Inspirational Bassists.....

[dingobass]

Just curious to know what Bassists have been inspirational to folk.
For my part, I have a few Bass heros...

Willie Dixon and Chuck Rainey rate highly as my Bassists of major wonderment.... I never tire of hearing these guys play. It is because of these guys I took up Bass..

(I must also mention my High School band leader, Mr Shaune Martin. We had five Guitar players and He played Bass. One day he handed me his beloved Fender Jazz with a fretless Schecter neck and said "Here, Phil, you play this. We need a student to be the Bassist in the school band")

[pablopepper]

Paul McCartney (Beatles, Wings), Donald 'Duck' Dunn (Stax Orchestra), John McVie (Fleetwood Mac), Billy Gould (Faith No More), Robert DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots), Colin Greenwood (Radiohead) to name a few.

[dingobass]

And then there are Bass Gods such as
Jaco Pastorius, Les Claypool, Flea and Victor Wooten.....

[Bass Guy]

Jeez, where to start? There's the notables such as Wooten, Jaco, Marcus Miller et al...but I would also give mention to John Entwistle, Steve Harris, Geddy Lee, Tony Levin, Michael Manring, Lee Sklar and Cliff Burton.

Also some criminally under-rated playes worth checking: Colin Moulding (XTC), Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads), Gail Anne Dorsey (Bowie), Wolfgang Schmid (Billy Cobham/Paradox), Dominique DiPiazza (John McLaughlin) and the utterly unbelievable Colin Hodgkinson (Back Door).

[Gavin1393]

Mark King (Level 42) and Pino Palladino (fretless bass on Lady in Red!

[Fretworn]

Apart from the better known guys like Geddy Lee and Chris Squire, I quite like the playing of Jonas Reingold (Flower Kings/Karmakanic), Dave Meros (Spock's Beard) and Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree).
[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruFkgg9YgSA[/embed]

[robin]

Being the old guy that I am, I can remember being gob smacked by Jack Bruce back in the days when Cream were STILL playing. I didn't have too many records (yes vinyl) in those days but I had Wheels of Fire (just the live disc) on permanent rotation.

Everybody was raving over Clapton, but I only had ears for Jack.

rob

[Scott J.]

Oh I've just got to reply to this one! :-) ... names and inspirations!

STANLEY CLARK (himself) - listen to ANYTHING he's recorded and you'll know why!
CHRIS SQUIRE (Yes) - the dynamism of his playing and the first time I heard a bassist using CHORDS in his (most excellent) solos and "bass"-breaks (and he played a Ricky 4000)
GEDDY LEE (Rush) - for such remarkable innovation in licks and phrasings (and he plays a Ricky 4000)
PHILIP LYNOTT (Thin Lizzy) - for some of the catchiest bass riffs written and that he played them and sang at the same time! (ok so he didn't play a Ricky 4000)
JOEY DeMAIO (Manowar) - because he's got 8 fingers on his left hand and has written some the most awe-inspiring bass solos ever recorded (e.g. "Thunderpick" & intro to "Guyana" off the album "Sign of the Hammer") ... (and he plays a Ricky 4000)

... of course the list could go on but for me these are the "fewest of the few" who have stood apart from the many greats that are out there

[keloooe]

I think you are a Rickenbacker 4000 addict there Scott.... Just letting you know...

[dingobass]

What list is complete without the man who kicked it all off?

The God Father of Soul and Motown, The Grandfather of Rock and Roll, The Maestro of the Blues....

The one and only,

Willie Dixon.