James Jamerson (Motown)

Leo Fender is credited with the invention of the electric bass as we know it, however it is James Lee Jamerson who created the rhythmic and harmonic language that (almost all) players utilize every time we pick up the instrument.

 

Even bassists who sound and play nothing like Jamerson, such as the late John Entwistle, Stanley Clarke, Jason Newstead, Geddy Lee, Billy Sheehan, Mike Watt, Victor Wooten, Flea, Sir Paul, among others, cite him as a major influence.

 

If Jamerson had never set aside the upright in the early 1960s when the bass guitar was in its infancy, perhaps the electric bass might not progressed beyond the scope of the tuba. We’ll never know. However we do know that the bible of the electric bass is the James Jamerson transcription book entitled Standing In the Shadows of Motown. Reading his rhythms, note choices, and voice leading is master course in electric bass in any genre of music.

 

The range of Jamerson’s artistry is immeasurable. Everything Jamerson recorded for Motown is essential, however his magnum opus is Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On – the greatest soul single and album ever committed to tape (note that James shared the bass duties on the long-player with Bob Babbit). James Jamerson’s status as the supreme electric bassist is – in essence – unsurpassable.

 

James Jamerson Sound & Vision

 

“What’s Going On” Live 1972 https://youtu.be/fPkM8F0sjSw

 

Standing In the Shadows of Motown https://youtu.be/cQ8AtNylq7k

 

Garry Tallent (Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band)

 

Born in Detroit, Michigan – a locale renowned for bass players, Garry W. Tallent is the longest tenured member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band – and aside from the late, great Clarence Clemons, the cat with the most soul among the Jersey collective! 

 

Garry migrated to the Jersey Shore in his teens in the 1960s, befriending “Southside” Johnny Lyon, and original E Street drummer Vini Lopez while in high school. Talent honed his chops in local bands; Little Melvin & The Invaders which featured Clarence, The Jaywalkers with Steve Van Zandt, and Glory Road with David Sancious – all central figures in the Springsteen camp.

 

A disciple of Sir Paul, Bill Wyman, Duck Dunn, and James Jamerson and an avid record collector (over 10,000 LPs and 45s) – Tallent’s talent is borne of his reverence and reference for the history of recorded music in the formats of rhythm & blues, soul, pop, British Invasion, Motown, Stax, Muscle Shoals, and Nashville traditional and contemporary country, to cite a select few.

 

Weapons of Choice: Garry was an early adopter of Leo’s MusicMan Stingray Nowadays uses a Spector NS-2J short scale on stage. In Bruce’s early years Tallent worked the Jerry Jones Longhorn and on latter day Bruce sides he has recorded with a ’63 Fender Precision and a ’63 Fender Jazz.  In the 1980s Gary turned to the fretless quite frequently – among his instruments sans metal strips included a ’65 Guild Starfire and Spector. 

 

When he is not anchoring the E Street Band, Garry is also recording artist, and an acclaimed producer: Jim Lauderdale, Steve Forbert, and The Delevantes and among his clientele. Tallent also anchored pivotal platters by Ian Hunter, Southside Johnny, Marshall Crenshaw, and Gary US Bonds. In 2019 Garry released his second solo side More Like Me.

 

 

Garry Tallent Sound & Vision:

 

With Bruce….

 

“Ghosts” https://youtu.be/Lo5QNcFioZ4

 

“Letter to You” https://youtu.be/AQyLEz0qy-g

 

“Ties That Bind” https://youtu.be/2cPjKtcQDpk

 

“Lucky Day” https://youtu.be/gO7vFDfhDHw

 

“Radio Nowhere” https://youtu.be/MtrOYsNCPmg

 

“Fire” https://youtu.be/jEKquOrJiAI

 

Garry with…

 

Gary U.S. Bonds “This Little Girl Is Mine” https://youtu.be/X90dxTyz1GU

 

Ian Hunter “Cleveland Rocks” https://youtu.be/6u9DrPx_er8

 

Southside Johnny “Better Days” https://youtu.be/bJnGv8M0v8Q

 

Garry solo …

 

“More Like Me” https://youtu.be/_wlUFPLydTk

 

“Stay Away” https://youtu.be/623Y8XYM–4

 

Rob Stoner (Bob Dylan, Don McClean, Roger McGuinn, Robert Gordon)

Courtesy of Rob Stoner Com Courtesy of Rob Stoner Com

Courtesy of Rob Stoner Com

By Thomas Semioli

He is the star of Know Your Bass Player On Film Season Deux, an unheralded (until now!) giant of the instrument, the cat who ensured that Don McLean’s Chevy made it to the levee despite the fact that the aforementioned embankment lacked sufficient water levels, and the musical director behind Bob Dylan’s historic Rolling Thunder Revue which turned a new generation on to the 60s bard.

