Cold Chisel founding member, bass guitarist Les Kaczmerek, has passed away in Adelaide due to liver failure. Tragically the 53-year-old had been on the transplant waiting list for some time.
Les was with Cold Chisel for two years before being replaced by Phil Small in 1975, three years before they released their debut album.
“Les never stopped songwriting and playing bass and guitar,” his friend, guitarist Brendan Ozolins told Undercover. “He wrote many a well-known jingle for TV and radio ads and more recently co-wrote the Port Power club song with Quentin Eyres.
“He was also in the band Aussie Bloke with Rob Riley [ex-Jimmy Barnes and Rose Tattoo] but due to his illness performing music live was extremely hard for him to this end Les continued to do his studio work and songwriting.”
Les always dreamed of releasing a solo album, and was just weeks away from heading into the studio when his health took a turn for the worse in 2007.
“He hoped to have Jimmy Barnes, Ian Moss and Don Walker on as guests among many other singers and musicians he loved and respected dearly performing on his tracks, and perhaps some of their own too I believe,” Brendan explained.
“It is very, very sad he didn’t have the opportunity to realise this,” he says. “I can’t help but feel we [music fans/listeners] really missed out on something there.”
Image source: Ausrock blog