In Ricki and the Flash, Meryl Streep portrays Ricki, a woman who abandons her family in order to pursue her dream of becoming a rock star, but then returns home later in life to help her daughter (who's played by Streep's real life daughter, Mamie Gummer) through a difficult time. The movie is mainly about Ricki's journey and the consequences of abandoning one's family in order to pursue one's own dreams, but at the end of the movie, there's a dedication in memory of a man called Rick the Bass Player. Even if you don't know much about him, you can sense that he had a major influence on the movie. But who was Rick the Bass Player?
It turns out that "the Bass Player" was the nickname of musician Rick Rosas, who has a supporting role in the film. In Ricki and the Flash, the band The Flash is populated with actual musicians to back up Streep, who sings and plays guitar on-stage. Rick Springfield (singer of "Jessie's Girl") plays guitar, Joe Vitale (Eagles) plays drums, Bernie Worrell (Parliament-Funkadelic) plays keyboards, and Rosas appears as Buster, the band's bassist. Unfortunately, Rosas passed away from lung disease at the age of 65 on November 6, 2014, before the movie had finished shooting. Thankfully, fans still get to see his remarkable bass skills in the movie, and his legacy will surely live on as more people flock to see Ricki.
The members of The Flash aren't the only musicians Rosas worked with over the years, though — here are some of the talented stars the late bassist collaborated with during his impressive career.
1. Neil Young
Rosas's most frequent collaborator was Young, whom he joined on nine albums and countless tours beginning in the '80s. That's Rosas playing bass on Young's classic "Rockin' in the Free World".
2. Joe Walsh
After Young, former Eagle Walsh was the next most favored musician Rosas backed. Rosas played on six of Rosas albums since 1985, and toured with him several times.
3. Buffalo Springfield
Young's classic '60s band reunited for a tour in 2011, and Rosas joined them through his connection to Young.
4. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young
Another famous band of Young's, Rosas also joined CSNY for their respective reunion tour, making him the only person to play in all three of Young's major bands (Buffalo Springfield, CSNY, and his backing band Crazy Horse).
5. Ronnie Wood
Although he's best known as the Rolling Stones' guitarist, Wood released a solo album in 2010 on which Rosas played bass.
6. Jerry Lee Lewis
Rosas also got to work with some real old school legends, joining Lewis on his 2010 album Mean Old Man.
7. Johnny Rivers
Another old timey rocker, Rosas played on three of Rivers' albums between 1998 and 2004.
8. Etta James
Rosas, along with Walsh, joined the classic jazz singer in concert in 1986 as part of the Wiltern Theater's Jazzvisions series.
9. Dan Fogelberg
Rosas went on tour with the easy listening rocker in 1985.
With all the stars he played with over the years, it's tempting to forget that Rosas himself was a very talented musician in his own right, too. R.I.P. Rick the Bass Player.
Images: TriStar Pictures
