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The best bassplayer for Prince.
- Thread starter Blazer
- Start date
THey're all hot as is the guy who was playing for him when I saw them on a date of his UK residency in London last year. I don't agree that Levi's the weakest though considering the stuff he played on Alphabet Street and the rest of the Lovesexy album. Maybe people are saying that cos he uses a pick on the Sign of the Times video 
I know this is an old thread, but there's so little information on the web about Sonny Thompson, and there should be more.
He was Prince's bass, guitar, and falsetto (voice) teacher, as well as Terry Lewis's bass teacher. I dont mean in any formal way, at least that I know of he never gave formal lessons. He was that older musician in the community that all the young musicians looked up to and wanted to be like, and he would take the time to sit down and show them whatever they wanted to learn. Prince and Andre Cymone used to hide outside Sonny's basement window when Sonny was in the basement practicing, and eventually he would invite them in to jam and learn. Some of Prince's first times playing out and recording as a kid were with Sonny's band The Family. Prince would later name one of his own side projects The Family as an homage.
From the press release when Prince was finally ready to have his mentor play for him and join the NPG: "Also new in the band is Prince's musical idol, Sonny T. Sonny served as a role model for Prince growing up in North Minneapolis. Self-taught – Sonny can play or sing anything he hears – soul, jazz, classical – anything! Sonny plays bass in the N.P.G. although he doubles on every other instrument."
Pretty much everyone that's ever worked with him, including Prince, Terry Lewis, Jimmy Jam, etc, says he is the best musician they have ever known. Prince was in awe of him as a bass player. Jimmy Jam said Sonny was the best musician to ever come out of Minnesota-- including Prince. Terry talks about him a bit in this lecture:
He is best known for playing with Prince, he also toured as the guitar player for Nick Jonas for a while. Here is is playing guitar with Nick, note also Michael Bland on drums, Tommy Barbarella on keys, John Fields on bass:
He has a fair amount of record credits, including Johnny Lang, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, Jesse Johnson, etc. Him and Michael Bland had a supergroup with Jef Lee Johnson on guitar before Jef passed.
He currently tours with NPG (New Power Generation) as a Prince tribute. When they are not on tour, him, Michael Bland, Billy Franze, Margie Cox, and Julius Collins still play every Sunday and Monday night at Bunkers in Minneapolis, in what has to be the tightest cover band on the planet.
He's not always extroverted and friendly, but he's an incredibly kind person. Like Michael B says, Sonny's all heart. If you catch him in the right mood he'll tell stories.
Sonny is one of the best living musicians and he made a lot of sacrifices in his career so that Prince could go on to be great. Him and Michael together make up the tightest rhythm section hands down. I really wish he got more credit!
- Nov 27, 2003
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I read in an interview with Sonny that after Andre Left the Revolution, Prince wanted Sonny to replace him but was too scared to ask him, so Mark Brown got the gig.
But while BrownMark is a killer bass player, one can't help but to imagine what albums like "Purple rain", "Around the world in a day" and "Parade" would have sounded like had Sonny been the Bass player for the Revolution.
But while BrownMark is a killer bass player, one can't help but to imagine what albums like "Purple rain", "Around the world in a day" and "Parade" would have sounded like had Sonny been the Bass player for the Revolution.
He definitely asked him. Sonny was prepping and preparing for the tour until he was told that Prince had changed his mind and hired Mark. I've never actually heard anyone say why, but Terry Lewis alluded to it in the lecture I linked above. Prince was still intimidated by Sonny. Actually, my impression is Prince was still intimidated by him until the end. Still, Sonny would have happily played the tour.
And I agree, I would have loved to have heard Sonny as the original bass player for that material. Mark played everything exactly as Prince would have played it.
I met Josh at the Ritter booth at NAMM several years ago, great player and one of the few touring pros regularly using a Ritter at the time. Andrew Gouche also toured with Prince for a couple of tours, he can play a few licks too.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Because it's not a democratic band. It's Prince's project, and he is free to hire whoever he wants whenever he wants.
I'm glad I got to see Prince Rogers Nelson, live! Any issues I had with him went out the door at that concert. And Rhonda, Rhonda, Rhonda......!
I noticed that virtually all of the players who played with him have multi-talents! That tells you something about the entire Prince organization.....!
I noticed that virtually all of the players who played with him have multi-talents! That tells you something about the entire Prince organization.....!
- Nov 27, 2003
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Well here we are 16 years on but now we can actually hear what it would have sounded like.
Here's the song "Strange relationship" as played by "Purple rain"-era Revolution. On bass BrownMark playing his Alembic.
The vocals start around the 4 minute marker
Same song but this time played by the "Sign o' the times"-era New Power Generation, on bass Levi.
And here's the song during the "Musicology" era, on bass Rhonda
Same song three very DIFFERENT sounding versions.
Sonny T . I would have loved to see what would have become of Prince with Mono Neon. Sadly we will never know. At least not in this lifetime. But I know it would have been spectacular . Mono is another musical genius, just like Sonny T and Prince.
What about Ida Nielsen, that is from Denmark like me, she was played bass for Prince too for a while too as part of The New Power Generation, and later 3rdeyegirl?
Edit!:
Ah, just looked at the date of OP, that explains it, she was a member from 2010 and onward.
Edit!:
Ah, just looked at the date of OP, that explains it, she was a member from 2010 and onward.
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Sonny said he was trying to lose some weight for the gig, before he knew it Mark had the gig.
Years have passed since I posted in this thread. In terms of sheer skill and funkiness, Brown Mark and Sonny T are at the top. Rhonda was certainly funky but she didn't have what they have!! His last female bassist, Ida Nielson, was pretty good too but I felt she was trying too hard. Prince had just hired MonoNeon prior to his untimely death. Would have loved to see that live show!!
My choices are Brownmark and Andre.
Even thought Sonny was his childhood idol, Prince spoke the most glowingly about Mark and Rhonda as his bass players.
Rhona even converted Prince to Laklands briefly.
IMO, Sonny had the misfortune of playing some of Prince's weakest material.
So I guess you'd have to listen to NPG (version 1.0 and 1.5) live playing the classics to compare fairly.
I've just never been moved to listen to that version of the NPG, which is not their fault because they are excellent musicians within or outside of Prince's music.
Even thought Sonny was his childhood idol, Prince spoke the most glowingly about Mark and Rhonda as his bass players.
Rhona even converted Prince to Laklands briefly.
IMO, Sonny had the misfortune of playing some of Prince's weakest material.
So I guess you'd have to listen to NPG (version 1.0 and 1.5) live playing the classics to compare fairly.
I've just never been moved to listen to that version of the NPG, which is not their fault because they are excellent musicians within or outside of Prince's music.
That's really interesting.
I automatically assumed I'd like the "Sign o' the times" era version the most, but the technology really gets in the way, and it sounds really gimmicky - though still interesting .
The "Musicology" era version just sounds like a typical American chat show band - not my cup of tea at all.
I'm not usually prone to nostalgia, but the "Purple Rain" era version just really captures that uniquely mid-80's airy-ness, that most of the music in Miami Vice featured, whenever there was some fraught, high stakes romance going on, and they were trying to convey a sense of angst, and hot tropical, neon lit nights.
It really reminded me, and made me miss that sense of being a kid, and looking forward to being old enough to do all that grown-up stuff.
Quite fascinating to hear such pronounced distinctions between three different eras of Prince's career, and where his head was at, in each case.
