rock, but it was their associates in a third band, the Up, who could more accurately be identified as the real precursors of punk.”
With Broken Arrow Blues band. M. Rickard photo.
Rasmussen went on to Sonic's Rendezvous Band, played on their only single "City Slang, and appears on almost every posthumous release by local imprint Mack Aborn Rhythmic and UK label Easy Action. He was also a one-off member of Iggy Pop's 1978 tourng band when the members of Sonic's Rendezvous Band, except for Scott Morgan, joined him for a run through Europe.
More recently, Gary fought and beat leukemia while playing with Broken Arrow Blues Band, He played a show with them – a benefit to raise money for a local charity - last weekend.
