By Thomas Semioli

 

A session legend, producer, composer and first-call bassist / sideman- it would be easier to list artists whom Emory Lee Gordy Jr. hasn’t’ anchored on stage and on record! 

 

Emory’s musical skills were evident as a child in his native Atlanta, Georgia. By the time he was in high school he was a multi-instrumentalist working in ensembles spanning Dixieland Jazz to Top 40 to garage rock. A music student at Georgia State, Gordy’s career in the studio began in 1964, collaborating with Tommy Roe, Lou Christie, Rufus Thomas, and Joe South, among others. He moved to Los Angeles in 1970, working sessions as a bassist, producer, and engineer for such artists as Debbie Reynolds, Liberace, and Neil Diamond.

 

In ’72 Gordy anchored Elvis’ TCB Band. In the mid-70s he co-founded Emmylou Harris Hot Band while continuing his studio work with Billy Joel, Tom Petty, and Rosanne Cash, John Denver, and Rodney Crowell to cite a very select few.

 

In ’83 Gordy gave up the road full time and turned to production, helming such sides as Steve Earle’s Exit 0 and Guitar Town, along with releases by Vince Gill, and his wife Patty Loveless. Nowadays Gordy lives in semi-retirement and occasionally works a session or one-off performances in Nashville or his home in Atlanta.  Gordy and Loveless are members of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

 

Emory Gordy Jr. Sound & Vision…

 

Elvis Presley: “Burning Love” https://youtu.be/zf2VYAtqRe0

 

Elvis Presley: “Separate Ways”  https://youtu.be/zeUSTbdaiZk

 

Gram Parsons: “Return of the Grievous Angel” https://youtu.be/h_Iz0iVvhEc

 

Emmy Lou Harris Hot Band Old Grey Whistle Test 1977: https://youtu.be/lpNMrugveLE

 

Rodney Crowell “Ain’t No Money” https://youtu.be/tfwGTMJW5XY

 

Rosanne Cash “Ain’t No Money” https://youtu.be/AgqxbnogP3E

 

Neil Diamond  “Longfellow Serenade” https://youtu.be/4XRGMaI46zw

 

Linda Ronstadt “Dark End of the Street” https://youtu.be/PKBvG8XJrSU

 

Tom Petty “Strangered in the Night” https://youtu.be/gC9FDx3HISw

 

Patty Loveless “A Little Bit In Love” https://youtu.be/T-5MN8JuEhc

 

Courtesy of Fender Com

 

As a founding member of Jane’s Addiction, Eric Adam Avery balanced Dave Navarro’s glam-metal inclinations and Peretz Bernstein’s sinewy vocal phrasing with passages that served as a rhythmic anchor and harmonic counterpart.

 

Eric waxed two influential studio sides with Jane’s Addiction – Nothing’s Shocking (1988) and Ritual de lo Habitual (1990) before they initially split in 1991.  The band reunited without him in 1997, and 2001.  Eric briefly rejoined in 2008, but left for good in 2010 citing tensions with Farrell.

 

Aside from Jane’s Addiction, Avery has embarked on several experimental projects wherein he moved to piano, synthesizer, and guitar – most notably a project dubbed “Deconstruction” with Dave Navarro, and with another collective which worked under the moniker “Polar Bear.”

 

Deeply inspired by Peter Hook of Joy Division / New Order, Avery has returned to the bass chair anchoring artists including Peter Murphy, Garbage, and Alanis Morissette.  To date he has waxed three solo slabs.

 

Eric’s weapon of choice is Fender. https://youtu.be/wX49A1HMjV8

 

Eric Avery Sound & Vision…

 

Jane’s Addiction:

 

“Been Caught Stealing” https://youtu.be/BzUnqr1t7yI

 

“Jane Says” https://youtu.be/gQjYgR_3UqQ

 

Deconstruction:

 

“LA Song” https://youtu.be/62If3SSdFYk

 

“America” https://youtu.be/4Rcs9D9jwmY

 

Solo Eric:

 

“All Remote No Control” https://youtu.be/adbVBmjYot0

 

“Flyer” https://youtu.be/ROnMBsjbMTI

 

Alanis Morissette:

 

“Spineless” https://youtu.be/OPEljzSR1X0

 

Courtesy of Crowded House Com

 

His playing on Neil Finn’s demo for “That’s What I Call Love” nailed the gig! Akin to such pop rock maestros as Sir Paul, Colin Moulding, and The Attractions’ Bruce Thomas, bassist Nicholas More “Nick” Seymour is that rare player who simultaneously renders passages that serve as a harmonic foundation and a melodic foil.

 

A founding member of Crowded House, Nick also distinguished himself as a backing vocalist; an Australian Recording Industry Association Award winning album cover artist for the band’s Temple of Low Men (1988); a costume and stage set designer; and songwriter.

 

Upon the band’s initial split, Seymour turned to production with such bands as Bell X1; toured and recorded with deadstar which featured latter-day Crowded House drummer Paul Jones and ex-Hunters & Collectors guitarist Barry Palmer; scored a documentary film (The Summit / 2012), and appeared on his brother and former Hunters & Collectors front-man Mark Seymour’s debut solo album King Without a Clue (1997). 

