Anyone that has listened to me or knows me knows how much I love the band UFO. Sadly they have been on an awful streak lately with Paul Raymond passing away last year, former guitarist Paul Chapman earlier this year, and now co founding bassist Pete Way, who we learned passed on Friday. Not going to lie, Pete lived a hard life and many are frankly amazed he made it this long. But that still doesn’t lessen the blow of his passing. Pete was one of my all time favorite bass players and a massive influence to so many artists. Look no further than the massive outpouring of respect online from every major hard rock musician you can name. UFO and Pete may not have ever been household names in the US, but the impact and influence is huge! That is undeniable. Pete co founded UFO with Phil Mogg in the late 60’s. He was a producer, songwriter, and an absolute rock star in every sense of the word. So many have posted iconic images of him in his cool outfits with that huge Firebird bass. And I truly loved his playing and stage performance. I had always held out hope I could see him one last time in UFO. He hadn’t played in the band in recent times due to his ailments. Pete was a part of every classic UFO album through ’82, when he left the band to form Fastway, then Waysted (who released a great album called Vices and also a real good more melodic album Save You Prayers). He did a brief stint with Ozzy, produced Twisted Sister’s debut, and drifted in and out of UFO and UFO related bands many times over the years. His impact on the band and rock in general was huge!
I didn’t know Pete well personally. I had interviewed him maybe a couple times, but he was well aware of my love for him and UFO. It;s tough to see a band that has been such an important part of your life lose so many members so quickly. Many considered Pete to be the “Keith Richards of Bass”. But sadly at 69 he fell victim to decades of rock excess. And Pete was transparent about this. Read his recent autobiography “Fast Ride Outta Here” for more on that. More recently Pete was working on an album with Mike Clink. I don’t know the status of that. My condolences to Pete’s family, friends, band mates and fans. This is a tough one for those that loved the guy and the music he made. Anyone will tell you who met him that he was an absolute “sweetheart” of a guy, and a rockstar with a capitol R! RIP Pete Way. You were loved by many and will be missed. He was one of a kind for sure.
Monday I will be dedicating my SiriusXM Volume show #TrunkNation to Pete. As usual it airs live 2-4P ET on 106. I already have Michael Schenker and Mike McCready confirmed to call in. Many more TBA. It’s just a question of what I have time for in 2 hours. But we will do a great radio send off to a legend and icon that touched many. Hope you can join.