Ed Gagliardi
Edward John Gagliardi (February 13, 1952 – May 11, 2014) was an American bass guitarist, best known as the original bass player for the 1970s rock band Foreigner. He was a member of Foreigner from the beginning in 1976. Gagliardi, most notably, played a Fireglo Rickenbacker bass guitar, left-handed even though he was naturally right-handed. It is widely known that he did so out of admiration, and devotion to Paul McCartney (most often self-doctored from right-handed basses, reengineered and played upside down, by Gagliardi himself). Gagliardi was on the albums Foreigner and Double Vision, but was fired from the band in 1979.
Ed Gagliardi | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Edward John Gagliardi |
| Born | February 13, 1952 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | May 11, 2014 (aged 62) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupations | Musician |
| Instruments | Bass guitar |
| Years active | 1966–2014 |
| Spouse(s) | Loretta Gagliardi |
In 1981, Gagliardi formed the band Spys with former Foreigner keyboardist Al Greenwood,[1] a band that set the tone for much of the 80's synth-rock bands, and received acclaim within the musical community.
In the early 2000s, Gagliardi worked as a Service Department Writer at Rallye Lexus in Glen Cove, New York.
Gagliardi died of cancer on May 11, 2014, after battling it for eight years. Friends and family held a private ceremony.[2][3]
References
- Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
- "Passings: Ed Gagliardi, Original Bassist For Foreigner (1952 - 2014) ~ VVN Music". Vintagevinylnews.com. 2014-05-12. Retrieved 2016-05-26.
- "Original Foreigner Bassist Ed Gagliardi Dies at 62". Ultimateclassicrock.com. 2014-05-12. Retrieved 2016-05-26.