Most Influential Bassist (In General)?

[zachoff]

Most influential "in general" I voted Jamerson though I didn't discover him well into my time playing bass. For me, Eric Avery or Sergio Vega is probably most influential. Maybe Novoselic too.

 

[Stick_Player]

ah yeah now i see. he was way before my time. most of those influencial guys are before my time like him, jaco, and so forth. i wasn't born until 1975 and i didn't pick up a bass until 1996.

so you can see why i picked the guys i did. they are in my time period. haha

Dude, you need to get outta the house.

Find out who influenced YOUR favorite bassist, then who influenced the guy that influenced YOUR favorite bassist, and so forth.

Yeah, I know, it'll take some brain power and time.

 

[mjmeche]

Carol Kaye
James Jamerson
Ron Wood
Peter Cetera
Duck Dunn
Jim Fielder

 

[Stick_Player]

"Most Influential Bassist (In General)?"

No contest; Paul McCartney.

That guy has directly influenced contemporary music more than the rest of that entire list combined.

Half that list would bow in reverence to Sir Paul. And so should you. The other half is dead.



Geeze.

 

[Humbled]

...it's based on who (in your opinion) made the most people want to play bass or play differently.

IMO, Jamerson was mixed so subtly that most normal folks had no idea it was the bass and Jamerson's creativity and the movement of his lines that made so many of their favorite Motown songs so infectuous and made their feet move.

Though few knew (or cared) who it was playing, I bet Carol Kaye's body of work made more people in the general population say: "Wow that bass groove is really really cool"!...

 

[jg42]

Mick Karn
Mark King
Stanley Clarke

 

[BassTapp]

Glad Paul Simonon got an honorable mention but since he's not in the poll... I had to be the one to vote Sting.

 

[Papersen]

James Jamerson all the way.
He influence a LOT of players, from Macca to Entwistle, from Anthony Jackson to Marcus Miller.

A true genius.

 

[mcblahflooper94]

Interesting poll so far; I was definitely expecting to be more Carol Kaye + McCartney. Granted, Jamerson I'd to be expected as #1. Remember, it's not who influenced YOU, it's the bass population in general. Who made the most impact, I mean. Continue

 

[SoCal1]

James Jamerson was the most "disruptive" bass guitarist in the entire history of the instrument. No bassist (Jaco included) ever characteristically changed the very nature and purpose of the instrument as did Jamerson.

 

[othefool]

I think for many people born in the 70s and beyond, Flea and Les were very influential. They got people to pay attention to and want to play the bass. They were an answer to the synth-dominated 80s question of "is the bass irrelevant?" (in pop music). Whatever you feel about them as players, the kids listened, and then grew up to play bass.

 

[Brelic]

I voted Geddy because he's been the one that really got me to pay attention to the bass and to hear the possibilities! McCartney was definitely my early stylistic influence.

A modern bassist that has really pushed me to explore new areas is Glenn Esmond from The Butterfly Effect. His delay-infused groove on Worlds on Fire and chord changes on Everybody Runs are really well thought out and executed.

 

[othefool]

Oh, and +1 Jamerson

 

[Joe Nerve]

Gene Simmons. Period!

Tough call, but I think I gotta go with this. Growin up in the 70s he got more people I know to pick up a bass than anyone else. I didn't even play bass then, played guitar, but knew all the basslines to pretty much every song the first 5 albums.

 

[Bearded BassMan]

Honestly i would have to say Ray Brown simply cuz he played across a ton of genres

 

[WannaBeatle]

ah yeah now i see. he was way before my time. most of those influencial guys are before my time like him, jaco, and so forth. i wasn't born until 1975 and i didn't pick up a bass until 1996.

so you can see why i picked the guys i did. they are in my time period. haha

funny that ya say he was way before your time. I'm the same age as you are and have known who he is for at least 25 years (due to the release of the book "Standing in the Shadows..", for which Paul wrote the forward to it).

but, for me, it's a tossup between Jamerson and Paul. Also, Bill Black would be on the list for me, but he wasn't known for playing elec bass, though.

I pretty much stopped listening to new music after the mid to late 80's...got too corporate for my tastes.

 

[Joe Nerve]

Hmmm... after thinking for a couple of minutes I think I might have to change my mind and agree with the Jamerson crowd. Simmons inspired a handful of rockers that were into KISS. Jamerson inspired everyone.

 

[jchrisk1]

Well, if I had to pick from your list, I would say JPJ. But lately I have been really into Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde.

I don't know why people think inspiration has to come from the greats.

 

[D.M.N.]

Seriously? You have Krist Novoselic (yes, that is the proper way to spell it) on there, and not Jack Bruce? I mean, not to knock Krist, he did what he needed for the band he was in, but if we're talking bass players in the spot light influencing people, how could Jack Bruce not be on there?


Anyways, the two that really did it for me were Paul McCartney and JPJ. Although, even before I noticed their playing, Bill Black probably had a large influence on me, as well as Willie Dixon on the early Chuck Berry records. I listened to a LOT of Elvis and Chuck Berry when I was young. Jack Bruce and John Entwistle (and Berry Oakley) are the ones that I'm constantly striving towards. Keep in mind, I was born in 1992, so these are guys way "before my time", and they're still having an influence.

 

[deathsdj]

John Paul Jones made me notice bass. Cliff Burton made me want to play bass.

I'm a rock / metal guy and that is what I like, even in my reclining years (I am 46 after all).

Cliff Burton is my bass idol and always will be.

Cheers!

MJW