Most Influential Bassist (In General)?

[mcblahflooper94]

We're i able to vote more than once, I would have said James Jamerson, Carol Kaye, and Gene Simmons. In that order. The question wasn't "Who influenced you the most?" It was "Who was the most influential bass player?" Not quite the same thing. Macca may have been the bass player who most influenced others to be singers or songwriters, but he was not an inspiring bass player.

I'm not sure if I agree with that. I remember hearing in an interview where Entwistle said McCartney was winning best bass guitarist award for years until one year he won it. Paul McCartney was a good bassist of the biggest band in the world. Don't you think that he would be recognized?

 

[electracoyote]

Macca may have been the bass player who most influenced others to be singers or songwriters, but he was not an inspiring bass player.

 

[john_g]

The poll is about who influenced more bassists, not who is your favorite. I think Jamerson's playing was huge, but no none really knew who he was, and did it make tons of people run out and buy a bass? Possibly, but not on the scale that McCartney did. So, even though Geddy is my favorite and biggest influence by far, I would say McCartney on Ed Sullivan probably inspired more than anyone.

 

[ChessTiger]

Terry "Geezer" Butler for this bass player...

Along with my son; who pushed me into purchasing both of us a guitar. I've been thanking him ever since...

 

[Stick_Player]

... I would say McCartney on Ed Sullivan probably inspired more than anyone.

Yep. By Monday, following February 9, 1964, every American male teenager wanted to either play electric guitar, electric bass or drums.

Even Ed Sullivan...

We're i able to vote more than once, I would have said James Jamerson, Carol Kaye, and Gene Simmons. In that order. The question wasn't "Who influenced you the most?" It was "Who was the most influential bass player?" Not quite the same thing. Macca may have been the bass player who most influenced others to be singers or songwriters, but he [Paul McCartney] was not an inspiring bass player.

Say What?

From YOUR profile:

Influences and Teachers:
James Jamerson, Carol Kaye, Sir Paul McCartney, Dee Murray, Gene Simmons, Lee Rocker, Tony Franklin

So Sir Paul, while not an influence, was your teacher?

Wow! Impressive. Private lessons or skype?

 

[Lee Moses]

I really wanted to vote for Jaco. . . . But for the most part, his music had fairly limited exposure compared to someone like Paul McCartney. But I couldn't vote for Paul McCartney, because I'm not convinced that all that many people specifically wanted to play bass because of him. I couldn't go with James Jamerson, because most people listening to the Motown records back in the day never had any idea who was playing bass. Geddy Lee made a lot of people play bass, but even Rush had somewhat limited exposure compared to some others on the list. I ended up going with John Entwhistle--the archetypical rock bassist.

 

[3star2nr]

Lloyd Brevet for me. His band invented reggae, ska, rock steady etc. He also revolutionized the role of the bass as a strictly rythm instrument. Aston Barrett then took the concept further, guys like Mafia also pushed it even more till now reggae is a very unique form of music.

 

[aguacateojos]

Dragonetti?

 

[bigmoosepi]

Most influential bassist will vary by age group and what type of music the person grew up on. Guys under 30 aren't going to list Jamerson and McCartney. Guys not into metal aren't going to list Geezer or Cliff.

age has nothing to do with this.

I was born in 91 but my favourite era of music is about 67-73.

If you only listen to music made after you're born you're missing out.

 

[Stick_Player]

Well, the snarky answers aren't helpful, ...

 

[jasmangan]

From the the greatest hard rock band ever-John paul jones

 

[bassguitarthund]

As far as the list goes it was a hard decision. It was a toss up between Paul McCartney, James Jamerson and Jaco. I feel Victor Wooten should have been on the list but it is your list and not mine.

Here are my influences (none rank higher than the others),

Gene Simmons, I am a KISS freak and the reason I picked up the bass in the first place.

Victor Wooten, Stanley Clark, Geddy Lee, FLea, Cliff Burton, Robert Trujillo, Marcus Miller and Peter Steele. I am sure there are more but that is what comes to mind at this time

 

[phillybass101]

i've never even heard of james jamerson. what band does he play for? or is he a solo bassist or something?

anyways i'd say flea.

i like Krist novaselic too. great tone.

LMAO!!!!!

 

[electracoyote]

For those of you who didn't actually read the OP, but are posting personal opinion about personal favorites, and making snarky comments: what the OP said was, "this poll is not based on who is the BEST player, it's based on who (in your opinion) made the most people want to play bass or play differently."

