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As I've been listening to a lot of The Elements stuff the past few weeks, I was reminded of how much Verdine was a beast on bass. Some of those old live footage tapes are funny to watch. The bass was almost bigger than him, considering his slender frame

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So here's the question: Where does Verdine White rank for you among the All Time Greatest Bassist? Not limited to Funk/Soul/R&B by the way. I'm just interested in hearing about others and how he compares to them.

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Videos are welcomed.....

[Edited 2/23/16 7:28am]

funkdoctorrock said:

Bein that he's in my fav R&b group..he ranks pretty high.lol..very complex in his playing style My favorite bassists Marcus Miller-the Man! His bass graced albums of Grover Washington jr,Sanborn,Lonnie Liston Snith,Tom Browne,Bobbi Humphrey,miles Davis,Michael urbaniak,Luther Vandross...so many... Alex Malheiros(from jazz group Azymuth) Bootsy Collins had a helluva bass sound Stanley Clarke..accomplished and a master of many basses Norman Durham RIP(from R&b band Kleeer) Alphonso Johnson..(was in jazz fusion group called weather report and made some solo albums afterwards Paul Jackson(The headhunters) Louis Johnson..RIP(The Brothers Johnson) Mark Adams RIP(from R&b band Slave) Larry Smith RIP(producer,bassist..Laid bass grooves down For Whodini..producing them as well .Five minutes of funk..nuff said lol..Run dmc,Kurtis Blow..The fat boys Those late 70s early 80s sounds..He brought r&b to rap..or rap to R&b..lol..whichever way u wanna say it..he fused the styles...and fused well So many great bassists..but those are my favs and standouts in my collection Oh snap...Cameo had a helluva bassist in Aaron mills..and great bassin' on their albums period. [Edited 2/23/16 13:06pm] [Edited 2/23/16 13:14pm]

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Great references! Some I'm familiar with, some not. I have some listening to do... Thanks

RJOrion said:

Verdine White is my Favorite bassist by far... 1. Verdine White 2. James Jamerson (motown) 3. Mark Adams (Slave) 4. Jaco Pastorius (weather report) 5. Prince [Edited 2/24/16 4:32am]

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James Jamerson always first come to my mind when thinking of outstanding bass players. For you to esteem Verdine higher than him says a lot to me. What exactly makes you place V Dub #1? Just curious to hear why? I think he's exceptional too btw.

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Mr. Nelson huh?

funkdoctorrock said:

Bein that he's in my fav R&b group..he ranks pretty high.lol..very complex in his playing style My favorite bassists Marcus Miller-the Man! His bass graced albums of Grover Washington jr,Sanborn,Lonnie Liston Snith,Tom Browne,Bobbi Humphrey,miles Davis,Michael urbaniak,Luther Vandross...so many... Alex Malheiros(from jazz group Azymuth) Bootsy Collins had a helluva bass sound Stanley Clarke..accomplished and a master of many basses Norman Durham RIP(from R&b band Kleeer) Alphonso Johnson..(was in jazz fusion group called weather report and made some solo albums afterwards Paul Jackson(The headhunters) Louis Johnson..RIP(The Brothers Johnson) Mark Adams RIP(from R&b band Slave) Larry Smith RIP(producer,bassist..Laid bass grooves down For Whodini..producing them as well .Five minutes of funk..nuff said lol..Run dmc,Kurtis Blow..The fat boys Those late 70s early 80s sounds..He brought r&b to rap..or rap to R&b..lol..whichever way u wanna say it..he fused the styles...and fused well So many great bassists..but those are my favs and standouts in my collection Oh snap...Cameo had a helluva bassist in Aaron mills..and great bassin' on their albums period. [Edited 2/23/16 13:06pm] [Edited 2/23/16 13:14pm]

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Could you reference some songs that clearly display Verdine's complexity? I'll be sure to check them out.

daingermouz2020 said:

Hey, I noticed when Taylor Swift got her award Verdine White was onstage as well. Did he participate in some way on her album or was he a presenter? I didn't watch the whole show just a clip

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They were presenters.

Larry Graham , Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, Flea, Jaco Pastorius, James Jamerson, Bootsy Collins, Verdine White, Louis Johnson and Mark Adams. I'm a Prince fan, however, Prince does NOT belong on any list regarding great bass players!

Musicslave said:

madhattter said:

Larry Graham , Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, Flea, Jaco Pastorius, James Jamerson, Bootsy Collins, Verdine White, Louis Johnson and Mark Adams. I'm a Prince fan, however, Prince does NOT belong on any list regarding great bass players!

excellent selections! A lot of songs come to mind with amazing bass parts but can't say for certain if players themselves are extraordinary. But those you named are indisputable. I'll throw out one more you didn't mention: Les Claypool

what do.you think? Also maybe Doug Wimbush.

[Edited 2/24/16 14:26pm]

73rd.

Musicslave said:

I love Verdines style and the sound he brings to EWF - so that makes him a great bassist. It's all pretty relative, but there are people who are in a different galaxy - Jaco, Stanley Clarke, MArcus Miller, Victor Wooten to name a few that would be hard to beat on tecnique. But realy, to bring a vibe is important imo- and Verdine does it all day long.

Right there with the funk and groove, he ranks high on my list in this regard.

My favorite Bassists:

Bernard Edwards

James Jamerson

Louis Johnson

Mark Adams

Bootsy Collins

Verdine White

Jaco Pastorius

Larry Graham

Paul Jackson

Marcus Miller

Stanley Clarke

Oscar Alston

Nathan Watts

Leon Sylvers

RJOrion said:

Wow....I forgot about the great Leon Sylvers III...so overlooked as a bass player and somgwriter/producer...

Him and Bernard Edwards IMO

i love EWF they are one of the best bands ever but judging by the live videos of Verdine

he sucks very much these days.im sorry that i say this but he really do

Abdul said:

RJOrion said:

Wow....I forgot about the great Leon Sylvers III...so overlooked as a bass player and somgwriter/producer...

Him and Bernard Edwards IMO

Bernard Edwards is constantly overlooked.