Every time I'm reminded of him, I pull up this hilarious video. He was/is a rock-line master IMO.
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Anybody remember Tiran Porter?
- Thread starter lneal
- Start date
Ti was the first bass player that I really took notice of...several years before I even picked up the bass.
Still one of my biggest influences.
Still one of my biggest influences.
Just some more props for Tiran Porter here. I just saw an old live clip of "Black Water" and he had a P bass into what looked like a V4B and matching cab (412). Anyway...always loved his style (and the fact that he sang quite a bit). He has good advice for bassists if you ever come across any of his interviews.
Did he play on LONG TRAIN RUNNING?
I just transcribed that sucker for my ezine this Friday - I thought it would be pretty simple. Man, there's some really cool stuff going on in that line.
I just transcribed that sucker for my ezine this Friday - I thought it would be pretty simple. Man, there's some really cool stuff going on in that line.
The doobie bros are coming to evansville on july 31st. It's a 25 minute drive, tickets are 20 bucks, and I'm going!
Take a look at Gbase.com. For only $6,000, you can have Tiran's original 1973 long-scale Alembic Series I bass with road case. Its on consignment at Guitar Showcase in Campbell, California. I've played it, and its one HEAVY piece of wood!! -- Although I did not weigh it, I would say its easily between 13-14 pounds. Seriously wide range of tones though.
I read an interview somewhere and he said he got rid of that Alembic because it was just...too heavy.
In the 70s I was a young strugling Guitar player. One night the Doobies were on a sitcom of the time called "Whats Happening" , And Tiran was playing the most beautiful Bass I had ever seen!!!!!! I dont Think it was the alembic, But from that time on I became a fan!!!!!
Cool Videos and yep he is a great Bass Player and a Bass Player through and through!
Around 1972, Frank Zappa w/ Jean Luc Ponty and George Duke played the Houston Music Hall for the first and last time. The opening act was some blind guy who played solo piano and sang "There ain't nobody here but us chickens". Cute, then an unknown band called the Doobie Brothers opened up with "Jesus is just alright" and the audience was devastated. We knew we were seeing the "next big thang". Tiran's bass playing really stood out to me as something different, 25 years before I would switch over to that instrument.
Needless to say, buy some old Doobie albums and cop his licks and feel. I am sorry he never did more stuff that got airplay.
Needless to say, buy some old Doobie albums and cop his licks and feel. I am sorry he never did more stuff that got airplay.
Tiran Porter is a US bass and guitar player, vocalist and composer. Born in 1948, he rose to fame as a member of the Doobie Brothers, replacing bassist Dave Shogren on their second album Toulouse Street in 1972.
His vocal talents were mostly restricted to the background in the studio, although he contributed "For Someone Special" (an affectionate tribute to ill bandleader Tom Johnston) to Takin' It To The Streets (1976) and the creatively syncopated "Need A Lady" to Livin' On The Fault Line (1977). In concert, Porter usually performed lead vocals on one or two songs. During the 1989 tour, for example, he sang "Road Angel" while original vocalist Johnston rested his pipes.
Indisputably, Tiran Porter's most notable contributions to the Doobie Brothers' sound were his busy and punchy bass lines; his distinctive tone permeates all of the band's classic compositions and hits. Often pictured with his trusty Alembic or Gibson basses during the seventies (usually with a Thunderbird or Ripper bass and earlier with an EB-O Long Scale), Porter has also played Fender instruments, most notably the Jazz bass model. His early technique, with rich chordal attack, was based mostly on his picking style, favouring the guitar pick over fingerstyle playing. The hit title track from Takin' It To The Streets, which prominently features Porter's thundering, picked notes, is a prime example of this technique. More recently, even performing the old repertoire with the Doobies, Porter has been playing new, custom-made instruments almost exclusively fingerstyle.
Porter left the Doobies in 1980, citing frustration with the hectic and constant touring schedule. His replacement was session man Willie Weeks, later famous for his collaboration with Michael Jackson and other Quincy Jones proteges. After guesting onstage with his former bandmates briefly during the 1982 farewell tour, he rejoined the Doobies in 1987. Porter played on Cycles (1989), whose title was taken from an unused song he wrote,[1] and Brotherhood (1991). Neither album featured a Porter composition or lead vocal, and his bass is often buried in the mix. After five years of touring in support of Cycles and Brotherhood, Porter finally quit the Doobies for good in 1992. He was reportedly still frustrated with constant touring and the band's preference for recording familiar sounding material instead of his own, more diverse compositions.