I think you're the one who isn't interpreting the OP correctly. You can say McCartney wasn't an influence on your bass playing, and that's valid. But to imply he wasn't influential on bass players in general, and on a large scale---that's just plain false, and there's plenty of evidence to the contrary. It only takes a 10-second Google search.

But I'm just a schmuck on a chat site. Maybe the opinions of some of these guys will have more weight.

Sting: "It's hard to separate McCartney's influence on my bass playing from his influence on everything else-singing, songwriting, even becoming a musician in the first place. As a child, I would play my Beatles albums at 45 RPM so I could hear the bass better. He's the Guvnor."

Will Lee: "Growing up in Texas in the early '60s I was so obsessed with the Beatles' music that I didn't feel like a fan, I felt like I was in the Beatles. About the same time I switched from drums to bass I became aware of who gave the band its charm and personality, from visual tunes like "Penny Lane" to the group's repartee with the press. It was the same fellow who was able to take a poor-quality instrument like the Hofner bass and create magic on it. I especially dug Paul's funky, Motown-influenced side, evident in the bass line from Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey," or even in the syncopated part from "A Day In The Life. Paul's influence on bassists has been so widespread over numerous generations that there's no denying he's in everybody's playing at this point. We're all descendants. He played simple and solid when it was called for. But because he had so many different flavors to add to a song, he was able to take the instrument far beyond a supportive role. Paul taught the bass how to sing."

Stanley Clarke: "Paul definitely had an influence on my bass playing, not so much technically, but more with his philosophy of melodic bass lines - especially as I hit my teens and the Beatles' records became more adventurous. On tracks like "Come Together," the bass line WAS the song. I've always liked that. The only other person I knew of who was doing that was James Jamerson. That was one of the reasons I was inspired to write "School Days": so I could just play the bass lines and people would hear a whole song. I had the honor of being contacted by Paul through George Martin to play on Tug of War, and I also appeared on Pipes of Peace [both on Capitol]. Paul was very nice. He asked me to show him how to slap. During Pipes we got a groove going in a studio jam, and it ended up making on the album as "Hey Hey." He graciously gave me a co-writing credit, and it's still a thrill to see my name next to his above the music in the song book."

Billy Sheehan: "The reason I got involved with music in the first place was because I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show. I watched all the girls going crazy, and I figured this was the best business in the world to be in. Later on, when I got more deeply into music, Sgt. Pepper was a break-through record for me. I must have listened to it several hundred times. What intrigued me was how totally musical every aspect of it was, especially Paul's melodic, fluid bass lines. When my band Talas was starting in the mid '70s, [the Beatles' tribute show] Beatlemania was big, and we used to play entire gigs of just Beatles tunes. I've learned so much from Paul about playing, writing, and playing and singing at the same time that I should probably start sending him checks. Most bassists get into the flashy players, but I think the reason Paul is often overlooked is that what he was doing wasn't really obvious. It was so brilliantly woven into the context of the songs. One of my favorites is the bass line from "Rain." I still use it to test the low end of an amp. That Paul happens to play bass is a great boon to all of us, because he made us realize that there are no limitations to being a bass player."

 

[Epidrake]

Thanks for posting those opinions. Those guys nailed it.

 

[mistahlee]

I met James Jamerson. He borrowed my bass. It was May 1, 1972.

Want to hear the story?

Marvin Gaye had not performed live in several years, after the devastating death of Tami Terrell. In the meantime, though, he had released the phenomenal album “What’s Going On?” He was, at that moment, one of the top artists in the world.

It came to pass that Marvin was persuaded to return to the stage for a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The “Funk Brothers,” including James Jamerson, would be brought in from Detroit. Motown also had assembled an orchestra, including members of the National Symphony, and Motown planned to record the performance.

I was hired as bassist for the opening artist, a vocalist named Renee Morris. The day of the show came and I went down the Kennedy Center that afternoon for a sound check. After we were done, I put my bass in the dressing room and came back up to the empty auditorium, to take in Marvin Gaye’s sound check.

But there was no Marvin Gaye yet, and no Funk Brothers. It had snowed that day in Detroit. Flights were delayed including the one bringing Jamerson, et al.

Four o’clock came and went. Then it was five o’clock. Soon it would be six. This was getting really scary because the Kennedy Center was sold out, and the doors were to open at seven o’clock. Meanwhile most of the National Symphony Orchestra was milling around at time-and-a-half union scale.

