Fraternity bassist Bruce Howe has died (Picture: ABC/Australian Story)
Rock star Bruce Howe has died aged 77.
The veteran musician, who was the bassist for 70s band Fraternity with Jimmy Barnes and AC/DC legend Bon Scott, died after a lengthy ‘battle with cancer’.
Confirming the sad news, Barnes wrote on social media: ‘My dear friend Bruce Howe has passed away after a battle with cancer.
‘Bruce was the first person I rang when I went solo. He played bass with my band and helped guide me through the early years of my career.
‘He will be sadly missed. RIP, you were the most ferocious bass player I’ve ever heard.’
Fraternity, who topped the charts in Australia with singles Seasons of Change and If You Got It, formed in 1970 before the group disbanded five years later.
Howe was a key part of Fraternity’s success (Picture: Wikipedia)
Howe founded the band with bandmates John Bisset, Mick Jurd and Tony Buettel, with Highway to Hell singer Scott, who died in 1980, joining the following year.
When Scott left in 1973 and went on to join AC/DC, John Swan stepped in as lead singer the following year, before his younger brother Barnes took over in 1975.
Howe stayed active after the end of Fraternity, and continuing to work with Barnes on his solo projects.
Barnes told Adelaide Now this week: ‘Bruce was a hard taskmaster. He used to hit me in the back of the head with his bass if I sang flat. He was full on, tough and demanding but he encouraged me to drag out more of myself.
‘I can’t thank Bruce enough for working with me after I left Cold Chisel. He was the one musician I needed around me at that crucial time in my life.’
Music promoter Victor Marshall praised Howe for the ‘crucial role’ he played in changing Australia’s musical landscape, but ‘guiding some of the nation’s most renowned rock front men’.
He added: ‘We take immense pride in Bruce’s achievements in music and his steadfast dedication to those he cherished.’
Howe, whose wife Anne died in 2023, retired from music several years ago as he dealt with ongoing health issues.
Howe worked with Bon Scott before he joined AC/DC (Picture: Larry Hulst/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
He once described Bon Scott as a ‘wonderful bloke’ to work with, and someone fully dedicated to the music.
He told ABC’s Australian Story in 2022: ‘The only thing that mattered to him was getting up there and being a successful front man…
‘We all knew this wasn’t going to end well. But he was a wonderful bloke and I loved him heaps.’
Howe is survived by his son JJ, and grandchildren Jack and Jasmin.
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