Okay I understand that 90% of the people on this board are avid Larry Graham haters. But you can't deny that the man is a genius on the Bass. My question is this did larry invent slap bass or did he just popularize it? I ask this because I can't really think of a bassist pre - Sly and the Family stone to use this technique which is the blueprint of Funk (aside from James Brown of course.)

Soulchild82 said:

I don't know, but I personally think he revolutionized and popularized it to the highest degree.

He's often given credit for it, yes.

Soulchild82 said:

Yep!

on elec bass anyway.

anon said:

yeah, Willie Dixon was the first ever.

Soulchild82 said:

I don't get the Larry Hater thing. He's on my list of people to see. Been trying to find him in concert somewhere...doesn't even seem to have a website.

No he did not. Listen to the old Cab Calloway song, "Reefer Man". I don't know wo the bassist was in his orchestra, but he was slapping away on that thing. But I'm pretty sure that he was just trying something different and probably didn't think that slapping the bass could be a new technique.

So, although Larry popularized the style, he didn't invent it.

NWF said:

That was acoustic bass

anon said:

Acoustic or electric, the point is Larry didn't invent the style.

Although slapping on the acoustic was commonplace, and there were probably other Electric bassists who did it, Larry was no doubt the first studio recorded electric bassist to slap and Thump - "Thank you Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin"(1970) is the first known recording of electric slap bass, and he was certainly the one who popularized it... bassist Anthony Jackson once said that Louis Johnson(of Brothers Johnson fame) was the one of a small handful of other electric bassists who were probably doing their own versions of the technique independently from Larry (Louis had started gigging professionaly around the same time, touring with artists like Bobby Womack, the Supremes and Billy Preston), but weren't recorded at the time...




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[Edited 5/5/05 13:30pm]

paligap said:

Larry didn't invent slappin bass but he refined it and took it too the next Funk plateau indeed and the rest is history.

NWF said:

When you say "Slap" the connotation is electric. With acoustic it's a whole different thing. Anyway, with firsts: Who really is first with anything? I'm sure centuries before any of these guys slapped a bass...before music was even recorded, there was some guy slapping a bass somewhere . He might have even gotten slapped for it but still, with first's, it's usually the first documented. Perhaps that's not always a good thing.

Either way the guys at Guiness would probably say Larry was first.

anon said:

Yeah but.....ah, fuck it, I'm done debating.

NWF said:

Was this a debate!? I thought you wus being schuuled.

Actually you are right in that it's no coincidence that these guys were doing the same thing at the same time. They were probably inspired by the same sources. The acoustic bassists.

Now put the drink down.
[Edited 5/4/05 21:46pm]

anon said:

I guess. But Larry's getting the credit for it, but I say he's not the inventor.

Pali-gap is pretty right on with his comments about slap-bass. Larry said he came up w/ the technique becasue his church group didn't have a drummer. So that style seemed to fit. But Sly was the one who really brought it out of him. I know some folks don't care for Larry because they feel he's "brainwashed" Prince, but you can't deny his contribution to the bass. When I hear "Earthquake" or the 1st GCS LP, it makes you forget all about that stuff.Bootsy said "Larry is the baddest mother-plucker" around and Bernie Worrell had him in mind for the synth-bass lines on "Flashlight".

SPYZFAN1 said:

Enuff Said when get Bootsy stamp on it that's yall. It's a done deal on that Funk.

HELL NO !!
but, he made it popular.

SPYZFAN1 said:

I didn't know that people didn't like him. But if that's the reason, it's ridiculous. Now does this make Prince L.G.(ite) or J.W. 'cause I didn't know that Larry had a religion or a stake in one.

Big irony is that if Larry was living his life differently; In the clubs, surrounded by the girls and cars and hangin' with VainAndy and all that other stuff...those same people that criticize him would be the first to want to worship him.

AT EVERY SHOW UP FRONT AND CENTER
Peoplez is funny.

SPYZFAN1 said:

nope. &That's what this is about.

Hotlegs said:

MUTHA-FUNKAAAY!!!!!