• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Bass player who influenced you?

Paul McCartney, Jaco, Verdine White, Chuck Rainy, Alphonzo Johnson, Stanley Clarke, Mike Richmond, Marcus Miller, Paul Chambers, Ron Carter, Gary Karr, Ovidu Badilla, Ludwig Striker, Rocco Prestia, Scott Lafaro, Brian Bromberg, Milt Hinton, Slam Stuart, Major Holly, so many more.
 
I would love to say Geddy and Steve Harris (they had a profound impact on me as did Ammie Mann, the dudes from Ned's Atomic Dustbin and Flea). But in 7th and 8th grade I had only an AM radio, and living in Chicago, I really only had WLS to listen too. I had no idea what a bass even was. But three different groups had songs that made me "hear" the bass.

The three bassist were;

Bruce Hall, REO Speedwagon. Specifically the bass lines in "Roll with the Changes" and then "Out of Season" AND "Someone Tonight"

Peter Cetera, Chicago. Specifically the bass lines in "(I've Been) Searchin' So Long," and "25 or 6 to 4".

Cliff Williams, AC DC. Specifically the bass lines in "Love Hungry Man" and "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution".


I remember being able to actually hear the bass, humming the part to "Love Hungry Man", and asking my older brother what that sound was. And he said "That is a Bass Guitar stupid!" I was hooked.

I went up to guitar center on 95th street and asked them where the basses were, they pointed me to the very back of the store, where maybe 1/8th of the wall had basses. I found a used Global for $99 bucks, gave the guy $10 and had them hold it for me and then went home and brought back the rest if the money.

I guess these are all very "forgettable" bass players. But I am not sure I ever would have started with out them.
 
My cousin Gary Noe excellent+++ bass player who went to Marshall U. and majored in String Bass and,was accepted at Julliard.He was offered the bass chair in Lawrence Welk Orchestra in his early 20s.But,he was to interesed in Jaco,Stanley and Gene Simmons.(I guess he thought Welk wasnt cool enough.)But,all of his influences was my early influences.
 
Since I was a huge Who fanatic before I picked up bass, and had learned much of my rock guitar vocabulary from endless repetition of Live at Leeds, John Entwistle was definitely the biggest influence. In fact, when I returned to playing in 2002, I had to unlearn some of my JE-type instincts for the band I started out with. I needed fewer notes, with more groove.

And some of that came courtesy of Justin Meldal-Jonsen, whose lines I learned via Beck and Ima Robot.

Another early influence was Paul McCartney for all the obvious reasons.

I'd cite Cliff Williams too, who demonstrates that no matter how heavy it gets, one should never miss an opportunity to play a solid R&B type bass line.
 
Geddy Lee first inspired me to play bass (a proud Canadian eh).

JPJ and Chris Squire were next.

I then bought books/videos of Jaco Pastorius, Louis Johnson, Jeff Berlin, Marcus Miller, Mark King & Stanley Clarke.

Lately I'm learning bass lines from James Jamerson, Nathan Watts, Rocco Prestia, Larry Graham, James Brown's bass players and Paul Chambers.

The three most influencial for me would be Geddy Lee, Marcus Miller & James Jamerson.
 
my big influence was tetsu larc~en~ciel...wow damn cool when i first see him...but after i learn, i like tetsu sakurai in jazz, paul mc carty, thomas ramdhan ( Bass heroes from indonesia ), john myung they so cool for me
 
Well, for guys in bands:
Chris Wolstenholme(Muse)
John Paul Jones
Geddy

Jazz:
Brian Bromberg
Any bassist on bop records(mostly Paul Chambers, Ron Carter, Ray Brown, etc.)
Guys who play with Brad Mehldau and Pat Metheny

Most importantly though my style has been shaped by two influences:
TB's own Vic, who mentored me in really how to play :)
Dr. Toby Curtwright, professor of Jazz at Minnesota State University, took lessons from him when he was a T.A. at University of Illinois, amazing bassist.
 
Sid Vicious-No lie!
My early teen attempts at getting into playing were first w/
drums and guitar-both seemed difficult and required skill &
patience-which I didn't have! Plus, bass players never seemed to be the star of the show-JPJ,Wyman, and Entwistle
always lurked silently in the background- Sid sent the message to me that you could just f'n do it-even if you
can't-It was also the first time I ever remember hearing news reports starting out calling a subject a "bass player" (even if it was bad news!)-The bass player suddenly could
be the star attraction-Also the main inspiration for me rockin'
my bass way below the waist!