Singing Bassists

BassesForTheWin · #1 12-12-2010, 10:08 AM

Im just curious, how many musicians or bands have the bassist as thier lead singer, or if any TB'er on here does the singing and bass playing.

That all I'm really wondering, so
Cheers.

liltommyg · #2 12-12-2010, 10:20 AM

Phil Lynott - Thin Lizzy. and i think that the bassist in Toto did a lot of the singing
Lemmy - motorhead
Roger Waters
Sting

LaklandBass · #3 12-12-2010, 10:21 AM

Biohazard
Deicide

Mo'Phat · #4 12-12-2010, 10:23 AM

WINGER!

DanNowhere · #5 12-12-2010, 10:26 AM

I just joined a band where the lead singer was moving over to guitar from bass because he felt like he couldn't handle both anymore. I know I can't do it either.

DwaynieAD · #6 12-12-2010, 10:26 AM

the starting line

Rockmusician · #7 12-12-2010, 10:35 AM

Paul McCartney
Sting
Geddy Lee
Phil Lynott
Lemmy
Dusty Hill
many others.

I sing harmonies on most songs and lead on a couple of others.

Floyd Eye · #8 12-12-2010, 10:40 AM

Benjamin Orr
Les Claypool

And lately, with certain projects Duff McKagan, though he is more likely to have a Les Paul in his hands in most of his latest pet projects.

professor_bills · #9 12-13-2010, 07:48 AM

I started singing for our band, mostly songs that I wrote. Most of the guys liked what Iwas doing I think it was just something different from what they were used to hearing. I'm one of the newer members of a garage band. Problem is I would get lost sometime and the original drummer would drop the beat when I backed off.
It ain't easy
In fact One of our guitarists plays drums in another project and it started with a guitarist and a singer who tried to learn bass to make it a trio. She eventually gave up although she wasn't bad they weren't as good as the original quin. They asked me to join and she went back to school so Iended up singing on about half the songs.
Then I ripped my shouldre apart at mt day job and haven't played bass for a couple months.
Bottom line is it aint easy but it can be done. I learned to keep the bass lines simple and only sing on songs where the bass line and melody are similar. Iknow Sting and Geddy don't follow that rule but I aint a pro.

JTE · #10 12-13-2010, 08:21 AM

JACK BRUCE. The best singing bass player ever. Why? Because while there're a lot of great vocalists who play bass well, Jack's the only one who shows a free-flowing improvisational style on BOTH at the same time even live. Peter Cetera of Chicago is another great one, but his bass playing live was more mechanical than the singing was in the day. But Jack is like two totally separate people or brains in one body, one devoted exclusively to singing, the other devoted exclusively to playing.

Other good ones are Sting, Rick Danko (the Band), Geddy Lee (even though Rush's music doesn't do much for me, what Lee does live is pretty impressive while being musical), and Timothy B. Schmitt (Poco, the ~~Egos~~ er, I mean Eagles), Randy Meisner (also Poco and the Eagles), and the guy in Triumph.

A newer artist that has both bass playing and singing together is Esperanza Spalding.

John

John

Mr-Wunderful · #11 12-13-2010, 08:32 AM

That one band from Canadaland has a dude who sings and plays bass. I believe they're called Rush or something like that.

rmkesler · #12 12-13-2010, 08:33 AM

A drummer I work with came up with this clip of Kenny Rogers singing and playing bass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAfizTQOPLE

gregoryisrael · #13 12-13-2010, 08:35 AM

Deerhoof
Fool's Gold
Dr. Dog (shares lead vocals with the guitar player)
A Taste of Honey (Janice-Marie Johnson)
Slayer
King Crimson (Greg Lake, Boz Burrell, John Wetton)
Asia (John Wetton)
John Entwistle sang some lead in The Who

Mr-Wunderful · #14 12-13-2010, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmkesler

A drummer I work with came up with this clip of Kenny Rogers singing and playing bass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAfizTQOPLE

Awesome. I love that song.

anomynous · #15 12-13-2010, 11:41 AM

Mastodon

Richland123 · #16 12-13-2010, 12:01 PM

There are several topic threads already on TB listing quite a few singing bassists. I am not sure where they are though.

I have sung lead and backup in all the bands I have ever been in.

Here is another lead singing bassist - Joe Puerta from Ambrosia. He also played bass and sang backup with Bruce Hornsby & The Range. He is quite a good bass player.

Current lineup of Ambrosia playing Nice, Nice, Very NIce.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbEf5PIehes

zachoff · #17 12-13-2010, 12:34 PM

Not sure you can call it "singing" but I utter the words and play bass in my band.