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The Soul Bassists Discussion Thread (SBDT)...

SoulReflection

SoulReflection

Nov 18, 2017
9,019
31,037
NorCal
#1
Soul Music? This is one definition, "Soul music is essentially a secularized form of black gospel music, with heartfelt, passionate vocals and a smooth "soulful" sound. Topics are typically romance, romance-gone-wrong and occasionally social issues. Major exponents include Ray Charles, Isaac Hayes, Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye".

Those are just some. I can think of Otis Redding, Curtis Mayfield, The Isley Bros. and more.

I believe that it is any soulful song, sung from the heart.

But, I do not believe soul music is reserved for "black gospel music". After watching



it came to mind that "Soul" can reside in any of us no matter what ethnicity. Looking at the singers, such as Joe Cocker, Mic Jagger, Paul McCartney and others... horn players, organists, guitarists and, yes, bassists, soul can be in any of us.

So, let's discuss all bassists who played soul music. It can be from back then but, can be from now...

I will open it up with Duck Dunn, James Jamerson, even me (as I played soul although not famously) and also, you if you play or played bass for soul music, let's hear from you and have some fun.
 
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#2
Don't know if I can add anything worthwhile to this so I'll let the late Robert Palmer say something about this special brand of music. Good luck with the thread, SoulReflection!

My listening changed when I heard music from Stax, Atlantic, Motown because by that age I thought anything that my parents listened to must be square. So I had to find my own rock n' roll, as it were, and I found it in black soul music.

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#3
iagtrplyr said:
Don't know if I can add anything worthwhile to this so I'll let the late Robert Palmer say something about this special brand of music. Good luck with the thread, SoulReflection!

My listening changed when I heard music from Stax, Atlantic, Motown because by that age I thought anything that my parents listened to must be square. So I had to find my own rock n' roll, as it were, and I found it in black soul music.

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Click to expand...

Thank you, sir! I hope to learn a lot from this thread ;).
 
#8
Michedelic said:
Ladies and Gentlemen, Jerry Jemmott…


Right now I can't put the time in to research who the bass players were, but I'll just put these out there…




But I do know that this is a guy named Larry Johnson…
Click to expand...


Wow, what a bunch of great stuff! I will do my best to research the bassists but, right now, I just want to enjoy listening to the bottom. Thanks for the posts, @Michedelic :thumbsup::thumbsup:.
 
#9
I have always liked Johnny "Guitar" Watson, from his early blues stuff to this later soul stuff, I think it's a Moog bass though. This stuff definitely has the snowy 70's vibe to it, coolest of cool.

Good article on Johnny:

The life and death of a guitar-slinger





This has an electric in it and was first written and released in the mid 50's then again in 1963, he finally hit with it in 1978.
First one 1958 this is the tune Stevie 'Guitar' Miller mentioned in the Joker and also covered on their first album in 1968.:

I found this post under it:

Kelly Blackwell
1 year ago
My father, the late Bumps Blackwell produced the original Gangster of Love Keen sessions for JGW



1963 remake (I think)



1978
 
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#16
SoulReflection said:
Wow, what a bunch of great stuff! I will do my best to research the bassists but, right now, I just want to enjoy listening to the bottom. Thanks for the posts, @Michedelic :thumbsup::thumbsup:.
Click to expand...
RE: Tyrone Davis…bassist on that track, and the next, Davis' biggest hit, was Bernard Reed…

A Chicago area player, and still active today, he has quite a credit list….
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