Stevie Wonder????

[angus89]

Hey who plays bass for Stevie Wonder? There is some sweet licks and riffs in there...

[terrelli721]

I believe Nathan Watts did for quite a while!!!

[f'nar f'nar]

James Jamerson did alot of Stevie stuff.

[angus89]

the dude can groove then its true what they say!

[Basshole]

My favorite Stevie tune to play is "Signed, Sealed, Delivered". Bob Babbit on bass. Brilliant.

[Bubba Love]

Jamerson would have played on most of his Motown stuff, but Nathan Watts played on a lot of the stuff post Motown (He wasn't on Talking Book though, I think he may have played on Songs in the Key of Life onward).

[liltommyg]

As above Nathan Watts played but Stevie wrote most of the bass parts

[angus89]

Originally Posted by Basshole

My favorite Stevie tune to play is "Signed, Sealed, Delivered". Bob Babbit on bass. Brilliant.

nice choice. but so many good grooves! how do u have a favourite because of that though i cant disagree with ya! ok next question does anyone know how to sing like him ha ha!

[Basshole]

Originally Posted by angus89

nice choice. but so many good grooves! how do u have a favourite

Don't know. It's not a particularly hard line to play (although I have seen few others play it accurately). A lot of Stevie's lines are synth too...and this one isn't. I dunno - it just makes me smile to play it.

[JAUQO III-X]

Depends on what song and period.

just a few of the talented Bassist that have worked with Stevie Wonder.

James Jamerson
Bob Babbitt
Micheal Henderson
Willie Weeks
Nathan Watts
Scott Edwards

[Bayou_Brawler]

lots of synth bass to eh? is stevie playing those? there are some great lines...

[DocBop]

Originally Posted by Bayou_Brawler

lots of synth bass to eh? is stevie playing those? there are some great lines...

And occasionaly Stevie will play bass guitar himself. He is playing BG on one cut of his last CD.

[Dr. Cheese]

Originally Posted by Bubba Love

Jamerson would have played on most of his Motown stuff, but Nathan Watts played on a lot of the stuff post Motown (He wasn't on Talking Book though, I think he may have played on Songs in the Key of Life onward).

When you say Motown, do you mean Detroit? I ask because Stevie Wonder is still a Motown recording artist. I would mention that Michael Henderson played for him in the early 1970's on the road, and there is another fellow named McBride, I believe, who played before Nathan Watts got the gig.

[brake]

I think there were a few records where Stevie played everything.

[manicbassman]

so who did the Bass on "Superstition" then?

[black.rose1402]

you forgot to mention nathan east on his last album

[Mike Carr]

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

When you say Motown, do you mean Detroit? I ask because Stevie Wonder is still a Motown recording artist. I would mention that Michael Henderson played for him in the early 1970's on the road, and there is another fellow named McBride, I believe, who played before Nathan Watts got the gig.

That "McBride" fellow is non other than the great Reggie McBride, who last I heard is still kickin' a** and takin' names here in LA and on road gigs with many fine artists. He's on several recent albums by Keb' Mo', been active since the 70's.

Here's a little known, and I must admit truly incidental factoid regarding bass players who had played for Stevie Wonder.
Your's truly once had a thrill of a lifetime while playing at the "after-party" for The American Music Awards at LA's Shrine Auditorium, in the early 90's, I can't remember what year exactly, because I did that gig every year for over a decade. It's kind of an overblown shmooze and booze fest for people in the industry and connected with the show. After seeing and hearing all of the years most popular recording "artists" do their things on the big live broadcast, hearing the band (allthough quite good!)that I was playing with had to have been a bit anti-climactic for many of the jaded ears in attendance. Still was allways a fun gig, because of the celebrities I could see in person, the many fine girls to look at and most of all, because some of my best friends in life played in that band!
So the word gets passed up to the bandstand, "Stevie's in the house and he'd like to sit-in". Next thing I know he's being led up the steps to the stage by two assistants, and they place him, standing sans keyboards directly to my left on stage! His musical director manned the Hammond B-3 and shouts out "Signed, Sealed, Delivered in Eb" and we were off! Good thing I knew the tune and had the line nailed, it's always been one of my favorites. A very surreal sort of experiance, what I remember most about it was that it was a tight stage, crowded, we had a horn section and all. Mr. Wonder got to feeling the spirit, and begin dancing, well sort of, a kind of a rotating motion from the hips up and his arms and those beaded braids he's famous for flailing every which way. I had to be real careful, because a couple times his right hand almost clipped the head stock of the P-Bass I was playing. He of course, could not see me, so I had to be the one getting out of his way, while doing my best to be true to the groove for one of my heros! Well, it was fun, a long time ago and will make a nice tale to tell my grandchildren someday! True story!

[Bruce Lindfield]

You could have been even more famous as the "man who brained Stevie Wonder with a P Bass headstock!!"

Great story!!

[joelb79]

Dude.. I would have been so at home with Stevie Wonder on stage.

Whenever he's in town (Lansing, MI), he comes into a nightclub usually to check out some music. Last time a few months ago, he stepped into 621 Club, where a band called too smooth for notes was playing some jazz. He sat at his table and played harmonica. Tis a shame that It wasn't open mic night, we would have played his songs all night.

[Mike Carr]

Yeah Bruce, but it would have been a shame to have ruined that instrument, a 1960 P-Bass! Not to mention Mr. Wonder's evening!