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Famous blues bassists?

#23
Chazinroch said:
Check out Robben Ford's and Eric Johnson's bassist Roscoe Beck. He even has a couple of instructional DVDs. Greg Rezab (I think that's how its spelled) who did a lot of work with Buddy Guy is another good one.
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jrduer said:
Yeah, Roscoe's a great player. Three weeks ago we played the Continental Club in Austin (me with Shelli Coe, Roscoe with Rosie Flores) and his playing blew me away. Nice guy, too.

~John
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VintageBT6Lover said:
Can't stress how important Willie Dixon is/was.

Other folks off the top of my head that I have enjoyed hearing play the blues that haven't been mentioned yet: Willie Weeks, Nathan East and Ronnie James Weber and Randy Bermudes (both played with The Fabulous Thunderbirds).

A big +1 to all the ones mentioned so far:
Donald 'Duck' Dunn
Tommy Shannon
Jack Bruce
Pino Palladino
Roscoe Beck
Johnny B. Gayden
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GilGB said:
I dont believe that no one mentioned Roscoe Beck.
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I believe he's been mentioned a few times. :D
 
#30
if you are looking for quick but intense blues lesson....learn the stevey ray stuff....with tommy shannon....he's underated as a blues bass player but in a trio setting live he does wonders and made stevey as good as he is remembered!! and yes most of the stevey stuff is dropped tuned so make sure your bass is tuned to the record or you will never be able to play the bass lines !!!!!!!!!!!


Bill
 
#31
More info would help. Is the audition for a band gig backing a singer or guitar player, or is it a lab band (do they still call them that?) "show us your chops" thing? Ray Brown played killer behind Oscar Peterson, but his stuff verbatim would get you fired behind SRV or Muddy Waters. Jack Bruce in Cream or John Paul Jones in Zep's "The Lemon Song" are great blues rock, but neither would fit straight Chicago or jump blues. I'm not trying to make it overly complicated, but knowing what the audition is would be good. That said, all of the guys mentioned by other posters have consistently played great music and are well worth paying attention to for general appreciation purposes.
 
#32
Here's some bassists and a good song to learn that there band does. Please note that many of these songs are blues standards.

Paul Samwell Smith (early Yardbirds stuff) Smoke Stack Lightning
Jack Bruce (Cream) Sitting on Top of the World
Berry Oakley (Allman Brothers) Stormy Monday Blues
Tommy Shannon (SRV and Double Trouble) Pride and Joy
Jerome Arnold (Howlin Wolf) Killin' Floor
 
#38
play4zero said:
How about Johnny B Gayden? Did most of the studio work for bunches of Alligator Records artists including Albert Collins and Son Seals. He is pictured here with myself and Lane Baldwin, special projects coordinator for Eden.

SamAsh024.jpg


Certainly Tommy Shannon and Duck Dunn and Willie Dixon are all great to learn from, but Gayden's work is very accessible while also very true to the real blues itself.
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Gayden was the first person who jumped into my mind.
 

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