The ultimate bass players
Not a slug or a overhypted excusse. Chosen for talent only, not who they play for
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Four-time Grammy Award Winner Stanley Clarke has attained "living legend" status during his over 40-year career as a bass virtuoso. He is the first bassist in history who doubles on acoustic and electric bass with equal ferocity and the first jazz-fusion bassist ever to headline tours, selling out shows worldwide. A veteran of over 40 albums, he won the 2011 Best Contemporary Jazz Album Grammy Award for The Stanley Clarke Band. Clarke co-founded the seminal fusion group Return to Forever with Chick Corea and Lenny White. In 2012 Return to Forever won a Grammy Award and Latin Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Forever.
Clarke's creativity has been recognized and rewarded in every way imaginable: gold and platinum records, Grammy Awards, Emmy nominations, virtually every readers and critics poll in existence, and more. He was Rolling Stone's very first Jazzman of the Year and bassist winner of Playboy's Music Award for ten straight years. Clarke was honored with Bass Player Magazine's Lifetime Achievement Award and is a member of Guitar Player Magazine's "Gallery of Greats." In 2004 he was featured in Los Angeles Magazine as one of the Top 50 Most Influential People. He was honored with the key to the city of Philadelphia and put his hands in cement as a 1999 inductee into Hollywood's "Rock Walk" on Sunset Boulevard. In 2011 he was honored with the highly prestigious Miles Davis Award at the Montreal Jazz Festival for his entire body of work. Clarke won the Downbeat Magazine's Reader's and Critics Polls in the category of Best Electric Bass Player for the last three years.
An accomplished film and TV composer of over 65 projects, his credits include Boyz N The Hood, the Tina Turner biopic What's Love Got To Do With It, Romeo Must Die, The Transporter and Best Man Holiday. He has garnered three Emmy Nominations and a BMI Award for his scoring. In 2014 Clarke was invited to become a member of the exclusive Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
Born in Philadelphia, Clarke has been a constant force of nature in American music since the early 1970s with the success of the jazz-fusion group Return To Forever. That accomplishment gave way to a number of extremely successful solo albums for Clarke. Along the way, he has collaborated with Quincy Jones, Stan Getz, Art Blakey, Paul McCartney, Jeff Beck, Keith Richards, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, The Police, Herbie Hancock and many more, and has shared the stage with Bob Marley and Miles Davis.
Clarke heads his own record label, Roxboro Entertainment Group, and believes in giving back to help young musicians hone their skills. He and his wife Sofia established The Stanley Clarke Foundation thirteen years ago as a charitable organization, which offers scholarships to talented young musicians each year.- Stuart Hamm was born on 8 February 1960 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He is an actor, known for Justice for All with Judge Cristina Perez (2012), Beneath the Bassline - Lost Backstage (2021) and Joe Satriani: Live at Montreux (2007).
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Billy Sheehan was born on 19 March 1953 in Buffalo, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for One Hit Wonderland (2012), Mr. Big: To Be with You (1992) and Mr. Big: Addicted to That Rush (1989).- Music Artist
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Michael Peter Balzary was born on the sixteenth of October 1962, in Melbourne, Australia. When he was four, his parents divorced and Michael, his sister Karen and his mother Patricia headed for New York; they didn't stay long and soon ended up in L.A. (in 1972), where his step-father, a jazz musician named Walter Urban Jr., intended to start a career. Flea would often sit in on weekly jam sessions with his stepfather and the constant flow of musicians who trucked through. High school was not always an easy road for young Michael. He was a misfit because of his unusual musical taste. While most of the kids were into disco and dance music, Flea preferred jazz artists like Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie. Flea's first musical instrument was the drums, but soon he also began playing the trumpet. After school he would race home to listen to his Gillespie records and play along with his idol. He counts as his greatest childhood memory the time his mother got him back-stage to meet Gillespie after one of his concerts. He also played with the Los Angeles Junior Philarmonic Orchestra. Influenced by some of his friends from school who shared the same passion for music - among them, Jack Irons and Hillel Slovak, who would later play in the Red Hot Chili Peppers with him - his musical interests then diversified: he discovered funk music, and Jimi Hendrix became his new idol. At the end of 1977, he met Anthony Kiedis. For some reason, Michael was holding a young schoolmate named Tony Sherr in a headlock, when Kiedis, who was Tony's best friend at the time, came to rescue him; they almost had a fight. After this meeting, they soon became aware they were made to be friends, and have been inseparable since. The two became known for their mischievous antics, which often got them into trouble. This is also when he gained the nickname Flea, while he was joking with some friends about calling each other a cartoon name. Around 1979, due to Flea's obvious musical talent, he was sought out as a recruit for a band formed by his school-mates, Anthym, with Jack Irons (drums), Hillel Slovak (guitar) and Alain Johannes (vocals and guitar) as members. Flea picked up the bass, which he had never played before, and became so good that within a few months he had forged his very own style, which later would make him one of the most famous and talented bass players in the world. After a shaky start the band got a few club gigs but no major breaks. Anthony Kiedis, who was always there to support them, became the presenter of their shows which he opened with a few jokes or improvised poems of his own. In 1982, Flea joined the L.A. punk band Fear. He also landed a small role in the Penelope Spheeris film Suburbia (1984). John Lydon of PIL asked Flea to join his band when he left Fear in 1984, but Flea instead decided to rejoin his friends. With Kiedis, Slovak and Irons, they started another band together, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which soon earned a good reputation in the Los Angeles underground music scene. Flea was married in 1985 to Loesha Zeviar, whose first name he got tattooed above his left nipple - close to his heart. They have since divorced, but still share daughter Clara, born on September 16, 1988. Clara sometimes goes on the road with her dad, and has done artwork for the Chili Peppers' t-shirts and promotional material. In 2001, along with friends Pete Weiss and Keith Barry, Flea founded the Silverlake Conservatory Of Music, an organization whose aim is to provide affordable music lessons to everyone and to encourage children's musical education.- Composer
