With their signature meld of progressive, pop, and metal, Long Island’s mighty Blue Oyster Cult were among the most innovative (and under-rated) ensembles of the classic rock era.

 

BOC’s anchor during their glory years was Joe Bouchard.  An educator, multi-instrumentalist, composer, solo recording artist and author – Joe’s multi-effect mind-bending (and string-bending) bass solos were a highlight of BOC shows.

 

Nowadays Mr. Bouchard is going strong on the bandstand and in the studio as a guitarist with power trio Blue Coupe which features another legend in the bass chair; Alice Cooper Band Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dennis Dunaway, along with founding BOC drummer Albert Bouchard – the cat who played the cowbell on “Fear the Reaper.”    Bouchard has also waxed a handful of slabs under his own name.

 

Joe Bouchard Sound & Vision….

 

Blue Oyster Cult:

 

 “Joan Crawford” https://youtu.be/YQBJfQhpw_U

 

“Burnin’ for You” https://youtu.be/kn-8n4QKUS4

 

“Don’t Fear the Reaper” https://youtu.be/Dy4HA3vUv2c

 

“Bass Solo” https://youtu.be/FKPHZij9rY0

 

Blue Coupe: “Be My Lover” https://youtu.be/ITc2p5NE_u4

 

 

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame trio Green Day turned a new generation on to “political” punk while forging a canon that melded pop melody and social commentary, especially on such collections as American Idiot (2004) and 21st Century Breakdown (2009).  To my ears, Billie Joe carries the populist mantle forged by Joe Strummer, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, John Lennon, and Jello Biafra…

 

However don’t let the simplistic “punk” moniker mislead you when it comes to the music and the bassist, as the former Michael Ryan Pritchard is a accomplished and dexterous player; rendering chords, slaps, walking lines, and counterpoint as evidenced on such Green Day tracks as…

 

“Father of All” https://youtu.be/eXv00PJ9IQM

 

“Welcome to the Paradise” https://youtu.be/iOcrKFiB_ts

 

“Makeout Party” https://youtu.be/hsHrfNzal0U

 

“No One Knows” https://youtu.be/jRbVjJPKoUY

 

“Chump”  https://youtu.be/qiN2rE7shBc

 

“Minority” https://youtu.be/cDBlqu6KF4k

 

“Dirty Rotten” https://youtu.be/Tsn7pW8TcI4

 

“Longview” https://youtu.be/vlOuYdPVlak

 

…to cite a few.  

 

A songwriter, occasional lead singer, and backing vocalist, Mike Dirnt’s signature Fender P bass plays like butta! Dig Dirnt talkin’ Dirnt bass: https://youtu.be/vYWm9gvtlKQ

He was and will always be “The Judge.” An accomplished photographer, educator, and pioneer of the bass as heard in popular and jazz music with almost every major 20th Century recording and performing artist, Milton John Hinton commenced his trailblazing musical journey in Chicago in the 1920s.

 

With Cab Calloway’s big band, Milt developed a slapping technique that thrilled audiences long before Larry Graham, Louis Johnson, and Marcus did the same on electric.

 

Considered by The Jazz Discography as the most recorded jazz musician in history – Milt’s exhaustive body of work encompassed an extensive solo canon, record dates, television, and film scores.

 

Dig Milt on “Slap Happy” https://youtu.be/b-ajjtrLwKQ

An acclaimed and prolific composer, bandleader, recording artist, collaborator, and sideman, British born Dave Holland was the bassist who anchored one of the greatest eras in modern music and jazz when he joined Miles Davis in 1968 at age 22.

His rhythmic and harmonic passages, rendered on upright and electric on such seminal Miles sides including In A Silent Way (1969), Bitches Brew (1969), and Miles at The Fillmore East (1970) among several archival releases, brilliantly tethered the artistry of Davis and his band; Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, Joe Zawinul, and Herbie Hancock.

Holland’s upright grooves in tandem with electric bassist Harvey Brooks on “Miles Runs the Voodoo Down,” “Spanish Key,” and “Pharaoh’s Dance” complete each other’s musical forays into the unknown.  The Gateway trio, with Holland, guitarist John Abercrombie and drummer Jack DeJohnette waxed several essential releases from 1975 through 1995.

