Steve Priest, the bassist who also sang in the London glam rock band the Sweet, has died. Priest’s bandmate Andy Scott confirmed the news in a Facebook post. He was 72.
Priest joined the Sweet in 1968 and stayed with the group for all of their nine studio albums. They disbanded in 1982. The band was best known for hit singles in the ’70s like “Fox on the Run,” “Love Is Like Oxygen,” and “Little Willy.” “The Ballroom Blitz,” arguably their best known song, begins with singer Brian Connolly asking the question, “Are you ready, Steve?” Priest’s memoir, also called Are You Ready, Steve?, was released in 1994.
In the years prior to his death, Priest remained active as a musician, touring the world with his own version of the band called Steve Priest’s Sweet. “He was the best bass player I ever played with,” Andy Scott wrote in a statement. “The noise we made as a band was so powerful. From that moment in the summer of 1970 when set off on our Musical Odyssey the world opened up and the rollercoaster ride started! … Rest in Peace brother. All my love.”