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Geddy Lee is best known as the vocalist, bassist, and keyboard player for the rock group Rush, which also features drummer Neil Peart and guitarist Alex Lifeson. Rush is the most successful Canadian music group in history, and is the third most prolific seller of consecutive (American) Gold and Platinum Records and videos, behind only the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Lee's spectacular bass-playing ability has earned him a reputation similar to that of his bandmates. All three share the distinction of being among the most highly influential virtuosos in their crafts. Geddy Lee is a natural overachiever when it comes to the production and performance of his music. He is equally well known for his wizard-like bass-playing ability as he his for his magical juggling of bass, singing, playing keyboards, and triggering his own pre-recorded accompaniments during live performances, all while maintaining his trademark enthusiasm as Rush's "frontman". Geddy has, in the past carried the dubious distinction of a hard-rocking, if somewhat unnatural, high-pitched singing voice. This has matured over the course of Geddy's career into a voice that is more widely accepted outside of Rush's original core hard-rock following, and shines most especially on recent Rush albums such as 2002's "Vapor Trails", and Geddy's polished 2000 solo album, "My Favorite Headache". After their longest break from recording and touring, A highly successful 2002 tour brought Rush back to the United States, Canada, and Mexico, to the great anticipation of fans. Rush ended their 2002 tour with their first-ever shows in Brazil, where they played to 125,000 fans in three nights. The final performance of the 2002 tour was captured on DVD as Rush in Rio (2003), which was certified double-platinum within weeks of its release. Geddy is the son of Polish parents who were survivors of the Nazi concentration camps. In addition to his composing, arranging, and performing duties for Rush, Geddy has produced albums for various other bands, including Rocket Science.- Composer
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Jaco Pastorius was born on 1 December 1951 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a composer, known for American Playhouse (1980), Chuck Brown: We Got This (2010) and Jaco Pastorius: Live and Outrageous (2007). He was married to Ingrid Muller and Tracy. He died on 21 September 1987 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.- Actor
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John Entwistle was born on 9 October 1944 in Chiswick, London, England, UK. He was an actor and composer, known for Tommy (1975), Quadrophenia (1979) and Sister Midnight (1974). He was married to Maxene Harlow and Alison Wise. He died on 27 June 2002 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.- Composer
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John Paul Jones was born on 3 January 1946 in Sidcup, Kent, England, UK. He is a composer and actor, known for The Song Remains the Same (1976), The Adam Project (2022) and Small Soldiers (1998). He has been married to Maureen Jones since 1967. They have three children.- Actor
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Born in London on March 4, 1948, Chris Squire engaged in a highly musical childhood, including singing in St. Paul's distinguished youth choir. In 1968, he was introduced to aspiring tenor vocalist Jon Anderson in a London bar, "La Chasse". They soon found that they shared similar ideas of how music should sound. After getting a few other musicians to join, art rock band Yes was formed. Success for the band did not occur until 1971 and the release of 'The Yes Album', 'Fragile' and 'Close to the Edge'. Each of which featured Chris' innovative, complex bass riffs and tenor vocals. Squire has continued on in Yes full term, being the only member to appear on every Yes album. He made a solo album called 'Fish Out of Water' in 1975 at his home studio near Virginia Water, Surrey. Chris is married and has four daughters and a son. He lives in the USA with wife Scotty.- Actor
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Bootsy Collins was born on 26 October 1951 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Undercover Brother (2002), Cloverfield (2008) and Free Guy (2021). He has been married to Patti Collins since 24 December 1996.- Actor
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Rudy Sarzo was born on 18 November 1950 in Cuba. He is an actor, known for Office Christmas Party (2016), A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989) and Talk Is Jericho (2013). He has been married to Rebecca Garrard since 24 June 1984.- Louis Johnson is known for Gonnyon Tcheot Drive (2012).
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Roger Glover was born on 30 November 1945 in Brecon, Powys, Wales, UK. He is a composer and actor, known for Point Break (1991), Twister (1996) and Rain Man (1988).- Composer
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Charles Mingus is an American jazz double bassist, pianist, composer and bandleader.
A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians and composers in history, with a career spanning three decades and collaborations with other jazz legends such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Dannie Richmond, and Herbie Hancock.
Mingus' compositions continue to be played by contemporary musicians ranging from the repertory bands Mingus Big Band, Mingus Dynasty, and Mingus Orchestra, to the high school students who play the charts and compete in the Charles Mingus High School Competition.- Soundtrack
Victor Wooten was born on 11 September 1964 in Hampton, Virginia, USA.- Music Department
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Jeff Berlin was born on 17 January 1953 in the USA. He is known for Clare Fischer: Keep It in the Family (2005), The Old Grey Whistle Test (1971) and Rock Goes to College (1978).- Music Department
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Leland Sklar was born on 27 May 1947 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Man of Steel (2013), Playing by Heart (1998) and Bob Roberts (1992).- Music Department
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Les Claypool was born on 29 September 1963 in Richmond, California, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991), Pig Hunt (2008) and Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008). He has been married to Cheney since 1995. They have two children.- Actor
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- Producer
Geezer Butler was born on 17 July 1949 in Birmingham, England, UK. He is an actor and composer, known for Iron Man (2008), Suicide Squad (2016) and Almost Famous (2000). He is married to Gloria Butler.