 

An enigmatic personality, his career is the stuff of legend, which is why we recommend you watch Rob’s KYBP interviews! Sit back, be educated, and entertained! https://bit.ly/2XYt1jH

 

A dexterous player, to my ears, Rob Stoner revolutionized the folk-rock genre with Dylan, as he intuitively interlaced Bob’s rudimentary chord progressions, and unique approach to song form and rhythm with modal basslines rendered with a swingin’ disposition.

 

As such, Bob’s rotating cast of musicians – including rock guitar virtuoso Mick Ronson – had a firm foundation on which to improvise as evidenced by the Revue’s incendiary canon. Rob also shined on Roger McGuinn’s masterpiece Cardiff Rose (1976) which was produced by the ex-Spider.

 

An accomplished singer, composer, guitarist, and educator, Stoner’s live and studio resume is exhaustive. He has contributed to scores of classic albums including releases by Dylan (Desire/1976 , Hard Rain/1976, At Budokan/1979, Bootleg Series Volume 5/ 2002); Don McLean (American Pie/1971); Kinky Friedman (Lasso from El Paso/ 1976), Robert Gordon (Fresh Fish Special / 1978, Rock Billy Boogie / 1979, Bad Boy/1980, Too Fast To Live…/1982)); and  Link Wray (Bullshot/1979); among many others. Stoner also anchored the short-lived Topaz with guitarist Billy Cross and Jasper Hutchison, and released a gem of solo album Patriotic Duty (1980).

 

Rob Stoner Sound & Vision….

 

Rob on bass an harmony vocal “American Pie” https://youtu.be/iX_TFkut1PM 

 

Rob rendering Bob’s “Oh Sister” https://youtu.be/xfPJLCbVslk 

 

Rob anchoring Bob’s Rolling Thunder Revue “One More Cup of Coffee” https://youtu.be/ujgqOgMIwfA

 

Rob with Bob on the legendary “World of John Hammond” broadcast https://youtu.be/14JipigsJJg 

 

“Dreamland” from Cardiff Rose https://youtu.be/2_KrlcLL9Xg

 

Rob rendering “Let Daddy Drive” from his solo slab Patriotic Duty https://youtu.be/zXgl_K7pRes 

 

Be advised to keep up with Rob and learn more about his life at http://www.robstoner.com/

Danny Klein (J. Geils Band)

 

By Joe Gagliardo

 

“Because this is the Wooba Gooba sayin’ to ya love comes once and when it comes you better grab it fast ‘cuz sometimes the love you grab ain’t gonna last…”

 

Revered as the “Ace of Bass” – Danny Klein’s passion for rhythm & blues, jazz, pop, soul, Motown, and British Invasion formed the foundation for America’s greatest bar band – the mighty J. Geils Band.

 

Born in New York City, and raised in New Jersey, the Kleins were not a musical family – in fact, there was not a record player in the household until his sister purchased one!

 

Danny’s musical education came from listening to AM radio where he soaked up Motown and Memphis Soul, and a lot of rhythm and blues and Blues coming from New York.

 

“[I listened to] New York AM radio, a whole lot of R&B, Otis and the Supremes, the Motown thing, the Memphis thing, and the New York thing, and all that, a lot of R&B in those days, a lot of black stuff…I guess before that like in the ’50s you’d never hear that, the original artists doing the music, you’d hear Patti Page covers, you know that kind of thing. But at that time, in the ’60s, it started to cross over…also there were shows out of the Bronx…goin’ on at night…they’d play some really funky stuff and blues…so that’s basically how I got it.”

 

Klein attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts in 1964, studying Chemical Engineering. It was there that he met John Geils (“Jay”) and Richard Salwitz, aka “Magic Dick.” With the folk era starting to boom, they formed a jug band.  Jay asked Danny, who did not play an instrument, whether he wanted to play bass or drums.  Danny chose the former – and his first instrument was a washtub bass at the age of 21. At that point Jay was playing an acoustic guitar.

 

As the band started playing more blues, Jay gravitated to electric guitar, and Danny graduated from washtub bass to a rented Harmony bass, that, according to Danny “had a neck that looked like a roller coaster.” Although he is left-handed, due to a lack of financial resources, he played a right-handed bass.

 

A field trip to New York City in 1966 to see Muddy Waters sealed the deal for Danny—he quit school and immersed himself in music.  Around that time, vocalist Peter Wolf, and drummer Stephen Jo Bladd were in the process of leaving their band, The Hallucinations. They joined forces  with Danny, Jay and Magic Dick, and the J. Geils Band was formed. Seth Justman was added on keys about a year later.

 

The band forged a remarkable career – releasing over a dozen albums, and numerous hit singles between 1970 and 1984. As performers, the J. Geils Band were second to none as headliners and as a support band.

 

Note that the J. Geils band waxed two legendary and incendiary live albums, Full House and Blow Your Face Out.  Listening to those records makes it clear – Danny was a driving force in the J. Geils Band’s rhythm and blues sound. Be advised to watch vintage J. Geils Band videos and witness Danny as a catalyst in their acclaimed high energy live shows.

 

As we have all had gig nightmares, the one Danny would like to forget is having a run-in with an obscured floor monitor which caused him to hit the deck in front of 70,000 people, while opening for the Rolling Stones in Cleveland.

 

Danny and the J. Geils band backed Buddy Guy and Junior Wells on two tracks for their Plays The Blues release in 1972: “This Old Fool” and “Honeydripper.”

 

“This Old Fool” https://youtu.be/4O2YMauh3hs

 

“Honeydripper” https://youtu.be/xC1dlEEgtFU

 

As these were two of his heroes who he had seen play many times, and had covered a number of their songs, Danny was sweating bullets to be in the same room with these guys, let alone record with them, but it worked out great.

 

When the J Geils Band came to a halt in 1984, Danny left music for about ten years.  He attended culinary school in Cambridge, and became a Chef in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.  While living in Fitchburg, he got the itch to play again and he started playing a few local gigs.  One of the guys he played with was Babe Pino on harp.  At some of the shows, Pino’s guitarist brother, Ken, would join them on stage.  Ken had played with Johnny Copeland for ten years, and got Danny a gig playing with Blues guitarist, Debbie Davies.  Danny went on the road for a couple of years with Debbie, touring the United State and Europe.   He played on her 1994 release entitled Loose Tonight. Danny and Pino decided to start their own Blues/r&b band – Stonecrazy, which had a ten-year run.

 

In the 21st Century, Danny Klein never misses a J. Geils Band reunion, and he’s still working the clubs in the New England area as band leader of Danny Klein’s Full House, celebrating the music of the J. Geils Band. Keep tabs on Danny via his website: https://www.dannykleinsfullhouse.com/

 

 At the time he started Full House, the J. Geils Band was not touring, and it seems as if no one was playing that music – consequently a Geils repertory with an actual Geils founding member was perfect solution.  According to Danny, the other band members are fans of the J. Geils Band, as well as being great musicians.

 

After all these years, Danny still loves to play live, and gets a thrill out of playing in front of an appreciative audience.  He loves the feeling of learning something new, and growing musically.

 

In terms of his basses, after ditching the Harmony, he quickly went from a Fender Telecaster, to a Fender Jazz bass, then to a Fender Precision Bass, which he played for years, along with a G&L.  He has also played a Steinberger, as well as five string Spector bass.

 

His current go-to basses are both Dudacus basses, made by Steve Baxter, a five string Fuchsia retro-looking bass, and a Silver Sparkle Flying V with a mirrored pickguard.

 

His bass playing continues to be influenced by the Blues, Soul and R&B music he heard coming over that AM radio station from New York, and specifically by Duck Dunn, James Jamerson, Harvey Brooks (Bob Dylan, Electric Flag, and so much more), and Johnny B Gayden, bassist for Albert Collins, and many Blues legends.

 

Klein is the consummate pocket player, whose syncopated lines, coupled with his harmonic extensions, taught rock bass players that there’s more to life than 1-3-5-b7 patterns.  In addition to his sharp bass playing, Danny was, and is, a sharp-dressed man!

 

Danny’s smokin’ intro to “Did You No Wrong” https://youtu.be/-coyY2yvIWE

 

Danny Klein funkin’ on “Surrender” from Monkey Island 1977 https://youtu.be/X6dFeVos3X0

 

Danny thumpin’ on “Detroit Breakdown” https://youtu.be/5Uzgqn-trKE

 

Danny’s fat tone and reggae phrasing on “Give It To Me” https://youtu.be/zK-FwizXZqs

 

Danny’s driving bass on “Lookin’ for a Love” Live https://youtu.be/iRezwP_znTc

 

Danny’s pulsing bass on “Insane, Insane Again” https://youtu.be/__dWLPE41_A

 

Danny’s solo on “River Blindness” https://youtu.be/Vkx6IvL-azE