Your list of personally most important influential and inspirational bass players!

NoiseNinja

NoiseNinja

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Feb 23, 2011
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#1
Now I know these lists has been done to dead countless times before, still, when using the search function, I can't seem to find any lists with this particular twist.

Just saw this video on YouTube from Scott's Bass Lessons about his personal Top 10 influential bass players:



So I made my own personal list of those bass players who probably had the biggest impact on me personally and have inspired me and no doubt inevitably influenced my bass play, and thought it would be fun if others would chime in on this thread with their own personal list as well.

I can't really come up with more than 9 players though, who I would definitely call a personal inspiration for me, but here they are anyway, in no particular order, probably reflecting my background in noise/experimental/prog rock fairly obviously:

- Justin Chancellor (Among other stuff bass player in the prog metal/hard prog rock band Tool)

- Julie Slick (Amazing female bass player, with outstanding prog rock chops as well as impressing more experimental rock skills, probably best known for being part of Adrian Belew Power Trio)

- Lou Barlow (Probably best known for being a part of the alternative/noise rock band Dinosaur Jr.)

- Trevor Dunn (Probably best known for his time being a part of the experimental/avantgarde rock/metal band Mr. Bungle)

- Bill Laswell (Known for a lot of stuff, though I personally favor his work with the experimental/avantgarde rock outfit Massacre and the ferocious free jazz quartet Last Exit)

- Chris Wood (From the avant-jazz-funk trio Medeski Martin & Wood)

- Cliff Burton (Guess I don't have to mention that he is the original first bass player of Metalica who got killed in a tragic tour bus accident)

- Peter Hook (Known for his extremely melodically driven bass lines in Joy Division and New Order)

- Paz Lenchantin (Hard rocking and grooving female bass player who among others played with the gloomy alternative/hard rock band A Perfect Circle and currently is a part of the psychedelic rock trio Entrance)

- Victor Wooten (Amazing human being as well as extraordinarily gifted bass player, probably best known as himself. Though unlike the other bass players on my list mentioned above, I must admit with regret that the actual type of music he plays for most parts doesn't really speak to me, the way he plays it however does.)

Finally also worth mentioning, and although I wouldn't categorize her as a personal influence of mine, she is definitely a noteworthy bass player still, who's skills I admire:

- Tal Wilkenfeld (Yet another female bass player, again extremely talented, quite young too, probably best known in context of her time playing bass for Jeff Beck)
 
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#2
James Jamerson
Bobby Watson
Nate Watts
Louis Johnson
Joseph Lucky Scott
Bootsy Collins
Larry Graham
Bernard Edwards
Oscar Alston
Allen McGrier
Prince
Marcus Miller
Pino Palladino
Raphael Saadiq
Jamareo Artis
Joe Dart
Michael League
Paul S Denman
Stuart Zender
Phil Lynott
John Deacon
Sting


Carol Kaye
Janice Marie Johnson
Tina Weymouth
Meshell Ndegeocello
Esperanza Spalding
Debra Killings

A lot of ladies on my list because I’m a lady.
 
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#3
Billy Gould of Faith No More..... simply awesome. perfect tone, great dynamics... writing is perfect... just everything

Gidget Gein of Marilyn Manson.. he tracked bass on the first full length and the writing/tone was simply inspirational

Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam... found so much room in those songs to make his own world. VERY big influence on me

Jason Newstead/Dave Ellefson Metallica/Megadeth. These guys held down the bottom like like it needed. Really showed me how less is more in some situations. They have awesome tone and they really made those albums to me.

Ben Shepherd of Soundgarden... another rock guy that had his own thing going on while backing up some of the most unique guitar parts in the genre

Krist Novoselic... tone is just huge and the writing did everything it need to and more. he kept the big feel and pace of dave while lending a tightness to the guitars without breaking that loose feeling.

Tim Commerford of RATM... massive tone and made me realize how big a groove can be without having a ton of notes
 
#4
In no particular order-
Phil Lesh- got me to play bass.
Barry Oakley- the first few Allman Bros. albums changed everything I thought about music.
Aston 'Family man' Barret- Reggae superstar.
Prakash John- my hometown hero. Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, and the Lincolns. Seen him 100 times.
Dave Torbert- Grateful Dead, New Riders, Kingfish. I got to hang out with him for a few hours after a soundcheck, and he was such a cool dude I knew that SOMEHOW I would play bass for a living.
 
