John Waddington, who was the guitarist for electronic rock group the Pop Group, has died aged 63.
The announcement was made by the band on social media, who wrote that the late musician’s ‘energy and friendship will be sorely missed’, after they suffered the loss of frontman Mark Stewart in April this year.
Their statement read: ‘John Waddington – former guitarist and founding member of The Pop Group – has passed away.
‘An influential musician, and an integral member of the group, John contributed to some of the band’s most iconic recordings, playing on their first two albums ‘Y’ and ‘For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?’.’
It continued: ‘John later joined Maximum Joy for their debut album ‘Station MXJY’ and continued to make memorable appearances on records by Judy Nylon and by On-U Sound affiliated projects including New Age Steppers and African Head Charge.
‘John’s energy and friendship will be sorely missed, and his unforgettable musicianship will always be remembered.’
Waddington was born on New Year’s Day in 1960, and died on Tuesday June 20 2023.
He formed his first short-lived band, The Boyfriends, when he was a teenager, before turning his attention to The Pop Group as a founding member.
Formed in Bristol in 1977, the other members included Stewart on vocals, bassist Simon Underwood, drummer Bruce Smith and Gareth Sager, as a guitarist and saxophonist.
Following their formation, they were active for four years, releasing their two albums Y and For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder? in 1979 and 1980 respectively, before their split in 1981.
The Pop Group were reformed almost three decades later in 2010 with three of the five original members – Stewart, Sager and Smith.
In April this year, it was announced by the band that Stewart had died aged 62, as they shared in a statement: ‘Mark is in communion with love.
‘As Sufis say, there is no such thing as death, no one is going to die, but since death is so valuable, it has been hidden in the safe of fears. Mark’s family and friends respectfully ask to be given space at this difficult time.’
After Waddington’s time with The Pop Group came to an end, he joined post-punk band Maximum Joy, who paid tribute to him on Twitter.
‘Maximum Joy are saddened to announce that their original guitarist, John Waddington has died. John’s guitar playing was an integral part of the Maximum Joy sound. He played on and contributed to all the early Maximum Joy recordings. Condolences to his family and friends. RIP,’ the tweet read.
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