Gary Fountaine

From the website of NuShooz, the beloved band Gary played with for much of his career (February 4, 2024).

We lost a good friend recently. Our beloved Bass Player Gary Fountaine died of cancer on Dec 28, 2023, at the age of 66.

Gary was just a kid when we first met him, thirteen or fourteen. He already knew he wanted to be a bass player, but he didn’t have his own bass yet. I can still picture him the day we met; he was playing Stanley Clarke riffs on a beat-up Harmony Sovereign. Back then, he had this crazy one-finger technique.

We lost track of him for a while. In the meantime, Gary developed into the accomplished bass player we know and love. He played in a million bands. There were lots of places to play in those days. Gary didn’t read music. He told me once that he kept track of all the different set lists by compartmentalizing them in his brain.

Gary used funny terms like “Ice Cream Changes” and “Lumpty Gigs.” He also taught me things about being a father, things I remember to this day.

There are certain players and singers who put out 110% every night, whether there are five people in the audience or 50,000. THEY LEAVE IT ALL ON THE STAGE. There are a lot of clips of Gary on YouTube right now. (You'll find a special one [here].) You can see the joy that emanates from his corner of the stage, whatever band he’s playing with. He’s so happy to be there. He loves his instrument. He loves the music and the audience. It was never fake.

Everybody knows the real thing when they see it, and Gary Fountaine was the real thing.

Goodbye, old friend.

THE TURNOUT by Gary Fountaine's MLC classmates and teachers at his Celebration of Life, held April 28, 2024, was substantial; the turnout from his friends and family and colleagues and fellow musicians, members of Gary's expansive social realm, was nothing short of huge.

To some of us Gary was the friendly kid with crazy hair who'd greet us in the Couch playground on sunny days in the early '70s. As he recollected in MLC's 2004 documentary, by then he was already watching over Craig Mayther's shoulder, learning guitar licks, and he would soon be drawn to the bass which he made his instrument, his art, and his calling.

Click on the images below to access photos, videos, and stories giving a strong sense of Gary's playing, his personal charisma, and his sunny character. Learn his story from his family and fellow musicians.

Gary at MLC, mid-'70s—from a Facebook post by friend, fellow MLC alumnus, and fellow musician Chris Baum.

NuShooz' farewell post.

"Studio Take 3," a beautifully produced short documentary by David Jack Jester (jesterpro), posted on YouTube 4/28/24, the day of Gary's Celebration of Life, featuring Gary showing off his technique.

Gary (at 21:47) in the 2004 documentary MLC: The Early Years, by alumna Paty Baum.

1:36 of magnificent Gary w/NuShooz live—and excellent info in the text!—preceding studio chat with Kevin Rankin, 2/26/21.

Gary and elder brother Ed, late '70s—from an 11/2022 Facebook post by Norman Sylvester (concerning the Celebration of Life for Ed, who preceded Gary in death).

"Gary Fountaine and John Smith," a fun improvisational 1992 "promotional" vid featuring banter with NuShooz co-founder Smith, created by David Jack Jester (jesterpro), posted on YouTube 4/28/24, the day of Gary's Celebration of Life.

Incredible footage of Gary holding a large crowd in the palm of his hand—beginning at 3:58 in the video "Gary Fountaine and John Smith" by David Jack Jester (jesterpro), featured on this page.

From Gary's obituary and memorial page, Estacada Funeral Chapel, 2023.

Live footage of slide show at Gary's Celebration of Life, April 28, 2024, by Wanda Broadous and Brenda G.

Gary's sister Kim Kaer and brother Tim Fountaine, interviewed by Robert Parish at Gary's 10/12/24 induction into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame.