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Barry White's Bassist?

#8
Dr. Cheese said:
Barry White was Nathan East's first major gig. That was how he broke into the business.
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Barry took him from San Diego to L.A. by way of touring. Barry introduced him to tons of people in Los Angeles. Nathan turned many of those introductions into gigs or sessions. He was not only in the right place at the right time, but he was musically and socially ready for every opportunity.
 
#10
How about -- Wilton Felder on bass with drummer Ed Greene. (This is just an educated guess, based on the fact that they have other credits with Barry.) Nathan East may have toured with Barry as a young pup but I don't think he was in the studio this early.

edit: here's a "source," for what it's worth: http://www.superseventies.com/spwhitebarry.html:
"White's 1974 release Can't Get Enough is the most consistent in his discography, and an all-time classic of baby-making bedroom soul. It begins, as many White projects do, with an opulent instrumental. "Mellow Mood Part 1" serves as a showcase for the band of ace session musicians White kept on retainer, which included rhythm guitarist Melvin "Wah-Wah" Watson and Crusaders' bassist Wilton Felder. Then comes "You're the First, the Last, My Everything," a driving disco anthem that became the blueprint for big hits by Donna Summer and others. It might just be the one track that best epitomizes the songwriting and production innovations of disco."
 
#11
daveman50 said:
How about -- Wilton Felder on bass with drummer Ed Greene. (This is just an educated guess, based on the fact that they have other credits with Barry.) Nathan East may have toured with Barry as a young pup but I don't think he was in the studio this early.
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I said I was not sure about Nathan East on music from the early Seventies. The stuff from maybe 1976 onward, I think is more likely to be Nathan East.
 
#12
yeah i think East was the road bassist. i have been trying to find out who was/were the bassist for the White, Gene Page 20th Century sessions for years. the only names i came across as far as the actual studio guys is Ed Greene(drums) and Ray Parker Jr.(guitar) so Felder would be a good guess.
 
#14
daveman50 said:
How about -- Wilton Felder on bass with drummer Ed Greene. (This is just an educated guess, based on the fact that they have other credits with Barry.) Nathan East may have toured with Barry as a young pup but I don't think he was in the studio this early.

edit: here's a "source," for what it's worth: http://www.superseventies.com/spwhitebarry.html:
"White's 1974 release Can't Get Enough is the most consistent in his discography, and an all-time classic of baby-making bedroom soul. It begins, as many White projects do, with an opulent instrumental. "Mellow Mood Part 1" serves as a showcase for the band of ace session musicians White kept on retainer, which included rhythm guitarist Melvin "Wah-Wah" Watson and Crusaders' bassist Wilton Felder. Then comes "You're the First, the Last, My Everything," a driving disco anthem that became the blueprint for big hits by Donna Summer and others. It might just be the one track that best epitomizes the songwriting and production innovations of disco."
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I'm going to nitpick here. Wilton Felder was really the saxophonist for the Crusaders. Pops Popwell was their bassist during the 1970s.
 
#17
daveman50 said:
Keep diggin', man. Wilton played both sax and bass, and he killed on both. He played on a lot of funk and pop bass tracks in the 70's. His studio work outside of the Crusaders was mainly on bass.
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I know Felder played sax and bass. I think his most famous line is "I Want You Back" with the Jackson 5. My point is that Felder played very little bass with the Crusaders, that is why I objected to him being called the Crusaders' bassist. That was his sax band. The bass guitar was his meal ticket in the studio.
 
#18
Dr. Cheese said:
I know Felder played sax and bass. I think his most famous line is "I Want You Back" with the Jackson 5. My point is that Felder played very little bass with the Crusaders, that is why I objected to him being called the Crusaders' bassist. That was his sax band. The bass guitar was his meal ticket in the studio.
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Felder was the founding sax player of the Jazz Crusaders. Buster Williams played string bass on many of the Jazz Crusaders straight ahead jazz recordings of the 60's (pre Crusaders). Felder did develop into a first call R&B electric bassist in the L.A. studios in the 70's, but not a factor on bass in the Jazz Crusader days.
 
#19
SoCal1 said:
Felder was the founding sax player of the Jazz Crusaders. Buster Williams played string bass on many of the Jazz Crusaders straight ahead jazz recordings of the 60's (pre Crusaders). Felder did develop into a first call R&B electric bassist in the L.A. studios in the 70's, but not a factor on bass in the Jazz Crusader days.
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That's education for me! I did not know Buster Williams played with the Jazz Crusaders.
 
#20
Max Bennet also played with the Crusaders. Wilton was the bassist on a lot material before the mid 70's, the two great albums, Chain Reaction and Southern Comfort, Wilton played bass on.
 

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