Paul McCartney Names His Favorite Bass Player

Michael Loccisano, Getty Images

Paul McCartney‘s inventive bass playing has influenced countless artists, but he has musical heroes of his own, and he revealed one of them during the latest round of the ongoing Q&A session he’s having with fans at his website.

Asked “Who was the biggest influence upon your bass playing?,” McCartney responded, “The biggest influence on my bass playing was James Jamerson, who played on many of my favourite Motown releases.”

As the answer posted at McCartney’s site notes, Jamerson influenced more than McCartney — as a member of the Motown house band, dubbed the Funk Brothers, he added his distinctive sound to countless classic recordings during the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, working with a long and illustrious list of artists that included Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, and the Four Tops, among many others.

Sadly, like many studio musicians of the era, Jamerson received little to no public credit for his work during his lifetime, and while he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, it came too late for him to enjoy; after a long struggle with alcoholism, he passed away in 1983, at the young age of 47.

Fortunately, Jamerson’s sound lives on in his recordings and the playing of the musicians he’s influenced — like McCartney, who will be bringing his own sound to fans on his Out There! Tour this year. At the moment, it’s still a brief trek, but it’ll take the former Beatle and his road crew to some fairly exotic and/or far-flung locations. Take a look at the full list of dates below, and if you’re going to be in Warsaw in June, make sure you get yourself a ticket to the show.

From Wiki: He is reported to have played on some 95% of Motown recordings between 1962 and 1968. He eventually performed on nearly 30 No. 1 pop hits—surpassing the record commonly attributed to The Beatles. On the R&B charts, nearly 70 of his performances went to the top.

Voice and Bass only:

James Jamerson Book Bio: http://www.amazon.com/Sta...+of+Motown

[Edited 3/29/13 19:25pm]

[Edited 3/29/13 19:33pm]

James Jamerson had worked with almost every on Motown and man he does have some killer grooves

Sir Paul

Dude was badass.

Cinny said:

That's what I'm talking about.

'Igor' Jamerson deserves props from popular music fans everywhere, for leading the bass out from the petrified forest of roots and fifths.

Cinny said:

My favorite Jamerson Bass Line!

...

My favorite Jamerson bassline is probably this one: