Rosebrough was key figure behind scenes for Big Star
Veteran Memphis musician Richard Rosebrough — best known for his association with seminal cult band Big Star, as well as the solo careers of Alex Chilton and Chris Bell — has died. An accomplished drummer and engineer, the 66-year-old was found at his East Memphis home Sunday. The cause of death is unknown, but Mr. Rosebrough had been battling various health issues in recent months, his family said.
“Richard was a wonderful person, and an extraordinary musician,” said Big Star drummer and Ardent Studio CEO Jody Stephens. “As a drummer, he was a guy who could conjure emotion with his playing like nobody else that I know. When you listen to him on Big Star’s ‘What’s Going Ahn’ or Chris Bell’s ‘I Am the Cosmos,’ Richard gave those songs this great depth emotionally.”
Born in 1949 in Memphis, Mr. Rosebrough attended East High School and began his career playing in a series of mid-’60s garage bands with future Big Star co-founder Chris Bell. The pair were among a group of young musicians who learned the art and craft of recording at Ardent starting in the late’60s Memphis musician and engineer Richard Rosebrough performed at a tribute to his friend, late Big Star co-founder Chris Bell, earlier this year. under the tutelage of owner John Fry (who passed away last December).
Mr. Rosebrough would go on to work with Fry, as well as producer Jim Dickinson at Ardent, and later at the Sam Phillips Recording Service, distinguishing himself as a gifted session player and studio hand.
“I like to say I’ve got three mentors,” Mr. Rosebrough told author Robert Gordon in his 1995 history “It Came from Memphis.” “John Fry taught me how to record, Jim Dickinson taught me when to record, and Sam Phillips taught me how to make it interesting.”
As a drummer, Mr. Rosebrough was a gifted, versatile player. His work behind the kit, and behind the board, helped land his early-’70s rock band Alamo a major-label deal with Atlantic. Most notably, he appeared on a trio of tracks (“What’s Goin’ Ahn,” “She’s a Mover” and “Mod Lang”) on Big Star’s seminal 1974 album “Radio City,” alongside the band’s longtime drummer Stephens.
“I was a fan of his from before we met,” said Stephens, who first encountered Mr. Rosebrough in 1970. “I was always a little in awe of his drumming; he was that good. He not only played to serve the song, but to give the song mood and emotion. That’s what we all aspired to … Richard always got there.”
Having played together since their teenage years, Mr. Rosebrough was instrumental in helping create Bell’s post-Big Star solo masterpiece “I Am the Cosmos.” He also maintained a long relationship with Bell’s erstwhile Big Star partner, Chilton. Mr. Rosebrough played on Chilton’s earliest solo sessions in 1969 and continued his collaboration with the mercurial singer through the ’70s, appearing on albums including “Bach’s Bottom” and “Like Flies on Sherbert.”
As an engineer, Mr. Rosebrough was one of the key cogs in the Ardent machine, working regularly at the studio between 1968 and 1976. Over the course of his career, he would be credited on albums by swamp soul singer Tony Joe White, Southern rockers Black Oak Arkansas, “French Elvis” Johnny Hallyday, jazz pianist Phineas Newborn, bluesman Little Milton, alt-country pioneers Jason and the Scorchers, and guitarist Ry Cooder.
Mr. Rosebrough had been deeply involved in the various Big Star/Chilton/Bell-related projects in recent years, helping with a series of related reissues, appearing in the documentary “Nothing Can Hurt Me: The Big Star Story,” as well as performing at several tribute concerts.
Memorial services will be held at Memorial Park Funeral Home, 5668 Poplar Avenue, on Saturday. Visitation starts at 10 a.m. with a graveside service scheduled for noon.