
The Bass Player
Surviving the Miami Showband Massacre
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
The Bass Player
Surviving the Miami Showband Massacre
About this book
Shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards Biography of the Year
Stephen Travers has lived two lives. His first was as a young bass player, immersed in music, friendship, and the thrill of gigs on the road with The Miami Showband. But on July 31, 1975, that life shattered on the A1 road at Buskhill in County Down when a Loyalist gang ambushed the band, murdering three of his friends in an attack that would become one of the darkest moments of The Troubles. In the quiet aftermath, in a nearby field, Stephen awoke to his second lifeāas a survivor.
This second life led him down unexpected paths: as an author, composer, producer, and international speaker on peace and reconciliation. Over decades, he worked to support other survivors, challenge suspected state collusion, and seek justice in a landmark case against the British Ministry of Defence. Yet, despite these achievements, Stephen found himself drawn back to that field, revisiting the young man he had been moments before the massacreāsearching for closure, a reunion with his former self.
Now, fifty years later, he has written The Bass Player, a love letter and eulogy for that first life. This book is both a deeply personal reckoning and a song for all those silenced by conflict, offering a path toward healing and, finally, peace.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- Contents
- Foreword
- 1. When the Wall Fell
- 2. The Pigeon
- 3. The Piano Player
- 4. The Bass Player
- 5. The Sinner
- 6. The Miami
- 7. The Last Waltz
- 8. The Killing Field
- 9. Albert
- 10. The Alternative Tour 2007
- 11. Forgotten
- 12. Rubber Bullets
- 13. The Savage Watch
- 14. Truth and Reconciliation Platform
- 15. The King and I
- 16. Survival
- 17. Rock Royalty
- 18. The Jigsaw
- 19. The Long and Winding Road to Justice
- 20. Demons
- 21. Heroes
- 22. Diversion
- 23. The Fox in Charge of the Hen House
- 24. Netflix
- 25. Sharing the Pain
- 26. Do You Know Who I Am?
- 27. Electric Wood and Carbon Graphite
- 28. āAmerica, Americaā
- 29. āYou were right all alongā
- 30. Learning Curve
- 31. Every Dirty Trick in the Book
- 32. Victim Impact Statement
- 33. Setting the Record Straight
- 34. Finale
- Epilogue
- Afterword
- Endnotes
- Index