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#7
NoiseNinja said:
- Julie Slick (Amazing female bass player, with outstanding prog rock chops as well as impressing more experimental rock skills, probably best known for being part of Adrian Belew Power Trio)
Click to expand...
Julie has influenced me over the last 9 or 10 years more than anybody else. My bands don't play music anything like hers stylistically, but she's always in my head. For anyone who isn't hip to her stuff, here are a couple of examples that I hope you will find inspirational:

A recent set with Adrian Belew Power Trio, on five-string:



A recent set with her own band EchoTest, on a VI (music starts at 8:40, after the interviews):

 
#9
The ones I consciously acknowledge: Mel Schacher, Chris Squire, Stanley Clarke, Jeff Berlin, Paul Jackson, Alphonso Johnson, Tony Levin, Mick Karn, and, lately, all the A-List triple-scale studio journeymen who make everything they touch pure gold without calling attention to their contributions: Nathan East, Will Lee, Jimmy Johnson, Leland Sklar, Anthony Jackson (and Tony Levin belongs to this elite group also).

The ones I unconsciously owe a debt to...because I was listening to their playing long before I knew or cared about bass playing: Bill Wyman, John Paul Jones, James Jamerson, Paul McCartney, Carol Kaye, Joe Schermie.
 
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#10
James Jamerson
Marcus Miller
Scott LaFaro
Carol Kaye
Charles Mingus
Stanley Clarke
Dave Holland
Geddy Lee
Sting
Mike Porcarro
Louis Johnson
Verdine White
Bernard Edwards
Janice Marie Johnson
Tal Wilkenfeld
Will Lee
David Hungate
Tony Levin
Meshell Ndegeocello
Esperanza Spalding
and ahh it's Bootsy, baby

I'm sure there are about 100 more that aren't coming to memory just this second.
 
#11
There could be so many I could name, but Jeff Berlin must surely be first and foremost for me. Not just for his incredible music, his tone and his playing but for his educational efforts.

If a single musician had influenced my playing, my drive to better my playing and develop my ear, it would be Jeff.
 
#12
Phil Lesh (inspirational, but not influential; I play and sound nothing like him).
Jack Casady
Chris Squire (RIP)
Holger Czukay (RIP)
John Wetton (RIP)
Hugh Hopper (RIP)
John Paul Jones
Glenn Cornick (RIP)
Paul McCartney


As a rule I've leant towards harmonically inventive bassists over time. I came into bass via the viola, so the whole focus on rhythm over melody is something I can't really get into as my musical background is classical if anything. In classical music the rhythm is implied rather than dramatically spelled out, and bassists that work like this appeal more to me than guys that can simply slap away at a complex rhythmic pattern.
 
#14
My list is a little weird
Joe Osborn: his bass lines hit me when I was in 2nd grade and didn't even know what bass was. When I discovered it, I realized that's what Indug in the music.

Carol Kaye.
James Jameson. I grew up near Detroit at Motowns height.

Mark Johnson. Played bass in a Christian rock band that I saw in 1971 and I realized I heard every note before played it. Talked with him afterward and he said bass is the thunder. Lightning without thunder is all flash. Convinced me to try bass.

John Lodge...Moody Blues. I'm Just A Singer In a Rock and Roll Band bass part made stand up and listen to how bass was woven into all of their music.

Dee Murray
Paul McCartney
Chas Chandler
Stanley Livingston's work on Monkees tunes turned me around a bit

Andy Burdetsky. He's a local bassist who convinced me to start playing with the local Blues Society and got me back into playing after 30 years off.
 
#15
Bob_Ross said:
...and, lately, all the A-List triple-scale studio journeymen who make everything they touch pure gold without calling attention to their contributions: Nathan East, Will Lee, Jimmy Johnson, Leland Sklar, Anthony Jackson (and Tony Levin belongs to this elite group also).
Click to expand...
...and add Chuck Rainey to that group.
:)
 
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