Andrew Bodnar is an English bass player who grew up in Clapham, South London. He and drummer Steve Goulding (The Rumour, The Mekons, etc) met and began playing together as a rhythm section while still at school. They spent their teenage years auditioning and busking whenever they could, and were gigging around London with a cajun-influenced band called Bontemps Roulez just prior to forming The Rumour in 1975.[1] Bodnar is probably best known for his membership with Graham Parker and The Rumour (1975-1980), for playing the distinctive reggae-flavored bassline on "Watching the Detectives" by Elvis Costello, and for bass playing and co-writing (with Steve Goulding and Nick Lowe) "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass" by Nick Lowe.

Andrew Bodnar
Background information
Birth nameAndrew Bodnar
Born1954 (age 69–70)
OriginLondon
GenresPunk rock, Pop punk
OccupationMusician
InstrumentBass
Years active1975–present

Bodnar went on to become the Thompson Twins touring bassist, promoting their hit album 'Quick Step & Side Kick' during 1982-83 [2] and since played live, or on recording sessions for many artists, including Angie Bowie, The Pretenders, and Tina Turner. He also played bass for Graham Parker on his various solo albums from 1988 through the mid-1990s. Graham Parker and The Rumour reunited in 2011 to record two new albums, and they toured the UK, US and Europe through to late 2015.[3]

Bodnar played himself in the Judd Apatow film, This Is 40, released in December 2012.[4][5] He lives in rural North Yorkshire where he continues to write and record as The Punch House Family.

Partial discography

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Bodnar playing with Graham Parker and the Rumour, Chicago, 2012

Graham Parker and the Rumour

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The Rumour

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  • Max (1977)
  • Frogs Sprouts Clogs And Krauts (1978)
  • Purity Of Essence (1980)

Graham Parker

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Other artists

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References

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  1. ^ "Bontemps Roulez - Nostalgia". nostalgiacentral.com. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  2. ^ Bacon, Tony; Moorhouse, Barry (1 June 1995). The Bass Book. Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0879303686. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  3. ^ Klein, Joshua (19 December 2012). "Graham Parker's Rumour reunion a victory lap". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  4. ^ Markowitz, Andy (6 September 2011). "Graham Parker and the Rumour are back, Judd Apatow's got 'em | The Ask". Musicfilmweb.com. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  5. ^ Cristiano, Nick (27 November 2012). "Things just "happen" to rocker Graham Parker: A movie, a reunion". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 31 January 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2012.