Who started it all for you?

[Righteous Thunderer]

I sort of came to the realization while listening to a few different bands and being like, "Man, that bass is pretty cool, too bad I play guitar and don't have a bass..." One day I said screw it and bought a bass, and have definitely shifted my focus! The bands/players are:

Acid Bath/ Audie Pitre (RIP)
Tool/ Justin Chancellor
Primus/ Les Claypool

Acid Bath's "Screams of the butterfly" may very well be THE SONG that got me playing, though; I used to play it on guitar all the time!

 

[Tampabass]

Actually, it was my junior-high band director who got me started. When I was 13, already playing French horn in the band, he told me he wanted me to play bass in the "stage band. I said, "Yeah, well, okay then" (or words to that effect).

After that the first bass player I paid much attention to was probably Peter Cetera, on those early Chicago albums. Their show in '76 or so was my first "rock" show. And after that, I started getting into fusion, so, naturally, it was all about Jaco and Stanley.

 

[Rip Topaz]

Geezer Butler started it for me. And of course early Rush. Later, Nikki Sixx and Billy Sheehan.

 

[Spraeg]

Well, my dad and one of my older cousins are both bass players, so it was kind of natural for me to pick it up. The first person I heard and said "I want to play like THAT" was probably Jack Bruce.

 

[peledog]

John Taylor

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Mark King

John McVie
Link Removed

Sting

 

[Big chicken]

I wanted to be Gene Simmons as a 6 or 7 year old kid but my brain evolved and then i wanted to be Entwistle,I still do

 

[pygmygrizzly]

Geddy Lee, and my brother having a fender P-bass laying around he didn't play helped too.

 

[ghiadub]

My 17 year old mildly Guitar'ded self was listening to Michael Hedges album Aerial Boundaries and this buzzing bass sound filled my head.

It was Michael Manring who dunnit to me.

 

[BassMonstrum]

Jason Newsted, simply because of his headbanging-skills! No kidding...

 

[Hutzbordello]

Metallica, Hendrix, and the Beatles

although i remember Fieldys klanky tone and always wanted to play it

 

[Gubna]

Although Les Claypool was the one who I really liked when I first started playing, it would have to be the bass player I most likely heard first, Paul McCartney.

 

[SMILEYSIXX]

Geddy Lee was and still is my favorite bass player and was a big influence, but he didn't hold a candle to the influence that Vince Hornsby had on me.

I was at a Sevendust show and went to the merch booth to get a shirt. They had a sign that said if you buy a drumstick, you can stay after the show to meet the band. Naturally, I did. I met everyone in the band and got a shirt and the drumstick signed. But Vince was the coolest, most charismatic musician I ever met. I had tickets to the sevendust show that was a few days away and I told him I was gonna be there. He told me he would look for me. A few nights later, during the show, I was up on the balcony when Sevendust was on stage and he ran over to the drummer and grabbed a drumstick and threw it up to me. Still have that drumstick. He just made such an impact on me, that from then on, I knew I was gonna be a bassist.

 

[PJazzBass]

I was 14/15 years old and i was learning to play guitar.I wanted to be like Noel Gallagher, when you are a huuuuge Oasis fan it is a natural step to start loving The Beatles. One day, i was searching Beatles videos, i saw Paul McCartney playing All My Loving in his Back In The Us tour, i heard that nice walking bassline, suddenly a old man appeared in that video crying, when i saw him i decided I wanted to be a great bassplayer/songwriter/singer/musician.
Two months ago i saw Macca live, the third song he played was All My Loving, I couldnt resist crying remembering the start of my dreams.

 

[Bijoux]

John Deacon _Queen ("another one bites the dust' and "dragon attack"), also Steve Harris_Iron Maiden, then I got into all the rock guys, you name it.
But then I turned out to be a Jazz guy, and also play in an orchestra. Go figure!!!

 

[nato101010]

I was a guitarist for 5 years. I filled in for a bassist for a band...3 bands later, it still seems to be going. No one person for me.

 

[Travisx2112]

I've met him and shook his hand!

 

[phillipkregg]

Billy Sheehan...

Especially the David Lee Roth Band stuff.

 

[Valerus]

Steve Harris. When I first heard Iron Maiden I fell in love.

 

[billiam5billion]

I was maybe 13, and I heard the opening bass licks on Social Distortion's "Sick Boys" and I begged my friend to let me play his dad's Ampeg Dan Armstrong. 15 years later and I'm still going, although I've got my own J-bass (just like John Maurer!) now.

 

[FritoBandito]

1967, A TV show called Shindig, A band called Cream, and some guy named Jack.