Going back to my roots

[5string5fingers]

I'm not sure if I'm putting this in the right sub-forum not sure which one it really went under but this seemed the best.

So I play a lot of rock,its probably 90% of what I play and I'm a firm believer that if you're going to listen to or play a certain genre you should know where it came from. So I really want to learn some more blues,unfortunately I don't know very many blues artists much less blues bass players.

Can someone help me out? What are some more famous blues bass players,and song I can study and learn? I'm open to a lot of stuff.

[camiloochoa]

you can listen some of the work of tommy shannon (bassist with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble)

[5string5fingers]

Originally Posted by camiloochoa

you can listen some of the work of tommy shannon (bassist with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble)

I've got a mixed CD of SRV in my car I've been listening a lot to lately. He's done some great stuff on bass.

[DeluxeRed]

Blues was never about the bass, so there's not a lot of blues bass history. So study blues for what the blues can give you, the feel, the history, the exploitation of the guitar. Blues bass is really where jazz bass was stolen by blues-influenced rock and roll, and then kinda backwashed into the modern blues branch.

I think you can probably learn more about the roots of bass by studying jazz. The early electric bass players were more from that branch. Study the blues for the form, the music, then you can see how jazz techniques, such as walking, were added to blues, which made it rock...

[5string5fingers]

Originally Posted by DeluxeRed

Blues was never about the bass, so there's not a lot of blues bass history. So study blues for what the blues can give you, the feel, the history, the exploitation of the guitar. Blues bass is really where jazz bass was stolen by blues-influenced rock and roll, and then kinda backwashed into the modern blues branch.

I think you can probably learn more about the roots of bass by studying jazz. The early electric bass players were more from that branch. Study the blues for the form, the music, then you can see how jazz techniques, such as walking, were added to blues, which made it rock...

Makes sense. I guess what I'm really going after are bassist who help the foundation of today's rock bassists. The people who influenced my influences.

[DeluxeRed]

Originally Posted by 5string5fingers

Makes sense. I guess what I'm really going after are bassist who help the foundation of today's rock bassists. The people who influenced my influences.

Jamerson.

Working forward is Jack Cassidy and Sir Paul.

Working backward is what you want to learn.

The blues influenced rock music, form and function. The bass mostly came to rock from jazz via soul (which themselves have their roots in or along side the blues).

Though, remember, most of the early (electric) bass players weren't bass players. They were guitarists who switched to bass. So their influence from the blues came via the guitar.

[corinpills]

Here's some practical advice that may be helpful to you: check out Willie Dixon's work on Chess Records. There's actually a lot of decent footage of him on youtube to start with. His work with Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Otis Rush, Bo Diddley, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson specifically. Listen to his muting and the duration of his notes on double bass and try to apply that to your electric playing. The feel of Chicago blues often gets lost in the tangle of contemporary instruments and players, but you can never go wrong with working on good muting techniques.

[Mojo-Man]

Originally Posted by DeluxeRed

Jamerson.

Working forward is Jack Cassidy and Sir Paul.

Working backward is what you want to learn.

The blues influenced rock music, form and function. The bass mostly came to rock from jazz via soul (which themselves have their roots in or along side the blues).

Though, remember, most of the early (electric) bass players weren't bass players. They were guitarists who switched to bass. So their influence from the blues came via the guitar.

Good start.
Also.
Willie Dixon
Jackie Mayers
Larry Taylor
Ransom Knowling
Keith Fergason
Duck Dunn
Harvey Brooks.
Chuck Rainy
Berry Oakley
Roscoe Beck

[5string5fingers]

bump

[251]

Originally Posted by 5string5fingers

I'm not sure if I'm putting this in the right sub-forum not sure which one it really went under but this seemed the best.

So I play a lot of rock,its probably 90% of what I play and I'm a firm believer that if you're going to listen to or play a certain genre you should know where it came from. So I really want to learn some more blues,unfortunately I don't know very many blues artists much less blues bass players.

Can someone help me out? What are some more famous blues bass players,and song I can study and learn? I'm open to a lot of stuff.

If you want information about the Blues try reading;

http://squeezemylemon.blogspot.com/

[guroove]

Check out Jerry Jemmott. He did some great work with King Curtis, B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, and Gil Scott Heron.

[corinpills]

He said blues, not soul. Not that checking out Jerry would ever hurt anybody, but it's important to know and recognize different eras in music.

[eggfan]

I would maybe check out Joe Bonamassa, and Pino with Jeff Beck, along with the other guys that have played with Jeff. A lot of the British guys who launched the blues-based rock of the 60's, like Jeff Beck, were really turned on to blues by the ground-breaking compilation "The Blues/Chicago/Today." So if you want to know what your influences were listening to back in the day, you could start there (corinpills is leaning in this direction with his suggestions). Also check out Willie Weeks.
Keep in mind that the folks who have pointed out that blues is not bass based music are right on target. SRV, for example, represents an amalgam of genres (like Beck and Bonamassa), so Tommy Shannon's playing does as well.