Conway Savage, the longtime keyboards and organ player for Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, has died at the age of 58.
Though no details have been made public regarding the musician’s cause of death, it had been widely reported last year that Savage had undergone surgery for a brain tumour.
Born in Victoria in 1960, Savage began to play piano in one of the pubs owned by his publican parents. His musical career properly began in the early 1980s when he lent his piano skills to a number of bands including Happy Orphans, The Feral Dinosaurs, Dust On The Bible and The Legendary Boy Kings.
He broke through to a wider audience when he joined Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds’ 1990 tour in support of their sixth album, The Good Son. Along with bassist Martyn P. Casey, he made his recorded debut with the band with 1992’s Henry’s Dream. He then played on every Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds album until 2013’s Push The Sky Away. These included Let Love In (1994), The Boatman’s Call (1997) and Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus (2004).
Savage also enjoyed a solo career and released a number of albums including Nothing Broken (2000), Wrong Man’s Hands (2004) and 2007’s Quickie For Ducky with Amanda Fox and Robert Tickner.
Elsewhere, his niece came to prominence fronting the Melbourne band Cash Savage And The Last Drinks.
Though he sat out Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds’ last album, Skeleton Tree, he continued to tour with the band but was forced to miss a number of dates whilst undergoing surgery.
Paying tribute to their comrade, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds said: "He was much loved by everyone, band members and fans alike. Irascible, funny, terrifying, sentimental, warm-hearted, gentle, acerbic, honest, genuine – he was all of these things and quite literally 'had the gift of a golden voice,' high and sweet and drenched in soul."
Conway Savage will be sorely missed.
