1968 Hair Soundtrack - Jimmy Lewis Bass

stiles72 · #1 10-21-2009, 10:17 AM

I play modern hard rock/metal in my main cover band, and also some '60's/oldies with another group that I fill in with from time to time. I listen to all genres of music, but I play a lot of Motown and old Soul when just sitting around the house with a bass in my hand.

A past girlfriend gave me a cd of the original 1968 soundtrack to the musical "Hair" because she thought I would really love the bass lines. Not being into Broadway tunes, I never really listened to it. The other night I put it in and began to dig into it. Wow! I was blown away. The bass lines are very creative, and move all over the place. But like Jamerson, the bass lines are out front and really contribute or compliment the melody of the song.

The CD liner credits the bass to a guy named Jimmy Lewis. I really haven't found out any information on him, but I suspect he was an east coast studio bassist. My guess is that his gear was like many other session bassists of the day: a Fender bass and an Ampeg Portaflex.

Has anyone else came to appreciate this body of work for the bass lines, or have any info on Jimmy Lewis?

JimmyM · #2 10-21-2009, 10:43 AM

Found this discography, but that's all I could find:

http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/c...lewis/2479934#

jlane72t · #3 10-21-2009, 11:12 AM

Never knew the name but always loved how he rocks out on that album.

Hoover · #4 10-21-2009, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stiles72

Has anyone else came to appreciate this body of work for the bass lines, or have any info on Jimmy Lewis?

I love that album! My parents saw the original cast on Broadway (they were in their late 20's at the time) and they bought the LP the next day, used to play it around the house a lot when I was a kid. About 10 years after that I re-discovered it specifically because of the bass parts.

Is it me or does "The Flesh Failures" sound like what would happen if Jamerson had played "The Immigrants Song"?

lunarpollen · #5 10-21-2009, 04:57 PM

From scouring the internet, here's some cut & pasted info:
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Jimmy Lewis
Bassist, born 11 April 1918 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Both an upright bass and electric bass player, his recording credits include Count Basie, Grant Green, Lou Donaldson, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, King Curtis and many others.
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This Jimmy Lewis (there are / were a few around) was a Nashville-born bassist.(April 11,1918)
He was involved in jump blues in the 1940's (with Ivory Joe Hunter) and after his two year spell with Count Basie (1950-1952) with trumpeteer Cootie Williams and saxophonist Hal Singer in the R & B field.
The King Curtis Discography (Courtesy Kurt Mohr / Rhythm & Blues Panorama) shows the first entry for Jimmy Lewis as early as 1958. Up until 1964 he played on almost every King Curtis disc.The discography has also a nice full page black and white picture of our man.

Videoclip - Count Basie & Clark Terry (with Jimmy Lewis)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRScRA0CPsA
-------------------------------------------------------

There is another Jimmy Lewis who was a singer, and this, combined with the fact that Jimmy and Lewis are very common names, makes it hard to find much stuff...

Here's another video of him on upright with Count Basie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQi4jglT0Vo

lunarpollen · #6 10-21-2009, 05:01 PM

Another little tidbit
http://www.marcusmiller.com/board_it...03:25795:26901

lunarpollen · #7 10-21-2009, 05:08 PM

On two albums collected here: http://www.answers.com/topic/legends...l-2-jazz-album , he's credited as playing Fender Jazz Bass

stiles72 · #8 10-21-2009, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoover

I love that album! My parents saw the original cast on Broadway (they were in their late 20's at the time) and they bought the LP the next day, used to play it around the house a lot when I was a kid. About 10 years after that I re-discovered it specifically because of the bass parts.

Is it me or does "The Flesh Failures" sound like what would happen if Jamerson had played "The Immigrants Song"?

I can totally hear that!

So Low Bass · #9 10-23-2009, 09:21 AM

Number one: Go fine that old girlfriend! She has taste!!

Who ever played on that record really was one of my first teachers. I learned evey note of that music and saw the Toronto production in 196(8?). The band played from an old school bus on stage and the bass player played the part note for note. Fantastic.

The tone on the recording is unique. It sounds like almost all the bass tone is rolled off, the treble is on full, and is plucked very close to the bridge. VERY different.

jayjem22 · #10 05-04-2012, 10:28 PM

After joining the King Curtis Tribute page one thing led to another and I thought all of my predecessors. Chuck Rainey, who is doing well as I speak, Bob Bushnell, Jimmy Lewis & Paul Chambers. Seems other than his recording of "Hair" in 1968, Jimmy Lewis there is not much info on him or his amazing career. He's the original cat on " Soul Serenade" ,"Soul Twist" and a bunch of New York dates when he made the jump to electric bass. Here he is with Count Basie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQi4j...&feature=share

Ed Fuqua · #11 05-05-2012, 07:41 AM

Not that this isn't the cat, but alost without exception the "original cast albums" are done with the pit band/orchestra that did the show. So you might want to with check AFofM Local 802, they should have info on who did the show. Galt Macdermot (the composer) had a couple of fusiony kinda of rekkids out in the mid to late 70s too...