Sal Maida (Milk ‘N’ Cookies, Sparks, Roxy Music) has died
Sal also played with Mary Weiss of The Shangri Las, Cracker / Camper Van Beethoven, and more. He was 76.
Sal Maida, who played bass in cult glam / powerpop group Milk ‘N’ Cookies, not to mention stints in Roxy Music, Sparks and more, died on Sunday. He was 76. There’s been no official statement, but friends have shared tributes, like Sparks, who wrote, “We are saddened to learn about the sudden passing of Sal Maida. He was Sparks’ bass player during the Big Beat (1976) era and a friend to this day. Our hearts go out to his family and friends. Sal will be missed.”
Hozac Records, who published Sal’s memoir, Four Strings, wrote: “Sal had such an incredible life that it just had to be made into a book, and we’re so glad we got to not only make that happen several times but also got to meet him in person, as he was like the cool older brother I’d never had. Sal got to be in such an incredible array of ground-breaking bands over the years and his time spent in ROXY MUSIC, SPARKS, MILK N’ COOKIES and many more will attest. Sal was everywhere you wanted to be, literally. His vast knowledge of underground rock’n roll led him, along with writing partner Mitchell Cohen and their wide net of like-minded friends, to create the White Label Promo Preservation Society book series dedicated to enlightening music obsessives with new pursuits of great material outside of their musical comfort zones (aka blind spots). He had so much to share and we’re so glad he did, and we’re all smarter and better for it. Rest well Sal, a true pillar of underground rock’n roll that will stand the test of time.”
Born in 1948 in NYC, Sal grew up in Little Italy and was transformed by seeing The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. He joined Milk ‘N’ Cookies in 1974 right after playing with Roxy Music on their Stranded tour (their first after the departure of Brian Eno). Though short lived, Milk ‘N’ Cookies’ sound would prove to be influential on the burgeoning punk scene, and when their debut album was reissued in the mid-’00s they briefly reformed and would continue to play occasional shows through the 2010s. Sal was in Sparks for their 1976 album Big Beat, and he also played with Ronnie Spector, Mary Weiss of The Shangri-Las, Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven, and more.
David Lowery of Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven wrote, “We had the pleasure of having Sal Maida as a bass player for many years. We made some of our best recordings when he was our bass player. But more than that he was incredible person with a huge heart. We will miss him.”
Rest easy, Sal.
Watch Sal in action in a few videos below and read tributes from Steve Wynn, Justin Strauss, NY1’s Roger Clark and more below.
Milk ‘N’ Cookies frontman Ian North died in 2021.
