Dave Greenfield was keyboard player in The Stranglers, frontrunners in the Punk movement. In a genre where lack of musicality was sometimes seen as a badge of honour, his virtuosity stood out from the very beginning, giving the band a sound that set them apart from their contemporaries.
Often compared to Ray Manzarek from The Doors, he was responsible for many of their best tunes, such as the eerie ‘Waltz in Black’, and arguably The Stranglers’ finest moment, ‘Golden Brown’, which had originally been rejected from earlier sessions.
His use of harpsichord, Hammond organ, vocoder and synthesizer remain peerless amongst bands of the era, and he was still planning to go on the road again this year, before the pandemic intervened.
His fellow band members have paid tribute to him, bassist Jean Jacques Burnell calling him a “musical genius”. Hospitalised for heart problems, he contracted the Covid-19 virus and died in the evening of May 3rd at the age of 71. He is survived by his wife Pam.
He will be sorely missed by music fans the world over.
