John Hutchinson: The Tragic Death Of David Bowie's Guitarist
John Hutchinson, famous for being David Bowie's collaborator, died on Saturday after a long period of illness. The cause of death was not revealed. The news was confirmed by the official David Bowie Twitter account one day after Hutchinson's death. "Ours [sic] thoughts are with the family and friends of John Hutchinson who passed in hospital yesterday after a long illness. John was described as 'a semi-retired and little-known jazz guitarist and a veteran of three important David Bowie bands for seven years between 1966 and 1973,'" the statement read.
The guitar player's breakthrough was with the Swedish band "The Apaches" during the 1960s. After that, he teamed up with Bowie on multiple projects; the most famous was "Space Oddity," Bowie's first hit, where he played guitar on many early versions. However, the official version of the song, released in 1969, doesn't feature Hutchinson. The demo version with Hutchinson was released for the first time in 2009 (via NME).
John Hutchinson and David Bowie worked together three times
In 1966, John Hutchison auditioned to be part of "David Bowie and the Buzz" in a residency at the legendary Marquee Club. They performed at live concerts and appeared on television multiple times in the U.K. In his memoir, "Bowie and Hutch," the guitar player revealed that he quit the band twice, was fired once, and had a diplomatic relationship with Bowie.
"We do at least stay in touch by means of an email now and then," he explained. "I do have to remember not to pester David, mind you, as we are many years and miles apart now, and there are constraints that lifestyle and fame impose upon old friends of stars like David Bowie" (via Ultimate Classic Rock).
According to his official webpage, John "Hutch" Hutchison, he focused on the oil industry in the 1980s. Still, he never stopped playing and even created a band when he lived in Azerbaijan in 2006, where he performed in the Old Baku Jazz Club.