Tony Durkin was bass player in The Hipster Image - a UK band that recorded with the Decca label in 1965. One of their few recordings, released by Decca as a B-side called Make Her Mine remained largely unappreciated for 35 years. Then it was included in a 1999 ‘Mod Scene’ compilation CD in the UK, discovered & featured in a Levis’ jeans advert in 9 territories and providing as new re-released as a CD single in Japan in the same year.
Tony’s daughter, New Zealander Julia Durkin, has produced a series of activations, a film 'The Bass Player' is in production over many years following her research and began as a video diary of the song’s journey and motivated as a part of a bigger, family story centred on Julia’s father, performer, bass player, Tony – an unknown musician, now presenting her own merchandise designs on postcards, t-shirts, tote bags and more to celebrate the family history of the success of the band's music in Japan.
“It’s been a labour of love to get it this far. It’s a Japanese story about the song's rise to success in the Japanese hit parade early in the new millennia and its continued influence in Japan’s music scene. The project is an exploration of the song and its influence, a chance to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its reissue in 2019 – and a family history project about ‘the bass player’ in my life, my father.”
These products are our premium collectibles for the fans of The Bass Player, and the 1960s music he helped create a unique bass rhythm for. Official merchandise of The Bass Player Limited.
