William Lanphier
2022-11-04
Bill Lanphier was most widely known as the bassist for Madonna's Virgin tour, which included performing on keyboard bass at the 1985 Live Aid concert. He also toured with The Rippingtons as their original bassist with credits on their first two albums. A busy session player, Bill recorded and performed with other notables such as Richard Carpenter, Harry Chapin, and Linda Ronstadt. He had a passion for playing odd-meter Balkan music and self-published a songbook of instrumental transcriptions. In later years, Bill led a weekly jam for budding jazz musicians. A sampling of his musical knowledge appears in articles he wrote for Bass Player, Bassics, and Bass Guitar.
As a journalist, his byline was WBGO-Wild Bill Get Off. An avid ATV rider who loved the dunes in particular, Bill reported on races, models, and gear. One of his faves was covering the Pont de Vaux Mondial du Quad. He was an editor for Hi-Torque publications in the 90s, and his history of the lunar rover was published in UTV Sports, April 2015 issue.
Bill had a very good eye when it came to photography, and many of his own photos accompany his magazine articles. His work earned him a nomination for the American Motorcyclist Association's Sports Photojournalist of the Year in 2003. Some of his early photographs depicting the suburbs of Chicago were exhibited in Grayslake, IL, in 2009.
William Ray Lanphier was born in Los Angeles on July 18, 1949, to Robert Flood Lanphier and Margaret, nee Ray, Lanphier. As a child, he lived in Houston, Memphis, and the Chicago area. Bill graduated from Deerfield High School in 1967 and attended DePaul University. He learned piano as a child, played drums in high school, and started playing bass at 19 under the tutelage of Steve Rodby. After a solid start to his career as a musician in Chicago, Bill moved to Los Angeles. Highlights of his time there can be seen in his self-compiled YouTube montage entitled "1980s LA music scene and me." The last twenty years of his life were spent in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he met his significant other, Janice Woo, in 2012. He died at home in Albany, CA, on November 4, 2022; the immediate cause being listed as neuroleptic malignant syndrome. Bill is survived by his many friends and a handful of distant cousins.
A celebration of life is planned for mid-July 2023. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Hospice of the East Bay.
Published by Los Angeles Times on Nov. 13, 2022.
As a journalist, his byline was WBGO-Wild Bill Get Off. An avid ATV rider who loved the dunes in particular, Bill reported on races, models, and gear. One of his faves was covering the Pont de Vaux Mondial du Quad. He was an editor for Hi-Torque publications in the 90s, and his history of the lunar rover was published in UTV Sports, April 2015 issue.
Bill had a very good eye when it came to photography, and many of his own photos accompany his magazine articles. His work earned him a nomination for the American Motorcyclist Association's Sports Photojournalist of the Year in 2003. Some of his early photographs depicting the suburbs of Chicago were exhibited in Grayslake, IL, in 2009.
William Ray Lanphier was born in Los Angeles on July 18, 1949, to Robert Flood Lanphier and Margaret, nee Ray, Lanphier. As a child, he lived in Houston, Memphis, and the Chicago area. Bill graduated from Deerfield High School in 1967 and attended DePaul University. He learned piano as a child, played drums in high school, and started playing bass at 19 under the tutelage of Steve Rodby. After a solid start to his career as a musician in Chicago, Bill moved to Los Angeles. Highlights of his time there can be seen in his self-compiled YouTube montage entitled "1980s LA music scene and me." The last twenty years of his life were spent in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he met his significant other, Janice Woo, in 2012. He died at home in Albany, CA, on November 4, 2022; the immediate cause being listed as neuroleptic malignant syndrome. Bill is survived by his many friends and a handful of distant cousins.
A celebration of life is planned for mid-July 2023. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Hospice of the East Bay.
Published by Los Angeles Times on Nov. 13, 2022.
I knew Bill back in DHS days only in passing. But I watched the You Tube videos of Bill's performances on bass as a member of various professional bands. EXCELLENT WORK! Since I'm a semi-professional keyboard player, I wish now I had kept up with him after graduation. He played jazz, probably the most interesting and creative type of Western music around these days, and he played like a real pro. Great talent. I am so proud of him and so sorry he has left us!
tribute by Harold Benson