  

Nick Seymour Sound & Vision…

“Something So Strong” https://youtu.be/WyBKzBtaKWM    

“Don’t Dream It’s Over” https://youtu.be/J9gKyRmic20

“Fall At Your Feet” https://youtu.be/2ROiU9kOHeE

“Better Be Home Soon” https://youtu.be/AQOlwMKpmvQ

 

By Thomas Semioli

The Rolling Stones, most notably Brian Jones and Keith Richards, revered them. As the legend goes, Keith and Brian prompted the band’s producer Bob Crewe to release what was to be Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels’ first hit “Jenny Take a Ride” in 1965.

 

Among the founding fathers of the raucous, rhythm and blues fueled rock ‘n’ roll sound of Motor City, Ryder and his Wheels purveyed a profound influence on American rock and roll music – simply refer to the canon of Bruce Springsteen, and the Wheels’ local offspring Bob Seeger, The Stooges, Ted Nugent, Grand Funk Railroad, and the MC5, to cite a few.

Founding bassist Earl E. Elliott worked the pocket with a deep resonance that moved a generation as evidenced in the grooves of such seminal cuts as “Little Latin Lupe Lu,” “Devil in a Blue Dress / Good Golly Miss Molly,”  and “Shake a Tail Feather,” among others.

 

Earl Elliot Sound & Vision ….

 

“Devil in a Blue Dress / Good Golly Miss Molly” https://youtu.be/XMPDA7L2lCc

 

“Jenny Take A Ride” https://youtu.be/9EnGqsFfwII

 

“Shake a Tail Feather” https://youtu.be/R6briouwPhM

 

“Little Latin Lupe Lu”     https://youtu.be/CFd5S88zXyc

 

“C. C. Rider https://youtu.be/j9eWGdJIW74

 

 

 

 

His dancing bass solo with Olivia Newton John is legend. https://youtu.be/CyHpa-LaZYc

 

If ever a bassist was aptly monikered, it was the late, great Robert “Pops” Popwell!  A composer, producer, session ace, anchor of the iconic Crusaders, and in-demand sideman – Pops popped, slapped, plucked, glissando-ed, and grooved with a soulful disposition that drew from jazz, funk, rock, blues, gospel and permutations thereof.

 

Popwell first came to prominence as the anchor of the “Macon Rhythm Section” which included Johnny Sandlin (Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts), Pete Carr, Paul Hornsby, and Jim Hawkins, waxing sides with Doris Duke and Hubert Laws, among others.

 

The scope of Pop’s canon is remarkable: Rascals, Aretha, Irma Thomas, Eddie Money, Allen Toussaint, Gregg Allman, Bob Dylan, B.B. King, George Benson, Ronnie Wood, Bette Midler, Larry Carlton, Smokey Robinson, Ruth Brown, and Dee Dee Bridgewater, to cite a very, very  select few.

 

Pops’ basslines can be heard in numerous hip-hop samples. A true giant of the instrument…sadly Pops popped his clogs in 2017.

 

Pops Popwell Sound & Vision…

 

The Crusaders:

 

“The Spiral” featuring a Pops solo https://youtu.be/FEH-lwu1ryQ

 

“Stomp and Buck Dance” https://youtu.be/-UxyIw-zMFA

 

“Fairy Tales” https://youtu.be/Eigs0SHbQLY

 

“Soul Caravan” https://youtu.be/KnLnWsgq798

 

The Rascals:

 

“Be On The Real Side” https://youtu.be/QMxisKUgbZ8

 

“Lucky Day” https://youtu.be/pUZ3uVgLDOc

 

Ronnie Wood: “Worry No More” https://youtu.be/HS-9oTIwHfw

 

Larry Carlton: “Upper Kern” https://youtu.be/0sUbOXgakhI

 

Lisa Dal Bello: “Day Dream” https://youtu.be/mAOY1Halp0s

 

George Benson: “Welcome to My World” https://youtu.be/md6IgJlq7Kc

 

Doris Duke: “He’s Gone” https://youtu.be/lfiH1zsecWg

 

Eddie Money: “Wanna Be a Rock and Roll Star” https://youtu.be/a0Ezs

By Thomas Semioli

And on the eighth day, God created Mel!

 

Mention the name Melvin George Schacher to rock bassists of my generation (and disposition) and most will immediately genuflect in reverence.  As the anchor of the unrivaled Flint, Michigan power trio Grand Funk Railroad, and later the “pop” quartet Grand Funk, and then back to Grand Funk Railroad the repertory ensemble, Mel is icon of the instrument in a hard rock format.  Schacher’s phrasing, motifs, tone, and stage demeanor forever brand the 20^th Century blue-collar American garage rock and roll bassist. 

 

As tone is defined as “a musical or vocal sound with reference to its pitch, quality, and strength” – Mel’s timbre was incomparable.

