Bassist Biography worth reading - suggestions please

[Bijoux]

I enjoyed Justin Locke's "Real men don't rehearse" ,
Rickey Minor's "There is no traffic on the extra mile",
and Rudy Sarzo's "off the rails" was very entertaining also.

 

[Pdaddy1978]

Italy is a magical place. You won’t want to read a Bass book while you are there. If you find time to read (doubtful), read a book that takes place in Italy. Immerse yourself in Italy. It’s my favorite place on planet earth.

I've been to Rome..
The taxi's in Rome nearly ended me!...but I still dug it!

 

[BassAndCigars]

Well Jaco. Obviously.
"Jaco: The Extraordinary and Tragic Life of Jaco Pastorius" by Bill Milkowski.

 

[monsterthompson]

Biographical but not a biography.
https://www.amazon.com/Misery-Obscura-Photography-Eerie-1981-2009/dp/1935950193

 

[Wood and Wire]

Jah Wobble - Memoirs of a Geezer

Peter Hook - Substance : inside New Order


Also, GVSB bassist Johnny Temple is a publisher, and founder / owner of Akashic books, who just happen to publish :

Krist Novoselic - Of Grunge and Government : let's fix this broken democracy!



(And whilst not strictly speaking a bassist bio, "The Dirt" has to get a mention).

 

[Wood and Wire]

Also, did anyone mention Mike Watt?

Mike Watt : On and Off Bass

 

[JoshS]

Soul Fingers: The Music & Life of Legendary Bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn.

Great read.

View attachment 4325965

Definitely, definitely. Great read.
Of note to the OP, though, not a travel read. 90% of the book is sheet music and you'll be done with the "story" before the wheels are up.



Thought 4: Ghosts and Ballyhoo was a great airplane read.
https://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-Ballyhoo-Memoirs-L-Journalist/dp/0764343386

from: Interviewing bassist stories

 

[Julian G]

Italy is a magical place. You won’t want to read a Bass book while you are there. If you find time to read (doubtful), read a book that takes place in Italy. Immerse yourself in Italy. It’s my favorite place on planet earth.

I am immersed - I'm half Italian!!

 

[Julian G]

Thanks ALL - some great suggestion's there. Motown, Jamerson, Duck Dunn books of particular interest as I've been going through a bit of an old soul/Motown phase at the moment

 

[Craig Orndorff]

I'm going to double down on it. Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson.

I’m a little surprised we got this far without it coming up. But then it is part instruction, and OP may not have access to a bass during the vacay (which personally would drive me mad).

 

[Fat Fret]

If you're interested in the metal scene of the eighties, then try out this book: 'To Live is to Die'. A book about the life and death of Metallicas Cliff Burton. A bassist which has been a true inspiration for me..

 

[cnltb]

The mingus biography is fun and the only one I have read.

 

[mikewalker]

Kiss and Make-Up

 

[Eli_Kyiv]

Nikki Sixx - The Heroin Diaries
Not much about bass there though.

 

[ajkula66]

Not an easy read, but an insightful one...presuming that one has interest in the life and times of the late Andy Fraser...

https://www.amazon.com/All-Right-Now-Death-Again/dp/190579262X

 

[crapusername]

The cliff burton biography by Joel mciver
Glenn Hughes autobiography also with Joel mciver
David ellefsons first book with guess who
David Vincent’s book
I was a teenage sex pistol by glen matlock
Beneath the underdog by Mingus
Duff McKagans it’s so easy
Both of alex James’ books ( bit of a blur and all cheeses great and small)
Sting - broken music
Rudy sarzo - off the rails
Bob daisley - for facts sake
Tony Visconti - Bowie, bolan, and the Brooklyn boy

also great, but not bass centric are
Steve Jones lonely boy
Rob halford confess
Tony iommi iron man
ozzy unauthorised - Sharon Crawford
Kk downing - heavy duty
Micky moody- snakes and ladders
Bernie marsden - where’s my guitar
Stewart Copeland - strange things happen
Crazy from the heat - dave Lee Roth.

These are all great reads.

 

[SteveCS]

Italy is a magical place. You won’t want to read a Bass book while you are there. If you find time to read (doubtful), read a book that takes place in Italy. Immerse yourself in Italy. It’s my favorite place on planet earth.

I will second this.
Obviously impossible in '20 and '21, but since 2013 we have tried to take our annual holiday in Italy. So far, because I like to take the car through France/Switzerland or Germany/Austria, we've really only covered the northern regions - through Aosta/Piedmont/Liguria or Trentino/Veneto/Lombardy/Emilia-Romagna en-route to Tuscany. We had booked a place in Rome for 2020 but had cancel due to Covid. Every time I take a few things to read and some manuscript paper just in case of 'inclement weather', but really it is pointless - normally I get in about 15 pages of reading and write about 10 bars. Why would I do anything else when there is all of this:

 

[andruca]

I've read Duff McKagan's and Rex Brown's and they're OK, entertaining.

 

[Deleted member 132197]

I recommend this: Bass Line: The Stories and Photographs of Milt Hinton. The Judge. The man played with everyone, and took photos. Also his spoken reminiscences on the album "Old Man Time".

I second this one. But as it is a coffee table book, it doesn't travel light

 

[wmhill]

This isn't anything great, but it's an OK read. Probably more enjoyable if you're a fan of the dead.