Tetsu Yamauchi, Bassist for Free and the Faces, Dead at 79

Bassist Tetsu Yamauchi, whose career included stints with Free and the Faces, died Dec. 4 at the age of 79.

A statement shared by his family on social media noted that Yamauchi “passed away peacefully, surrounded by family. We sincerely thank everyone who enjoyed Tetsu’s music and offered kind words until now. Those were fun times. It’s a long time, but a short time.”

Born in Fukuoka, Japan, Yamauchi got his start in music in the late ‘60s with the Japanese prog rock group Micky Curtis & the Samurais. The band released a pair of albums in 1971 before Yamauchi was recruited to join Free members Paul Kossoff, Simon Kirke and John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick for a one-off album called Kossoff Kirke Tetsu Rabbit.

When Did Tetsu Yamauchi Join Free?

At the time, Free was splintered, due largely to fighting between bassist Andy Fraser and singer Paul Rodgers. When an attempted reconciliation in 1972 didn’t last, Yamauchi was officially brought into Free to replace Fraser. He played on what would be the group’s last album, Heartbreaker, and co-wrote the hit song “Wishing Well.”

Listen to Free’s ‘Wishing Well’

When Free broke up for the last time in 1973, Yamauchi moved on to the Faces, replacing bassist and co-founder Ronnie Lane. The fit proved problematic. “We made a mistake really with Tetsu,” keyboardist Ian McLagan later recalled. “It wasn’t his fault, but he was a party boy and thought he was in for lots of drinks and a little bit of playing, while we were looking for more creation and a lot less boozing.”

During his two-year run in the Faces, Yamauchi played on the live album Coast to Coast: Overture and Beginners, as well as the band’s last single, “You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything (Even Take the Dog for a Walk, Mend a Fuse, Fold Away the Ironing Board, Or Any Other Domestic Shortcomings).”

After the Faces broke up, Yamauchi focused on solo material and worked as a session musician. He later returned to Japan and formed Tetsu Yamauchi & the Good Times Roll Band, which released a live album in 1977.

Yamauchi collaborated with jazz musicians and still occasionally released material through the ‘90s. Since then he’s largely retired from music.

In a message on social media, Kirke remembered Yamauchi as “a good friend and a great bass player. My condolences to his family and close friends. May he rest in peace.”