Buddy Gask
Buddy Gask | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | William George Gask |
| Also known as | Buddy Gask |
| Born | 18 December 1945 Leicester, UK |
| Died | 7 June 2011 (aged 65) Alicante, Spain |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Formerly of | Showaddywaddy |
William George Gask, known as Buddy Gask, was a backing singer (and sometimes lead singer) for the rock and roll revival group Showaddywaddy.
Nicknamed Buddy, William George Gask was the lead singer for Billy & The Fenders, and later The Golden Hammers, who met the band Choise and became Showaddywaddy in 1973. He was one of two backing singers of Showaddywaddy with Al James. Gask often took lead vocals for a few songs.
Gask was asked by the band to leave in 1987, and he and drummer/backing singer Malcolm Allured formed The Fabulous Teddys. Gask's health worsened as he got older, and he retired to Spain in 2005, where he died in 2011 from complications from cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Gask was the first original member to pass away
Life
[edit]William Gask was born in Leicester on 18 December 1945. He was the second oldest original member of Showaddywaddy.
Gask was a singer in Billy & The Fenders, where he met Malcolm Allured in 1963.[1][2] They were later in The Golden Hammers with Russ Field and Rod Deas. Field, Deas, and Allured joined Showaddywaddy in 1973, originally without Gask. Dave Bartram said in a 2003 interview that Buddy was not originally a member of the band when it was formed, and only joined them once they hit the road.[3]
Gask was a backing singer with Al James, and sometimes sang lead, such as on their first song "Hey Rock & Roll" and "Heartbeat", and also performed the bass vocals on songs such as the opening to "Pretty Little Angel Eyes", Blue Moon", and "I Wonder Why", and had a verse on "A Little Bit of Soap", all apart from Blue Moon went into the top 10 in the UK.[4] Showaddywaddy spent 209 weeks on the UK.[4]
Gask, Allured, and James were all in a side project called Burgular's Dog, active in 1981. They released a cover of the Trevor Oakes written song "I Don't Like Rock n Roll No More" in 1981 with Gask on lead vocals. Also in the band was guitarist Ray Martinez, who was in Showaddywaddy for one decade after replacing Russ Field in 1985.
Gask was asked to leave the band in September 1987, when their relationship began to strain.[1][2] He immediately opened a pub which lasted for over a decade. He had previously owned a music shop called Sound Pad and managed a farm in the 1970s.[2]
In 1994, he and Allured created a group called "The All-Stars". They later changed their name to "Buddy & Duke's Showaddywaddy", which resulted in a lawsuit from the actual band.[5][6] The lawsuit led to the band being renamed to "The Teddys", which Allured still performs in.
Gask married Beverly Lovell at Woodhouse Eaves on 1 September 1977.[1] They remained married until Gask's death.
Death
[edit]Gask was an alcoholic for many years,[7] and when his health began to deteriorate, he retired to Alicante, Spain in 2005, where he died on 7 June 2011.[2] His cause of death was cancer.[2] Gask was also suffering from Alzheimer's disease at the time.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Bill 'Buddy' Gask". Official Showaddywaddy Web Site. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ a b c d e f "Buddy's Biography : Buddy's Tribute Lifestories". muchloved.com. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ "Q&A March 2003". Official Showaddywaddy Web Site. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ a b "SHOWADDYWADDY". Official Charts. 1974-05-18. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ "Malcolm Allured". Official Showaddywaddy Web Site. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ "Q&A August 2007". Official Showaddywaddy Web Site. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ "Former Showaddywaddy singer Bill 'Buddy' Gask dies". BBC News. 2011-06-08. Retrieved 2024-09-03.