Barry Mitchell, the second bassist for Queen, has died. The news was confirmed by the band's official archivist Greg Brooks in a Facebook post. Mitchell was a member of Queen from August 1970 to January 1971, before the band found fame.
Archivist confirms death
Brooks shared a black and white image of Mitchell from 1970 and wrote: "Terribly sad news just received that early Queen bass player, Barry Mitchell, has passed away. His anecdotes at the convention were fascinating and offered rare insight. He will be greatly missed."
Before John Deacon joined the legendary line-up alongside Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor and Brian May, Queen had three other bass players: Mike Grose, Barry Mitchell and Doug Bogie.
Mitchell's time with Queen
Mitchell had played with a group called Conviction before being recommended to Roger Taylor for Queen. In a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, he recalled: "...We played quite a few concerts in England, notably in Liverpool. Since we didn't have enough original songs to last a whole show and Freddie loved classic rock & roll, we played that too."
He played 13 gigs with the band before his exit. Explaining his departure, he said: "They fired me because they thought I was useless," before adding: "In fact, it was me who wasn't enthusiastic enough about their music. This didn't necessarily go in the direction I wanted to go."
He reflected: "At the time, they weren't at all the cult band you all know. I didn't see the potential. It's crazy to say this now but it's the truth."
Musical legacy and later career
Mitchell had laid down many of the bass lines and riffs on songs such as Liar and Son And Daughter for future bassists to follow, although John Deacon would improvise his own variations for stage performances.
After leaving Queen, he abandoned the music business entirely before returning in the 1990s in the band Jayne Raydio alongside members Steve Ray, Frank Carter, and Darren Claxton.
Fans pay tribute
Tributes flooded in from fans who had met Mitchell at Queen fan gatherings. One fan wrote on Facebook: "Aw, sad to hear this. We met him once at the UK Convention in 2009. He was an interesting speaker that day, and we closed the pub down that night...RIP Barry."
Another said: "RIP Barry Mitchell you will be missed. Such a lovely man xx." A third added: "Sorry to hear of Barry's passing. Only met him once but he seemed a really nice man. Condolences to his family & friends. Xx"
A fourth recalled: "Sad.... Spent many Conventions with Barry. Good times, good laughs along the way. Great guy, My best to all family at this time. Us Queen fans loved our Barry... RIP."
A fifth shared: "RIP Barry Mitchell, Lots of great memories of you at Queen conventions, a really nice fella. My thoughts are with Barry's family at this sad time." A sixth reflected: "I want to thank you for all the music that you gave us throughout the decades and the years...godspeed and God be with you Barry Mitchell."
