Trevor Bolder was part of David Bowie’s Spiders From Mars in the early 70s, but for most of the past three and a half decades he’s been an integral part of Uriah Heep. A great bass player, as anyone who’s seen Uriah Heep in recent years will attest, and taken from us far too soon. He’d stepped down from Uriah Heep due to ill-health earlier this year, with Arena and former IQ bassist John Jowitt standing in for him, but had hoped to return to the band in the summer.

I’ve seen him with Uriah Heep many times, and I will never forget that barnstorming performance at the 2009 Cambridge Rock Festival, when the band came on something like two hours late because of technical problems, and just blew the doors off. His powerful bass playing contributed a lot to the huge energy of Uriah Heep’s live performances.

I only ever met him the once, and only briefly, at the Uriah Heep acoustic show in London back in 2000, but he came over as a lovely guy. He will be greatly missed.

Trevor Bolder is going into hospital for an operation which will require several months’ recuperation. Everyone connected with Uriah Heep wishes Trevor a speedy operation and recovery, and Trevor’s wishes are that the band should carry on without him, until he is fit and ready to come back.

Venerated bass player John [JJ] Jowitt has agreed to deputise for Trevor at short notice, to ensure that the band’s show in Israel at the end of January can still go ahead

Having spent 20 years with IQ, plus varying stints with Ark, Arena, Jadis, Frost and other respected bands, John is renowned for his on-stage charisma and has won Classic Rock Society’s Bass poll on no less than 10 separate occasions.

Mick Box said:- “We all wish Trevor a speedy return to the fold, and in the meantime we are very pleased that JJ has agreed to step in and cover Trev’s unique bass panache, so crucial to Heep’s sound. JJ will also contribute to the signature 5-part vocal operatics”.

John Jowitt said:- “I have long been an admirer of Trevor Bolder’s iconic playing, and it is a huge honour to be asked to stand in for one of the all-time greats of the bass. I intend to bring due respect to the legend that is Uriah Heep, and I hope I can do justice to Trevor’s presence, both on and off stage”.

We know all of you out there will support Trevor and the Band as we move forward together into 2013. Trevor will use his recuperation period to write songs for the new Uriah Heep album, the follow up to Into The Wild, which will be put together in the next 12 months.

As a long-standing fan of Uriah Heep who once (briefly) met Trevor Bolder, I wish him a speedy and full recovery from the operation. Although Trevor is not a founding member of the band and wasn’t on some of their classic early albums, his time in the band does go right back to the 70s, and he’s an important part of what makes the current band Uriah Heep. And he’s a damned fine bass player. He wouldn’t have played bass for David Bowie if he wasn’t.

I’m sure the multiple winner of the Best John Jowitt Award will be a worthy stand-in in the meantime.