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Tommy McClure bass info needed !!

bazza99

bazza99

Aug 19, 2009
62
3
#1
I have just relistened to "Don't play that song" by Aretha and thought WOW - who was that bassist?? I searched a lot and found out it was a guy named Tommy McClure. He played in the Muscle Shoals session band "The Dixie Flyers" and they backed Aretha on that track when she recorded it there.

McClure is totally underated - he deserves recognition for "Don't play that song" alone!! A fantastic walking bass line if ever there was one. Plus, I presume he's a white boy as a lot of the session players down there were actually white, believe it or not...

Does anyone have any further info on him - is he still on this planet??

What other funky traxx can I listen to with him on it???


Any info would be really appreciated
 
#2
I have him on a Rita Coolidge's second album as the bassist with the Dixie Flyers.
But here is a little more discology:Invalid Link Removed
 
#4
I just recently discovered Tommy McClure on the same song. I did some research, and. if you really want to hear all he has to offer, download the Memphis Horns album "Soul Horns". You can not believe it. He is especially awesome on the song Share Your Love with Me. I am in awe of the guy.
 
#6
bazza99 said:
Plus, I presume he's a white boy as a lot of the session players down there were actually white, believe it or not...
Click to expand...

IMHO, you can tell a white or black player apart from "where" they tend to play.

I've always noticed that the afroamerican bassist tend to play on the lower register (I think about Jamerson immediately, and the Motown basslines), contrary to the white players that usually go for the higher register (Donald Dunn in primis).

I guess that it's somehow related to the culture behind the player and his/her heritage.

it's not only in the player, IMHO, but also in who writes the piece: for example, the basslines from Boney M are more often higher in register then the american disco music.

British bass players like McCartney and his legacy tend to play higher, but when I hear a low bassline, maybe with lot of five string's notes, usually there's a black bassist or there's Quincy Jones backstage :D

what a wonderful world the music is
 
#7
Hi,
I'm new to the forum - just signed in to get to this topic ;-)
With this track, Tommy is a new name on the bass hero list. Really love his playing - he plays the whole memphis soul bass recipe. This guy is absolute underrated.



Did somebody of you found out more about Tommy? Infos are still very rare.


Pier_ said:
IMHO, you can tell a white or black player apart from "where" they tend to play.
Click to expand...

I think they played in the higher register because that made it easier to be heard in the mix and in the radio. I guess they used 4track tape machine so the bass players had to find a way to be heard properly. They were far away from Hi-Fi these days. And it makes a big difference in the tone if you play the E on the 2. fret of the D-String or on 7. fret of the A-String. The higher register sounds warmer

Franz
 
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#12
I got into Tommy from the Ry Cooder "Boomers Story" release. Fortunately I was at a 2 year college down in the Carolina's with a Fender bass and my Wurlitzer homebrew jukebox bass amp...and plenty of spare time - as the curriculum was rigorous but easily organized. Life was good.


 

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