Tracy Pew facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tracy Pew
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Tracy Pew of The Birthday Party, Victoria College, Prahran, 1981
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Tracy Franklin Pew |
| Born | 19 December 1957 Australia |
| Origin | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 7 November 1986 (aged 28) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Genres | Rock and roll, post-punk |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Bass, double bass, wind, clarinet |
| Years active | 1975–1986 |
| Labels | Mushroom, Missing Link |
| Associated acts | The Boys Next Door, The Birthday Party, The Saints, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds |
Tracy Franklin Pew (born December 19, 1957 – died November 7, 1986) was an Australian musician. He was best known as the bassist for the band The Birthday Party. A bassist plays the bass guitar, which provides the low-pitched sounds and rhythm in music.
Tracy Pew also played with other bands like The Saints and worked with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. He passed away at the age of 28 due to health complications.
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Tracy Pew's Early Life
Tracy Franklin Pew was born in Australia on December 19, 1957. When he was young, his family moved to New Zealand in 1959. They returned to Australia in May 1964.
From 1972, Tracy attended Caulfield Grammar School in Melbourne. He lived in Mount Waverley and learned to play the bass guitar. His friend, Chris Walsh, taught him how to play.
Starting His Music Career
In 1975, Tracy Pew joined a rock band called The Boys Next Door. He played bass alongside his school friends. These friends included Nick Cave on vocals, Mick Harvey on guitar, and Phill Calvert on drums.
In December 1978, Rowland S. Howard joined the band on guitar. The Boys Next Door released their first album, Door, Door, in April 1979. They also released a song called "Scatterbrain" in October of that year.
The Boys Next Door were one of the first bands from Melbourne to become popular after the punk music scene of the late 1970s. They aimed to create new and exciting rock music.
Moving to London
In February 1980, The Boys Next Door changed their name to The Birthday Party. They decided to move to London, England, to reach more listeners. Rowland S. Howard explained that they wanted to find a bigger audience for their unique music.
In November 1980, the band returned to Australia. They released their first album as The Birthday Party, called Prayers on Fire, in April 1981. After that, they went back to London in August. Tracy Pew wrote a song called "The Plague" for Prayers on Fire, but it was not included on the album. The band later moved to Berlin, Germany, in August 1982.
New Musical Adventures
The Birthday Party played their final concert on June 9, 1983. However, Tracy Pew continued to play music. In early 1984, he briefly played bass for Nick Cave – Man or Myth?, which later became Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
Tracy Pew then returned to Melbourne to study literature and philosophy at Monash University. In mid-1984, he joined a touring version of the punk band The Saints. He played bass alongside Chris Burnham and Ian Shedden.
Tracy also contributed to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' album of cover songs, Kicking Against the Pricks, released in August 1986. He also played on Lydia Lunch's album Honeymoon in Red, which came out in 1987.
During his music career, Tracy Pew was known for playing several instruments. These included the bass guitar, double bass, wind instruments, and the clarinet. He also helped write some songs for The Birthday Party. These included "She's Hit" from the album Junkyard (1982), "Sonny's Burning" from The Bad Seed (1982), and "Swampland" from Mutiny (1983).
Tracy Pew's Later Life
Tracy Pew experienced epileptic seizures. In late 1986, he had a seizure while in his bath. This led to serious head injuries. He passed away a few days later, on November 7, 1986, from a brain haemorrhage. He was 28 years old.
Images for kids
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Tracy Pew of The Birthday Party, Victoria College, Melbourne, Prahran, 1981