His resume as a sideman is astounding – spanning Bonnie Raitt, Sir Roland Hanna, Joe Henderson, Sam Rivers, Joe Farrell, Dave Leibman, Barry Altschul, Billy Hart, Nick Brignola, Joe Lovano, and Kevin Eubanks to cite a very, very select few!

An indisputable jazz icon, Dave Holland’s solo canon spans over twenty albums, mostly on the ECM imprint, and runs the voodoo down from solo bass to big band!

Photos courtesy of Dave Holland Com

Dig Dave with Miles “Call It Anything” Isle of Wight 1970 https://youtu.be/qyJooHmRcdc

Dig the Dave Holland Big Band at JVC Jazz Festival 2005 https://youtu.be/7qj_DBfcbaw

Dig Dave in the Gateway Trio with Jack DeJohnette and John Abercrombie Live 1985 https://youtu.be/Y1P4E2bvSLM

His bass motifs as rendered in “We’ve Gotta Get Out of This Place,” “House of the Rising Sun,” and “It’s My Life” are among the most identifiable in the history of rock ‘n’ roll.

 

As a player, the late Bryan James “Chas” Chandler made history as the harmonic bedrock of one of Britain’s most influential ensembles: The Animals.

 

As an artist manager, which was a career change he forged in 1966, Chas brought the former Jimmy James to England, convinced him to revert to his birth name of Hendrix, hired novice bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, and the rest, as they say is history.

 

After he ended his managerial relationship with Jimi, Chas produced and managed British glam rock gods Slade for a dozen years -scoring several hit platters which continue to influence modern rockers.

 

Though Chas hardly receives due recognition, he was a venerable bassist (and backing vocalist) who steered the music as his mates, most notably singer Eric Burdon and keyboardist Alan Price – wreaked havoc on the bandstand and on record. When the classic line-up of The Animals reunited for two woefully ignored albums; Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted (1977) and Ark (1983), Chandler resumed his role with commendable results.

 

Chas Chandler Sound & Vision….

 

The Animals:

 

“House of the Rising Sun” https://youtu.be/4-43lLKaqBQ

 

“We Gotta Get Out of This Place” https://youtu.be/t6gcxNFc1I0

 

“It’s My Life” https://youtu.be/ILZndyhHWQ4

 

“I’m Crying” https://youtu.be/3L65GOR-9b8

 

Dig Chas and the reunited Animals performing “The Night” in 1983 https://youtu.be/0PPe_zeX4ks

 

Session cats rarely make the artistic leap to a career as platinum selling recording artists – however Toto was a notable exception. Comprised of LA’s premier players who waxed hits for scores of world renowned artists, bassist Mike Porcaro joined his brothers Jeff (drums) and Steve (keyboards) for their Isolation album (1984), replacing studio ace and band-member David Hungate, and also anchored Fahrenheit (1986), Mindfields (1998) and Through the Looking Glass (2002).

 

A valued sideman of tours and record dates with Boz Scaggs, Larry Carlton , Michael Franks, Cher, Stevie Nicks, Seals & Crofts, Donna Summer, Carlos Santana, Natalie Cole, Joe Walsh, Aretha Franklin, and The Pointer Sisters, to cite a select few, Mike excelled in a wide array of genres spanning pop, funk, soul, rhythm and blues, rock, Latin, disco, techno – and every permutation thereof.

 

Dig Mike taking a solo break on a Toto classic https://youtu.be/MeFJcTsxImI

 

Mike Porcaro, who passed in 2015, was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville in 2009 with Toto.

 

“Alive and Kicking,” “Games Without Frontiers,” “In The Air Tonight,” “Babooshka” “Don’t You Forget About Me” 

 

Among the most prolific studio / sidemen in UK rock history, John Giblin’s career spanned six decades in a wide array of musical genres including pop, jazz, classical, rock folk, avante-garde and permutations thereof. Born in Bellshill Scotland, John stated paying in local band in his early teens and never looked back after migrating to London in 1970.

 

An early adopter of the fretless bass, Giblin was a dexterous player, rending pocket grooves, and countermelodies to enrich countless hits and album tracks.

