Original Stone Roses' bassist Pete Garner dies at 59

Part of the origin story band The Patrol and later the Stone Roses, Pete Garner paved the way for Mani and success.

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L-R: Andy Couzens, Reni, Pete Garner, John Squire, Ian Brown. Photograph: Stephen Wright/Redferns

Pete Garner, the original bass player for The Stone Roses has died at the age of 59.

Pete went to school with Ian Brown, John Squire and 'Funky Si' Wolstencroft (who later joined up with one of Johnny Marr’s pre-Smiths combos, Freaky Party) and was in their school band The Patrol. He was part of the transition into The Stone Roses and played on their more aggressive, punky early tracks such as debut solo single So Young / Tell Me. He also added bass to their Martin Hannett produced debut album Garage Flower, only released years after it was recorded in 1985 (see video below).

His rock and roll appearance reflected his love of MC5, New York Dolls and The Stooges and was somewhat at odds with the Roses' later Madchester attire. As this John Robb article notes though "The songs were as euphoric and anthemic as the ones that made the band famous, maybe because songs like This Is The One and I Wanna Be Adored were already in the set. The early Roses had the swagger and attitude that, with some fine tuning, would make them famous. They certainly were not a goth band; Pete Garner’s long black hair was a testament to his love of The Stooges and New York Dolls, and their music was a louder version of what would eventually become their classic sound."

As we mentioned in our blog on their debut album Pete Garner left the band before the album was recorded, handing over four string duties to Mani. There seems to be some debate about whether he jumped or was pushed (by manager Gareth Evans) - whatever he was a key player in the early Roses sound and also in the Manchester gang mentality which fuelled their ferocious attitude and drive to succeed on their terms.

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