A giant of the electric bass in a primarily jazz-fusion context, Bernard “Bunny” Brunel has waxed seminal sides and performed on stage with Al Di Meola, Mike Stern, Joe Farrell, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, Al Jarreau, and Wayne Shorter to cite a select few.

In addition to his tenure in fusion super-group CAB with Tony McAlpine and Dennis Chambers, Bunny is an award winning solo recording artist, writer, clinician, arranger, soundtrack composer (The Unforgiven with Clint Eastwood; Highlander, among others), bass designer, and educator.  Brunel cites his influences as Sam Jones, Ray Brown, Ron Carter, Eddie Gomez, Miroslav Vitous and Stanley Clarke.

Bunny’s weapons of choice include Fender, Carvin, ESP, Yamaha, the GIBSON Bunny Brunel model, EUB upright, and LaBella round-wound strings.

Dig Bunny with CAB in 2017 https://youtu.be/04iFeMqmLlw

Dig Bunny with Chick and Al Jarreau “Spain” https://youtu.be/JmNd83q2PLc

Dig Bunny rendering the title track to his 1979 slab Touch https://youtu.be/QVrU4zJu8Cc

The late Paul Goddard anchored a dexterous collective of seasoned Georgia session cats who struck out on their own as the Atlanta Rhythm Section, and emerged as a staple on FM radio and concert halls coast to coast in the 1970s.

Plying  his craft on a Rickenbacker 4001 and Fender Precision with a plectrum,  Goddard was a master melodic pocket player and soloist.

Paul’s blistering chromatic bass breaks on “Another Man’s Woman” as rendered on the studio slab Red Tape (1976) and the live two-fer Are You Ready (1979) are the stuff of legend.  

Paul Goddard Sound & Vision…

“Another Man’s Woman” https://youtu.be/AODF46HKAHk

“So Into You” https://youtu.be/wzCdSJu5xqI

Of all Lou Reed’s remarkable ensembles, the one collective that garners the least attention, yet deserves accolades aplenty, was anchored by Ellard- James Boles. Commencing with Take No Prisoners in 1978, a swinging live set wherein Lou’s stream of conscious humor displaces his habitual street hassled libretto, “Moose” grooves heartily akin to a big band bassist.

Courtesy of Ellard James Boles Facebook

From Take No Prisoners, here’s Moose working a soulful pocket with Lou on radical remakes of “I’m Waiting for the Man” https://youtu.be/pZLKlQsWfgY  and “Satellite of Love” https://youtu.be/aAoZTP4dIA0

Lou also benefits from the mighty Moose’s soulful disposition on The Bells (1979) and Growing Up in Public (1980).  As I was witness on numerous occasions, this band delivered on record and on stage despite the fact that Lou was at a commercial ebb – which eventually righted itself when artists of Reed’s stature were afforded legacy status in the mid-1980s as CD reissues came into vogue. If you missed them the first time around, discover Lou’s slabs with Moose Boles.

“The Power of Positive Drinking” https://youtu.be/P0F45-Fyl2E

“Think It Over” https://youtu.be/gDx3EpDIRww

A multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer, producer, sideman, recording artist – nowadays Moose fronts his Bulletproof Blues Band, among other projects.

Dig Moose and The Bulletproof Blues Band: https://youtu.be/_kNcBPpFNrQ

Boles’ history will bowl you over as well – among his collaborators include Gregg Allman, Stevie Ray Vaughn, David Bowie, Buddy Miles, James Cotton, Lonnie Brooks, Junior Wells, C. J. Chenier, John Belushi, Steve Marriott, and Steve Miller.

Dig Moose’s rendition of “Hoochie Coochie Man” https://youtu.be/u1VTOJbHCX8

By Thomas Semioli

These Wolverhampton lads started out as a just another British blues ensemble whose debut slab flopped. However when they commenced to cranking out pop tunes abetted with volume aplenty – these unlikely rock gods caught the glam train to superstardom in the UK in the early 1970s, scoring several platinum sides and singles until it all came to a screeching halt in ‘75 when their film and move to Los Angeles tanked.

Along with his showman mate Neville John “Noddy” Holder, bassist James Whild Lea created such scholarly compositions which infuriated English professors en masse including “Cum On Feel the Noize,” “Gudbuy T’ Jane,” “Skweeze Me Pleeze Me,” and “Mama Weer All Crazee Now,” among others.  

A skillful, melodic song player ala Sir Paul and Brian Wilson by way of the Wrecking Crew who skillfully balanced himself atop platforms oft complimented by sparkling haberdashery, Lea and his Slade cohorts joyfully set the template for the pop metal onslaught of the 1980s as evidenced by the chart and video successes of Quiet Riot’s renditions of their signature tunes. 

Following Slade’s initial demise, Lea recorded under a few monikers including The Dummies, yet never approached the commercial success of Slade, who continued to tour well into the 21st Century as a nostalgia act – sans James.

Among Lea’s many weapons of choice included a Framus bass similar to Bill Wyman, Gibson EB-3, Fender Jazz and Precision, and Rickenbacker 4001.

