Andrew Bodnar, Bassist For Graham Parker Backup Band, the Rumour, Dies

Graham Parker and the Rumour, during their reunion while filming Judd Apatow’s 2012 movie, This is 40. Andrew Bodnar is at far left.

Andrew Bodnar, the bass guitarist best known as a member of the British band the Rumour, that served as the backup band for Graham Parker beginning in the mid-1970s, died in early January 2026. The news of his death at age 71 was announced on Jan. 5 by Dave Robinson, who co-founded the indie label Stiff Records. “Sad to say that Andrew Bodnar, really great bass player, lovely person and great friend has gone on the tour bus in the sky,” Robinson wrote. Neither the cause nor place of death, nor the exact date, was indicated.

On X, Parker wrote, “Very hard news to take this morning,” describing Bodnar as “our dearest friend and bass player of genius brilliance.”

The Rumour derived from several U.K. pub rock bands including Brinsley Schwarz and Ducks Deluxe. In addition to Bodnar, its founding members were guitarist Schwarz, keyboardist Bob Andrews (who died in 2025), guitarist Martin Belmont and drummer Stephen Goulding. From 1976-1980, they served as Parker’s backup band on five consecutive albums, beginning with Howlin’ Wind and including the most successful and best known release, Squeezing Out Sparks. That 1979 title includes such classic rock favorites as “Discovering Japan,” “Passion is No Ordinary Word” and “Local Girls.”

Related: Our Album Rewind of Squeezing Out Sparks

Bodnar, born on September 23, 1954, is also credited with playing bass on such Stiff recordings as Elvis Costello’s “Watching the Detectives” and Nick Lowe’s “I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass,” for which Bodnar has a co-writing credit.

Beginning in the late 1980s, he played on several of Parker’s solo albums and again a few decades later when the Rumour joined Parker for several studio albums and tours. The entire lineup appeared with Parker in the 2012 Judd Apatow film, This is 40.

Graham Parker and the Rumour recordings are available in the U.S. here, in Canada here and in the U.K. here.

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Greg Brodsky

Best Classic Bands Founder/CEO Greg Brodsky earned his first professional bylines as a reporter for the music trade weekly Record World. He still has all his vinyl albums and enjoys going to flea markets and garage sales to grow his collection.

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