The bassist of an early version of Queen in 1970, Mike Grose has passed away.
Guitarist Brian May has announced his ex-bandmate's death on Instagram with a caption that says, "Yes — not a jolly time for us," he wrote on Instagram. "Mike Grose was Queen’s first bass player. Around 1970, Roger [Taylor] invited him to come up to London from Cornwall to rehearse with us, putting those first songs together. He was a powerful figure, with powerful gear! His sound was massive and monolithic! In the end, the liaison didn’t work out, but we owe Mike gratitude for helping us take those first steps. RIP Mike. Bri"
On Facebook, May said that Grose had played three shows with Queen sometime between 27th June to 25th July. Queen's drummer, Roger Taylor said, "So sad to hear about my old friend Mike Grose, who I first heard in a band called the Individuals, when we were both still at school. He always sounded huge. RIP."
In Mark Blake's 'Is This the Real Life?: The Untold Story of Queen', Blake indicates that Grose was not a student at the time and the hours working on songs in between gigs was not compatible with his style.
"Grose was used to working a day job and playing gigs in the evening." Blake adds, "Grose thought the band had potential but wasn’t prepared to wait. He quit after a few months, returned to Cornwall, played briefly in a group called No Joke with, bizarrely, Tim Staffell, before forming his own haulage company and dropping out of the music scene."
Barry Mitchell replaced Grose before John Deacon became the permanent bassist in February 1971 until 1997.