Dig James on…

“Cum On Feel The Noize” https://youtu.be/Qu_ozjAu_vM

“Gudbuy T’ Jane” https://youtu.be/GddY7Jj63tw

“Skweeze Me Pleeze Me” https://youtu.be/-mKjx2oL_fI

“Mama We’re All Crazee Now” https://youtu.be/RPTk5poAa1c

And a personal favorite of The Viletones’ legendary leader, singer, composer Steven Leckie: Dig James’ rhythmic and harmonic movement on their rendition of Janis Joplin’s “Move On” https://youtu.be/X502fNgvST0

Courtesy Judas Priest Com

“Living after midnight, rockin’ to the dawn, lovin’ ’til the morning, then I’m gone, I’m gone!”

Rob Halford may be rockin’ and lovin’ but he’s not gone… and neither is the chrome-domed studded-codpiece commandeering singer’s former brother-in-law and bassist, Ian Hill!  

Hill started out on upright, following the footsteps of his father who was an accomplished jazz bass player. Founding the mighty Judas Priest in 1970 with K.K. Downing, Ian is the sole original member of this metal institution which has sold upwards of 50 million slabs, and inspired generation upon generation of hard rockers around the globe

A student of the classic British players of yore with a yen for volume – Jack Bruce and John Entwistle; Hill oddly enough eschews the flash and improve for pocket-playing, with an occasional melody / riff just to remind you he’s there!

Ian’s weapon of choice during Priest’s golden era was a 1970 Fender Jazz with a block neck. Since then he has worked Spector instruments which produce a signature Ian Hill bass. Sometime in the 1980s, Hill switched to the now common metal modus operandi of B-E-A-D tuning. Occasionally Ian will work the extended range five string as his guitar mates tend to tune down to further accentuate Halford’s hoops and hollers….  

Ian Hill Sound & Vision…

“Don’t Go” https://youtu.be/3ROVXf6fZ0U

“Another Think Coming” Live https://youtu.be/U__m4N7Ml30

“Hell Bent for Leather” https://youtu.be/IyEGGoWaxOc

“Rocka Rolla” https://youtu.be/957N7EAtpY4

“Painkiller” https://youtu.be/nM__lPTWThU

“Breakin’ the Law” https://youtu.be/L397TWLwrUU

“Electric Eye” https://youtu.be/yMVV_HsHcX0

“Turbo Lover” https://youtu.be/JhY9GOhFwN4

We’ll never know how many late ’60s garage band bassists learned his passages to rock the high-school dances, block parties, to all night stoner jam sessions…

Behold the bassist born Klaus Karl Kassbaum, aka Nick St. Nicholas who, early in his career, worked the pocket for such ensembles as The Mynah Birds (Rick James, Neil Young), and Jack London and The Sparrows, among others.

However it was his tenure anchoring Steppenwolf which cemented his legend, replaced bassist Rushton Moreve in late ’68.

Nick on the live version of “Sookie Sookie” https://youtu.be/LilKJnEnH_M

Dig Nick, nattily adorned in a robe, on “Rock Me” from The Smothers Brothers Show https://youtu.be/x0l4p12bMK4

A groove player given to adventurous harmonic extensions during Steppenwolf’s more improvisatory forays on stage and in the studio, Nick split from the band in 1971.

Among his post-Wolf ensembles include World Class Rockers wherein former members of major bands band together and play the hits.

By Thomas Semioli

“I was sitting on a mountain top. 30,000 feet to drop. Spied a lady on a runaway horse, Uh huh, that’s right, of course. Jim Dandy to the rescue!”

 James Mangrum was/is larger than life, and his band, known as Black Oak Arkansas, were a mighty ensemble (which included drummer Tommy Aldridge at one point) that unmercifully mashed boogie, rhythm and blues, and hard rock.

A versatile, strumming plectrum player, bassist Pat “Dirty” Daugherty anchored the band’s classic line-up, often switching gears from soulful in-the-pocket passages to raucous riffage within same song.   His primary weapons of choice were a modified Fender Jazz bass, Ampeg and Gibson EB.

Dig Black Oak at the height of their fame on Rock Concert and at California Jam 1974 https://youtu.be/1FK1yci_gIo

He anchored Supertramp during their most commercially successful run which commenced in 1975 – and departed the band permanently in 1988 when the lads took time off to pursue other projects.

A member of the London jazz-blues ensemble The Alan Bown Set, bassist Dougie Thomson was the consummate song player, plying melodic extensions, unison lines, and pocket grooves for his prolific composer bandmates Rodger Hodgson and Rick Davies.  Retiring from the stage, Thomson went to work in the music publishing and management business with Trinity.

Dougie Thomson Sound & Vision…

Dougie with Alan Bown Set “Thru the Night” https://youtu.be/2Ad2lnOerOs

Supertramp:

“Bloody Well Right” https://youtu.be/a4ys6YSfJDA

“Take the Long Way Home” https://youtu.be/RsYfeMMeNVg