Famous bassists everyone knows

[TrevorR]

Back in the early/mid 1990s a friend who is a secondary school teacher did a "history" quiz with her students to see which famous figures they could recognise from their photos. She split it into two halves, current celebrities, film stars and pop stars in one section historical characters and cultural icons from her late teen years in the other (so a mix of, say, Ghandi, Robert Redford, Roosevelt, Churchill, Mick Jagger, Macca, Marilyn Monroe, Albert Einstein and so on).

The students pretty much aced the contemporary quiz. They were appalling at the "historical" quiz hardly getting anyone right. Until Macca popped up. Loads of hands shot up. "Don't be daft, Miss, we know who he is! He's married to the woman who makes the vegetarian sausages!" Macca's late wife, Linda, had recently launched a big range of veggie ready meals into the big supermarkets. THAT was what they associated Sir Paul with - they'd practically no idea what or who the Beatles were.

 

[Pedullist]

At work, I think most people would say either Mark King or Sting. King especially made some great impact in the Netherlands.

No one knows Paul plays bass.

 

[two fingers]

This right here is terrifying to me.....

It gets weirder. Lots of them have never heard the names Babe Ruth, Sean Connery, Jimi Hendrix, Cher, etc. But they can tell you what Taylor Swift had for lunch yesterday.

 

[Kmonk]

I voted for Paul McCartney although I'm not sure that most non-musicians know that he primarily plays bass. My second choice would be Gene Simmons. He seems to be everywhere and I don't know anyone who doesn't know who he is but like McCartney, I'm not sure how many non-musicians know he plays bass. Third would be Sting. I doubt that most non-musicians have heard of the others.

 

[mellowinman]

Pointless discussion. Paul McCartney by MILES. /thread

 

[Son of Wobble]

Paul McCartney by MILES.

Lennon by Miles.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

It gets weirder. Lots of them have never heard the names Babe Ruth, Sean Connery, Jimi Hendrix, Cher, etc. Bit they can tell you what Taylor Swift has for lunch yesterday.

I have a hard time believing that. I'm sure it's true, but I seem to have no problem finding "youths" who know who all those people are.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

I asked my girlfriend last night. She knew Paul McCartney played, didn't know Sting played, and didn't know who Flea or anyone else was.

 

[mellowinman]

Lennon by Miles.

View attachment 2754405

The Supergroup Jimi imagined never came to pass.

 

[bikeplate]

Randy Jackson

 

[Son of Wobble]

Randy Jackson

Intriguing! And plausible, due to his ginormous TV fame.

 

[Son of Wobble]

View attachment 2754436

The Supergroup Jimi imagined never came to pass.

That would indeed have been awesome! But Miles and Macca would surely have butted heads?

Incidentally, these photos of J&Y with Miles Davis were taken at a garden party at Allen Klein's house(!),
where John and Miles reportedly played a one-on-one game of basketball. One imagines Lennon, who Yoko
dubbed "The Clod," tripping over his feet and embarrassing himself with a basketball; but reportedly Miles
was just as inept.

 

[mellowinman]

That would indeed have been awesome! But Miles and Macca would surely have butted heads?

Incidentally, these photos of J&Y with Miles Davis were taken at a garden party at Allen Klein's house(!),
where John and Miles reportedly played a one-on-one game of basketball. One imagines Lennon, who Yoko
dubbed "The Clod," tripping over his feet and embarrassing himself with a basketball; but reportedly Miles
was just as inept.

View attachment 2754442

You can't be good at everything. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall for that one!

 

[marcwhy]

According to you, if you would ask anybody on the street to name you a bassist, which would be the most popular ?

I'd be surprised if "anybody on the street" new any bass players at all.

Homer is correct again: "That guy from The Who ..."

 

[Roger2]

I asked 10 people at my work. 6 said Flea, 2 said "that guy from Red Hot Chilli Peppers", and 2 said Les Claypool.

 

[design]

Here they are, your biggest selling albums on planet earth. Start picking those famous bassists out!

Thriller = Louis "Thunder Thumbs" Johnson. WE HAVE A WINNER!!

 

[bassliner50]

Chubby Jackson.

 

[two fingers]

I have a hard time believing that. I'm sure it's true, but I seem to have no problem finding "youths" who know who all those people are.

High school seniors were born after 911. Many of them don't even know Bill Clinton was a president unless they breezed past it in a history class. They only know him as Hillary's wife (that was only historical, not political). To them, a CD player in a car (or anywhere really) is antique technology. I would argue that if you asked them what "GM" is they would say "genetically modified". They wouldn't know how to use a paper map. Bill Maher has always hosted an angry show, not told happy jokes. They wouldn't recognize a set of Encyclopedias. Most young hotrodders have never worked on a carburetor....and wouldn't know how. The "turn of the century" to them is the year 2000. The Lion King is an old movie their parents watched when THEY were kids. They have probably never seen an Amoco gas station. They don't know what a postage stamp is for, or where to get one, or why to get one. They will have never heard of, or used, or even get what Napster, or LimeWire was. The concept of having to be in a seat, on time, in a living room, to watch your favorite TV show LIVE or you MISS it is not unlike we looked at going to the well to get a bucket of water. They have likely never used a computer mouse with a ball in it. Many have never used one with a cord. Many are literally unaware of the fact that phones used to be mounted on walls or sat on desks unless they saw it in an old movie....like Top Gun. The concept of sending film off to be developed seems like Civil War technology to them. Their grandparents likely had personal computers most of their adult lives. Their grandparents could have gone to a Mariah Carey, Coolio, Dr.Dre, Jodeci, Oasis, Shaggy, RHCP, Foo Fighters, Goo Goo Dolls, or Matchbox 20 concert and not been out of place. Their grandparents could have been too young to vote for Jimmy Carter. Literally, their GRANDPARENTS could have been into Van Hagar and thought The Beatles and Eric Clapton was for THEIR parents music and not their music. Their grandparents could have become adults AFTER DISCO was no longer cool. Some who were young adults when the Beatles came out are GREATgrandparents.

Train kep uh' rollin.....

 

[LCAirPasta]

I think Paul McCartney is the most famous musician by far, but I'm not sure many people realize it's a bass he's playing. There's a sports writer named Bill Simmons who has a thing called the "mom test". Basically, if your mother knows about something sports related, that means it's a pretty big deal. Same test can be applied to musicians. If my mother (who really just listens to whatever is on the radio) knows you're a bass player, you must be pretty famous. I think the only ones she could name off the top of her head are Paul, Gene Simmons, Sting, and MAYBE Flea.

 

[Spirit of Ox]

The most famous bassist that doesn't sing lead vocals is definitely Flea.