Everyone was biting their nails when, suddenly, the Motown crowd poured onto the stage. Remember this was 1972. Those guys were dressed in the most garish manner you can imagine, including double knot jumpsuits in every electric color. Eddie “Bongo” Brown had on knee-high, patent leather boots. They were bouncing around the stage like a circus troop. Then James Jamerson walked in from stage right, calm could be, dressed all in black including a bowler hat.

I was sitting out in the vast, empty, auditorium. Two guys approached me. “Uh, it seems Mr. Jamerson’s instrument hasn’t arrived yet from the airport. He was wondering if you would kindly lend him yours, for Marvin Gaye’s sound check.”

So I did. Unfortunately, at the time I played a Gibson EB whatever-it-was, which was hollow bodied with a neck that made a Jazz bass look chunky. The polar opposite of Jamerson’s Precision. I handed it up to him. He kind of hesitated and studied my bass like it was some rare insect he didn’t know existed. But he thanked me and away they went. I was so enchanted, I hadn’t even noticed the arrival of Marvin Gaye.

So that’s how James Jamerson played “Inner City Blues,” “What’s Going On?” and “Mercy, Mercy Me” on my bass.

If anyone is interested, there’s plenty on the web about the actual performance that night, including on You Tube.

 

[thorski]

Hmmm 4 pages of replies I love ALL of them

Whether it's Wooten, Simmons etc.

After playing for 30 years, and that includes the whole spectrum of technicality (perfectly valid) I always shifted back to Motown and the players that made 'pieces within a piece' .
That being said, one old man always came back to me.
Chris Squire
Chris Squire a true artist who always delivered and sang BEAUTIFUL harmonies to rope people in regardless of their instrument of choice.
Call him the Holyfield of rock bass. But he shows up.
Is well prepared
And has countless moments people only marginally aware of FM radio can identify


And he still has great presense.!!
Harmonies

 

[Jookbox]

Definitely Jamerson. Many of my favorite bassists also consider him a huge influence.

 

[BxBomber]

The guy who got me to first think of picking up a bass was Jack Bruce!

 

[mcblahflooper94]

I met James Jamerson. He borrowed my bass. It was May 1, 1972.

Want to hear the story?

Marvin Gaye had not performed live in several years, after the devastating death of Tami Terrell. In the meantime, though, he had released the phenomenal album “What’s Going On?” He was, at that moment, one of the top artists in the world.

It came to pass that Marvin was persuaded to return to the stage for a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The “Funk Brothers,” including James Jamerson, would be brought in from Detroit. Motown also had assembled an orchestra, including members of the National Symphony, and Motown planned to record the performance.

I was hired as bassist for the opening artist, a vocalist named Renee Morris. The day of the show came and I went down the Kennedy Center that afternoon for a sound check. After we were done, I put my bass in the dressing room and came back up to the empty auditorium, to take in Marvin Gaye’s sound check.

But there was no Marvin Gaye yet, and no Funk Brothers. It had snowed that day in Detroit. Flights were delayed including the one bringing Jamerson, et al.

Four o’clock came and went. Then it was five o’clock. Soon it would be six. This was getting really scary because the Kennedy Center was sold out, and the doors were to open at seven o’clock. Meanwhile most of the National Symphony Orchestra was milling around at time-and-a-half union scale.

Everyone was biting their nails when, suddenly, the Motown crowd poured onto the stage. Remember this was 1972. Those guys were dressed in the most garish manner you can imagine, including double knot jumpsuits in every electric color. Eddie “Bongo” Brown had on knee-high, patent leather boots. They were bouncing around the stage like a circus troop. Then James Jamerson walked in from stage right, calm could be, dressed all in black including a bowler hat.

I was sitting out in the vast, empty, auditorium. Two guys approached me. “Uh, it seems Mr. Jamerson’s instrument hasn’t arrived yet from the airport. He was wondering if you would kindly lend him yours, for Marvin Gaye’s sound check.”

So I did. Unfortunately, at the time I played a Gibson EB whatever-it-was, which was hollow bodied with a neck that made a Jazz bass look chunky. The polar opposite of Jamerson’s Precision. I handed it up to him. He kind of hesitated and studied my bass like it was some rare insect he didn’t know existed. But he thanked me and away they went. I was so enchanted, I hadn’t even noticed the arrival of Marvin Gaye.

So that’s how James Jamerson played “Inner City Blues,” “What’s Going On?” and “Mercy, Mercy Me” on my bass.

If anyone is interested, there’s plenty on the web about the actual performance that night, including on You Tube.

That's a COOL story!