Raymond ‘Boz’ Burrell, 60; Original Bass Player for Bad Company

Raymond “Boz” Burrell, 60, original bass player for the hard rock group Bad Company, died Sept. 21 of a heart attack at his home in Spain.

Born in 1946 in Holbeach, England, Burrell was a singer who joined the progressive rock band King Crimson in 1970 and learned to play the bass when auditions failed to turn up a suitable player.

He left King Crimson in 1972 and a year later joined a new group being formed by Paul Rodgers, vocalist for the band Free, and Mick Ralphs, the guitarist for Mott the Hoople. Along with drummer Simon Kirke, also of Free, they became Bad Company.

The stripped-down four-piece band was an immediate success, its self-titled debut album and the single “Can’t Get Enough” topping the Billboard charts in 1974.

The group became known for its simple, blues-based rock ‘n’ roll and had six million-selling records and a string of hit singles including “Ready for Love” and “Feel Like Makin’ Love.”

Bad Company disbanded in 1983 but regrouped three years later and continued playing, with various lineups. Burrell left the band in 1990 and returned in 1998 for a reunion tour.