 

His work on stage and on record included notable array of artists and seminal sides, as compiled by Know Your Bass Player Com reader Xavier Padilla: Eric Clapton, Sting, Mark Knopfler, Phil Collins, Brand X, Peter Gabrie, David Sylvian, Chris de Burgh, Masami Tsuchiya, Kate Bush, Scott Walker,  Al Green, Duncan Browne, Joan Armatrading, John Lennon, Judie Tzuke, Annie Lennox, Roberta Flack, Paul McCartney,  The Everly Brothers, George Martin, Gerry Rafferty, Hugh Masekela, Mavis Staples, Simple Minds, Jon Anderson, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, John Martyn, Richard Ashcroft, Franco Battiato, Saro Cosentino, Eros Ramazzotti Claudio Baglioni, Manolo García,  Alan Parsons…

 

John Giblin Sound & Vision:

 

Simple Minds:

 

“Alive and Kicking” https://youtu.be/ljIQo1OHkTI

 

“Sanctify Yourself” https://youtu.be/sGQNRyxmhhg

 

“Don’t You Forget About Me” https://youtu.be/VQdhDw-hE8s

 

Kate Bush:

“Babooshka” https://youtu.be/6xckBwPdo1c

 

“Breathing” https://youtu.be/VzlofSthVwc

 

“Rubberband Girl” https://youtu.be/85wZw1O83aE

 

Peter Gabriel:

“Games Without Frontiers” https://youtu.be/3xZmlUV8muY

 

“Family Snapshot” https://youtu.be/EYnk8a–fXQ

 

Phil Collins:

 

“In The Air Tonight” https://youtu.be/YkADj0TPrJA

 

“Tomorrow Never Knows” https://youtu.be/5nH-sUGWALo

 

His name is synonymous with excellence on our instrument, and, along with Jamerson, Dunn, Rainey, Jemmott, Kaye, Osborn, and Flowers, to cite a respected few, he is among the greatest session players, and sidemen of all time.

 

Cited by this writer in Huffington Post (December 2017) as a bass player deserving of recognition in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ( https://bit.ly/37D8plz ), Leland Bruce Sklar was/is the foundation for “The Section” – a historic musical assemblage comprised of guitarist Danny Kortchmar, keyboardist Craig Doerge, and drummer Russ Kunkel.

 

Though these players were also referred to as “The Mellow Mafia” – there was nothing placid, nor easygoing about this ensemble of Los Angeles based virtuosos who were the catalyst on scores of iconic album and singles sessions, and all of whom were well-versed in jazz, folk, blues, soul, funk and classical music and permutations thereof.

 

Lee has anchored over 2,000 albums, film and television scores, and 25,000 bass tracks (and counting) with artists ranging from Ray Charles, Crosby, Stills, & Nash in various configurations; Hall & Oates, Donna Summer, David Sanborn, Diana Ross, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Billy Cobham, Michael Jackson, Peter Allen, Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters, Bee Gees, Sarah Brightman, Glenn Campbell, Joe Cocker, Robbie Williams, Neil Diamond, Rita Coolidge, The Doors (post Morrison), Vince Gill, Dolly Parton, Don Henley, Julio Iglesias, Lyle Lovett, Jimmy Webb, Trisha Yearwood, Tanya Tucker, Jimmy Webb, Carly Simon, Reba McIntyre, David Cassidy …his resume is exhaustive….and his collection of instruments is exhaustive (check out Lee’s page on The Unique Guitar Blog Spot https://bit.ly/2YcioLj ).

 

In brief, Sklar utilizes the entire harmonic range of the bass and intuitively shifts from playing in the pocket to rendering counter melodies which become intrinsic to the composition.  Lee’s legacy has been widely documented in several books (including Michael Viseglia’s A View from the Side) , news features, interviews, and documentaries.

 

Lee Sklar Sound & Vision

 

Jackson Browne “Doctor My Eyes” https://youtu.be/qKGTaplzmV4

 

James Taylor “Smiling Face” https://youtu.be/ZSsfNlS42Cc

 

Billy Cobham “Stratus” https://youtu.be/b1rX9E8NuRw

 

Phil Collins “Sussudio” https://youtu.be/r0qBaBb1Y-U

 

Dolly Parton “9 to 5” https://youtu.be/E4OzdyxbOuU