Blogging from A to Z: B is for...Bass


Meghan Trainor wasn't wrong when she proclaimed it's All About That Bass.

 ...although I'm pretty sure she was talking about having a big booty.
Whaaaa?

Nonetheless, bass is where it's at as far as music is concerned. The bass and drums form the backbone of most popular music and without it you end up with Kenny G.

 I used to play bass guitar and it's to an unsung pioneer of the instrument I'd like to dedicate the rest of this blog post.

I'm pretty sure if I asked you to name your favorite bassist you'd give me a list which might include: Paul McCartney, Sting, Flea, and if you're Canadian, Geddy Lee. Let's be honest though, it's the lead singer with their antics out front, or the lead guitarist in their tight pants that usually draw your attention. The average music listener knows the Rolling Stones's Mick "Big Lips" Jagger and Keith "Has taken so many drugs he should really have died years ago" Richards, but do you remember the bassist's name? Did you know he left the band more than 20 years ago and they've been using session guys ever since?

(The bassist was Bill Wyman, by the way)

Bassists have always been a little anonymous, but James Jamerson is a name too few have ever heard.
James Jamerson

Jamerson was part of the group of session players - The Funk Brothers - who created the "Motown sound" and helped propel The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Four Tops and many more to worldwide fame.

In all, Jamerson played bass on thirty #1 pop singles and over seventy hits including Heard it through the Grapevine, Baby Love, Ain't no Mountain High Enough, Get Ready, I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch), How Sweet It Is, You Can't Hurry Love, and many more.

Jamerson wasn't just a run of the mill player either. He is recognized as a pioneer in broadening the purpose of the bass player, developing a more melodic style and syncopated rhythms to enhance the overall sound. No less than the likes of Paul McCartney (The Beatles), Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Pino Palladino, John Entwhistle (The Who), Jaco Pastorius (Weather Report) and Jack Bruce (Cream) have all cited Jamerson as a big influence on their playing.

Sadly, Jamerson was never officially credited on any of the Motown songs he played on from 1959 and through the 60's. It wasn't until Marvin Gaye's What's Going On in 1971 that he finally got some credit and then, only two years later, he left Motown.

Jamerson died in 1983, aged 47, after a long battle with alcoholism. After his death, he finally received the accolades he deserved so much in life: inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with the other Funk Brothers, and awarded a Grammy for his contribution to music.

So, here's to the unsung hero of band. Turn up the bass...and listen to the peerless James Jamerson...





That was B in the A to Z Blog Challenge. Come back tomorrow for C. And in the meantime go to http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/ and check out some of the other bloggers.

~ GSY

Comments

  1. SpookyMrsGreenApril 2, 2015 at 7:24 AM

    Interesting stuff. My husband plays lead guitar, but he always admires the bassists when he watches other bands play, and he is fascinated with music history such as here in your post. In fact, I will show it to him and see what he thinks...

    ReplyDelete
  2. GusApril 2, 2015 at 11:41 AM

    Hi, Catherine! I too am fascinated with music history and am always learning something new about it. I hope your husband enjoys the post...

    Thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Clark FarleyApril 2, 2015 at 7:05 PM

    hey! is it true that he used to play laying on his back in the studio? (Not sure where I heard it, but the story had to do with writing the amazing baseline to 'Can't Hurry Love')

    ReplyDelete
  4. KatyTrailCreationsApril 2, 2015 at 10:40 PM

    the bass is definitely the underdog of the "band". Well written!

    ReplyDelete
  5. GusApril 2, 2015 at 11:19 PM

    Hi Clark, I honestly don't know! I've never heard that story about him lying on his back. I'm thinking he could probably play standing on his head too. lol.

    Hi Stephanie, I agree...I often used to moan that I was the underdog of the band I was in lol. Didn't get me far though, just lots of people rolling their eyes at me :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Selling your book or selling your soul?

Image
Snobbery and hubris from the traditional publishing world bred some hurt feelings on the self-published side of the industry. To ease the pain, "Selfies" like to point out that they maintain control over their work and don't have to sell their souls like the "Trads" do. I don't think many believe that argument completely, but there's a lot of self-satisfaction in the idea of being in complete control of your artistic vision. This mask of creative integrity has morphed into a widely held conceit that we Selfies can write anything we like and, once our genius is recognized, we can reap the benefits of redefining the publishing industry. Only, that almost NEVER happens. Sure, the internet is awash with stories of this person who made seven figures self-publishing, or that person who was writing a chapter at a time on their blog and now their book is a movie. Yes, it happens...to those two people. Generally, the rest of us struggle. One of the ...
Read more

Questions for Spartagus.

I'm trying to be a writer (you may have heard mention of this fact a couple thousand times already...lets just pretend this is the first time) and writers need an audience and an ability to connect with them. So, I'm gonna try something different in the blog this time. I struggle to talk about myself in any meaningful way to strangers. I don't know you and you don't know me so, for the most part we are strangers. I show up on Twitter and tweet some mundane fact about myself: "I like cheese!" or, find myself chiming in about movies, cracking wise or ruminating about the size of the universe.The bulk of what I "talk" about is in short, sharp blasts on Twitter and that's lead me to wonder how much of a connection I'm making to the people I interact with through the myriad of social forums. I'm not the most social of animals since I do not find myself in the least bit "special" or "interesting" so find it hard to fat...
Read more

Bright Lights #1 - Valerie Haight - Happenstance

Image
 As promised, today I begin a new series of interviews with a diverse group of writers I've met on my internet journeys. The first head on the chopping block (volunteer) is Valerie Haight. Valerie is a prize winning, contemporary romance and suspense writer from Arkansas. Always supportive of other writers, she was one of the first people on Twitter to extend the hand of friendship to me and the first (and still only) person to ask me to post (guest blog) on their website. I am hugely honored that she has finally relented and agreed to come over to my wee blog and talk to you all (or y'all...whichever is more appropriate lol). So, without further ado, I'd like to introduce the first "Bright Light" in this ongoing series: Valerie Haight GUS: Hi, Valerie! This is a very exciting time for you in your writing career.  Now that you're nearing the release of your first novella, which part of the journey has surprised you the most...
Read more