Graeme Naysmith, guitarist from the Pale Saints, died on 4th April 2024. Graeme lived in Leeds. He was a husband and a father, and he was consistently involved in creating music his whole life.
Signing to 4AD in 1989, he and his band recorded three albums for the label, becoming mainstays throughout the 90s. Recent years saw him reconnect with 4AD, helping us enormously as we have worked with the band on reissuing and celebrating their studio albums and the exquisite Japanese rarities compilation, Mrs. Dolphin, which we pressed on vinyl for the first time as part of Record Store Day in 2020.
Label founder Ivo Watts-Russell says of a brilliant musician and friend, “I’ve always been extremely fond of Graeme’s guitar playing. He was one of only a handful of musicians I worked with who wasn’t afraid of a good guitar solo. In tribute I simply recommend digging out, or clicking on some horrible streaming service, ‘Henry’ from Pale Saints’ final album Slow Buildings. When I first heard the sad news, I blew the cobwebs away, shed a few tears of pleasure and sorrow, and felt grateful for the experience. Goes without saying… play it loud! I can only imagine the deep sorrow felt by his ex-bandmates, especially Chris, who obviously knew the man far better than I.”
Sending love to Graeme’s family, friends and many fans. Thank you for everything.
Photo by Matthew Heslop
Left to right – Graeme Naysmith, Ian Masters, Meriel Barham, Chris Cooper