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The Four Most Influential Bassists?

Dr. Cheese

Dr. Cheese

Supporting Member
Mar 3, 2004
57,280
120,402
Metro St. Louis
#1
Just who you think are the four most influential bassists are and why you feel that way. Please, putting down others choices!

My choices are:
James Jamerson - using advanced harmony in Pop basslines

John Entwistle - popularizing roundwounds and upfront bass tones

Larry Graham - invented slapping

Jaco Pastorius - popularized fretless, harmonics, and favoring the bridge pickup
 
#2
I think Paul McCartney should be in their too. Maybe McCartney/Jamerson as McCartney lists him as his biggest influence.
Though Jamerson was a technically more skilled player, McCartney broke more boundaries and totally kicked the world of bass up a notch.
 
#5
Dr. Cheese said:
James Jamerson - using advanced harmony in Pop basslines

John Entwistle - popularizing roundwounds and upfront bass tones

Larry Graham - invented slapping

Jaco Pastorius - popularized fretless, harmonics, and favoring the bridge pickup
Click to expand...
IvanMunoz said:
I think Paul McCartney should be in there, too. Maybe McCartney/Jamerson...
Click to expand...
This list would be it for me.

One of the things that puts McCartney on the list is his innovation with melody.
 
#6
esa372 said:
This list would be it for me.

One of the things that puts McCartney on the list is his innovation with melody.
Click to expand...

Yep, McCartney was extremely creative and always doing something new, always pushing the envelope.

McCartney{s lines were so free flowing there was nothing keeping him in, he just traveled all over the fretboard and made it sound amazing in the process.
Hey Bulldog comes to mind as I write this.
 
#7
Dr. Cheese said:
Just who you think are the four most influential bassists are and why you feel that way. Please, putting down others choices!

My choices are:
James Jamerson - using advanced harmony in Pop basslines

John Entwistle - popularizing roundwounds and upfront bass tones

Larry Graham - invented slapping

Jaco Pastorius - popularized fretless, harmonics, and favoring the bridge pickup
Click to expand...

Couldn't argue with this...:bassist:
 
#8
I would certainly have included McCartney in a top five, and although he listed Jamerson as a great influence, I could see him as a legitimate top four because he was literally the face of bass since the Beatles were such an incredibly influential band.
 
#10
Jimmy Blanton, for the very reasons accredited to Jamerson. Although we label Duke Ellington's music as "jazz" it was the "pop" music of its day

Willie Dixon, the unmissing link from the blues to pop music globally today. Unmistakably a place were segregated cultures started to integrate, although many racial/cultural preferences continue to this day.

Larry Graham for making use of the unique characteristics of playing an amplified guitar

Victor Wooten, with his pop collaborations he has some pop audience but mostly as an educator in the internet age. Both by those attempting to gain his physical chops and in his purpose made teaching videos where chops are a secondary thought of what he is passing in what can be called master's seminars.
 
#11
Jhengsman said:
Jimmy Blanton, for the very reasons accredited to Jamerson. Although we label Duke Ellington's music as "jazz" it was the "pop" music of its day

Willie Dixon, the unmissing link from the blues to pop music globally today. Unmistakably a place were segregated cultures started to integrate, although many racial/cultural preferences continue to this day.

Larry Graham for making use of the unique characteristics of playing an amplified guitar

Victor Wooten, with his pop collaborations he has some pop audience but mostly as an educator in the internet age. Both by those attempting to gain his physical chops and in his purpose made teaching videos where chops are a secondary thought of what he is passing in what can be called master's seminars.
Click to expand...

Blanton and Dixon are great choices. I was thinking bass guitarists, but Jamerson played both for Motown, so we're cool.:)
 
#13
Paul McCartney because he was in The Beatles.
Gene Simmons because he had his own movie, action figures, belt buckles...
Geddy Lee because he inspired a legion of heavy rock nerds for several decades.
Flea because he was all over MTV and made slap bass popular with white college kids and high school jocks.

I can't imagine the number of people who picked up instruments because of The Beatles and KISS.

FYI: Gene is the only one on the list that provided any inspiration for me because I didn't even know what a bass guitar was until I saw him play one on TV when I was in the 3rd grade.
 
#16
Jack Bruce and Entwhistle definitely should be in there for originating that grindy, slightly distorted sound.

I sort of feel that No Entwhistle/Squire = No Chris Squire = No Geddy Lee.

Maybe being an influence can take different meanings though - you can be influential by being a pioneer (Entwhistle/Bruce) or by being popular (Squire/Lee).
 
#17
Dr. Cheese said:
Just who you think are the four most influential bassists are and why you feel that way. Please, putting down others choices!

My choices are:
James Jamerson - using advanced harmony in Pop basslines

John Entwistle - popularizing roundwounds and upfront bass tones

Larry Graham - invented slapping

Jaco Pastorius - popularized fretless, harmonics, and favoring the bridge pickup
Click to expand...

slap already existed way before Graham


as of my choice ... hum kinda hard. I have a Bass Player mag with 25 influancal bass player kinda interesting.

Les Claypool was in there for his wacky style that defy tradition
Anthony Jackson for all his picking hand technic and the creation of the 6 strings bass
Jaco Pastorius
Stanley Clarke
 
#19
Since the discussion is getting very rock oriented, I want to change things up and mention Family Man Barrett of the Wailers. Reggae is so huge it is really impossible to overstate how many people have learned Barrett's lines and have been influenced by his playing and sound.
 

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