'A Very Large Hole In The Music Industry': Tributes Pour In After Legendary Aus Muso Passes Away

Bass player Ronnie Peel, also known as Rockwell T. James, passed away on Sunday and those who shared studios and stages with him over the years have been posting tributes online to mark his passing.

Peel is probably best known for playing in The La De Das with guitar legend Kevin Borich and John Paul Young & The Allstar Band. He also played briefly with Thunderclap Newman, The Missing Links and Cheetah amongst others.

In 1976, under the moniker Rockwell T. James, Peel had a top 40 hit in Australia with Roxanne.

John Paul Young & The Allstar Band posted that they were mourning the loss of "one of the foundations of the All Star Band". In an additional statement sent via his publicist, Young, along with fellow Allstar Band member Warren Morgan, said, "He was my friend first – and a gentleman…..one of a kind. We had 45 years of laughs. He was a very brave man and will leave a very large hole in my life and the Australian music industry. The last couple of years have been very difficult for him, we have missed him on the stage with us and we will now miss him even more. He was my hero."

Kevin Borich paid tribute to "a wonderful man and friend - we played so many great shows together".

Seventies rock icon Daryl Braithwaite posted about the "kind lovely soul" that Peel was and fondly remembered congregating on the rocks in summer down at Sydney's Tamarama Beach.

You can check out a performance of Roxanne on Countdown here (which as you can see at the start and end, featured Braithwaite on the couch):