Porter released a self-produced solo album, Playing To An Empty House, in 1995. It is an interesting mix of rock, progressive and jazz, featuring Porter on all of the instruments and vocals. The album features surprising jazz solos sculpted on exotic chord progressions. (Strangely, it features little or no bass guitar, focusing instead on lead guitar and sequenced keyboards.) Currently, Porter plays bass in the California-based Beatles tribute band White Album Ensemble as well as Stormin' Norman and the Cyclones. He has also toured with Moby Grape during its occasional partial reunions.
His vocal talents were mostly restricted to the background in the studio, although he contributed "For Someone Special" (an affectionate tribute to ill bandleader Tom Johnston) to Takin' It To The Streets (1976) and the creatively syncopated "Need A Lady" to Livin' On The Fault Line (1977). In concert, Porter usually performed lead vocals on one or two songs. During the 1989 tour, for example, he sang "Road Angel" while original vocalist Johnston rested his pipes.
Indisputably, Tiran Porter's most notable contributions to the Doobie Brothers' sound were his busy and punchy bass lines; his distinctive tone permeates all of the band's classic compositions and hits. Often pictured with his trusty Alembic or Gibson basses during the seventies (usually with a Thunderbird or Ripper bass and earlier with an EB-O Long Scale), Porter has also played Fender instruments, most notably the Jazz bass model. His early technique, with rich chordal attack, was based mostly on his picking style, favouring the guitar pick over fingerstyle playing. The hit title track from Takin' It To The Streets, which prominently features Porter's thundering, picked notes, is a prime example of this technique. More recently, even performing the old repertoire with the Doobies, Porter has been playing new, custom-made instruments almost exclusively fingerstyle.
Porter left the Doobies in 1980, citing frustration with the hectic and constant touring schedule. His replacement was session man Willie Weeks, later famous for his collaboration with Michael Jackson and other Quincy Jones proteges. After guesting onstage with his former bandmates briefly during the 1982 farewell tour, he rejoined the Doobies in 1987. Porter played on Cycles (1989), whose title was taken from an unused song he wrote,[1] and Brotherhood (1991). Neither album featured a Porter composition or lead vocal, and his bass is often buried in the mix. After five years of touring in support of Cycles and Brotherhood, Porter finally quit the Doobies for good in 1992. He was reportedly still frustrated with constant touring and the band's preference for recording familiar sounding material instead of his own, more diverse compositions.
Porter released a self-produced solo album, Playing To An Empty House, in 1995. It is an interesting mix of rock, progressive and jazz, featuring Porter on all of the instruments and vocals. The album features surprising jazz solos sculpted on exotic chord progressions. (Strangely, it features little or no bass guitar, focusing instead on lead guitar and sequenced keyboards.) Currently, Porter plays bass in the California-based Beatles tribute band White Album Ensemble as well as Stormin' Norman and the Cyclones. He has also toured with Moby Grape during its occasional partial reunions.
He's got platinum records on his walls and grammys on his bookshelf. I think your sympathy is misplaced.
As a baby bass player, I cut my teeth on The Doobie Brothers Greatest Hits collection, studied and knew every tasty hook and chop on every song like the back of my hand. Great respect for Tiran Porter, he was one of my early mentors. I also seem to have developed his habit of bass hop-scotch. What all has he played? I seem to remember a T-Bird, a Ric, and a Jazz. Others?
I recently saw some footage of him with the Doobies back in their pre-McDonald days. Dude was playing a vintage P (sunburst/tort/rosewood), with a pick, smooth as silk and singing his tail off.
He gets mad props from me for playing those great bass lines and singing at the same time. My band used to cover "Listen to the Music" and "China Grove" and I sang backing vox on both and I wanna tell you, getting those bass and vocal lines down together is quite a trick.
He gets mad props from me for playing those great bass lines and singing at the same time. My band used to cover "Listen to the Music" and "China Grove" and I sang backing vox on both and I wanna tell you, getting those bass and vocal lines down together is quite a trick.
In defense of Micheal McDonald, I thought he added another five years to their initial run of hits with the more R&Bish songs he brought to the band, but then again, I'm a big fan.
Check out out the playing of Willie Weeks and Louis Johnson on his debut album sometime. Sorry for the derail.
Agreed. After Tom left they didn't exactly light the world on fire. McDonald came off of doing a bunch of killer studio work. Likehim or not, the guy can sing.