 

Overdrive Perfection:  On GFRR’s early slabs, including the legendary “red album” – Mel commandeered a hot-rodded Fender Jazz with a Gibson EB-1 humbucker pickup in the neck position strung with black nylon flatwounds run through a West Fillmore bass rig which, according to the “asbestos glove legend,” was outfitted with Genelex KT88 tubes.  Manager Terry Knight poked holes in Schacher’s speaker cones for extra rust. 

 

 

At the age of seven, Mel started off on banjo, then gravitated towards the guitar by the age of 12, and by 14 he was gigging as a bassist. At age 16 Mel replaced bassist Frank Lugo in Question Mark & The Mysterians as they hit the road to promote their hit “96 Tears” – a classic rock anthem later to be covered by scores of artists spanning garage rockers to punks. In ’68 he was approached by Mark Farner and Don Brewer to form a trio, and the rest as they say, is history…..

 

Serving as a both the rhythmic anchor and melodic catalyst I can’t imagine how many American teenagers heard Mel on Grand Funk (1969) and decided that’s what they wanted to do in life.

 

Mel on “Got to Get This Thing on the Move” Grand Funk  https://youtu.be/f6qZQ5nMxvI

 

 

Staples on underground and FM radio in the early 1970’s Schacher’s most recognized passage is undoubtedly his melodic underpinning of GFRR’s signature recording I’m Your Captain”

 

Tony Senatore’s rendition of “I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home) https://youtu.be/HeNuilRxqNE

 

Though Mark Farner and Don Brewer were the song writers, it was Mel’s approach to the instrument which characterized Funk’s canon. Utilizing his index fingernail as a plectrum,  slabs including On Time (1969), Closer to Home (1970), the brash Live (1970), and E Pluribus Funk (1971) are all showcases for Mel’s explosive passages – which actually serve as hooks for compositions that were essentially improvisational platforms.  

 

 

From the album E Pluribus Funk:

 

Mel: “Upsetter” https://youtu.be/f7gu5YNk7ig

 

Tony Senatore’s renditions of…

 

“People Let’s Stop the War” https://youtu.be/NyrkIPMf0L0

 

“Footstompin’ Music” https://youtu.be/CyJck_ZONTQ

 

Mel’s playing became progressively refined as Flint’s finest morphed from hard rockers to pop stars on such albums as: We’re An American Band (1973), Shinin’ On (1974), All The Girls In the World Beware (1975), and the Frank Zappa production Good Singin’ Good Playin’ (1976).  

 

Dig Mel’s frenetic funk forays on the title track to All the Girls… https://youtu.be/ohVgDMJWQIA

 

Tony Senatore’s rendition of “Bad Time” https://youtu.be/p8Qdmtwx6lU 

Beloved by fans, reviled by the so-called rock press in their commercial and artistic heyday, Mel is still on and off the road with a “nostalgia” version of Grand Funk sans Farner and Frost.

 

 

Courtesy of Ambrosia Com

 

He is the anchor (and vocalist, producer, composer, and The Exchange studio owner in Milwaukee…) of prog-rock-pop powerhouse Ambrosia.  Formed in 1970 in Los Angeles, founding members Joseph Puerta, Christopher North, David Pack and Burleigh Drummond created a unique blend of progressive, pop, and rhythm & blues which garnered them heavy rotation on FM radio, in addition to multiple Grammy nominations, box-office sellouts, and platinum slabs aplenty.

 

 

Ambrosia are well respected among musicians and fans of the 1970s jazz-fusion era. Their boundary breaking collaborations include recordings with Leonard Bernstein, Kurt Vonnegut, Sheena Easton, Bruce Hornsby, and Alan Parsons.

 

 

Puerta’s bass artistry is as adventurous as the ensemble he commandeers, plying harmonic counterpoint and pocket grooves as the songs warrant. 

 

 

In the mid-80s when Ambrosia was on hiatus, Puerta was a founding member of Bruce Hornsby’s ensemble “The Range” which wax a platinum slabs and singles.  Joe also toured with Sheena Easton.

 

 

Ambrosia remains active on the concert circuit well into the 21^st Century with Puerta, Drummond, and North in the line-up along with guitarist Doug Jackson and vocalist Mary Harris.

 

 

Joe Puerta Sound & Vision

With Ambrosia…

“How Much I Feel”  https://youtu.be/fGyJPGpTTdo

“You’re the Biggest Part of Me” https://youtu.be/0QIWtY7gzvA

“Holdin’ On to Yesterday”  https://youtu.be/A1jeVdUo1-I

 

With Bruce Hornsby & The Range….

“The Way It Is” https://youtu.be/cOeKidp-iWo

“The Valley Road” https://youtu.be/KfKIq1Pmc8Q

“Every Little Kiss” https://youtu.be/PPmyYs92GDs

By Thomas Semioli

An irrefutable icon of the instrument, the late, great Terence “Jet” Harris MBE was the founding bassist for British rock pioneers and influencers The Shadows. That collective also served as Cliff Richard’s backing ensemble for scores of hits with the legendary pop singer and under their own name.

 

A melodic pocket player and one of the first recognized Fender bass players in the UK, Jet waxed several successful solo sides after splitting from the band in 1962.

 

Harris and his rhythm section partner, drummer Tony Meehan, also helped two young guns get their start in the music biz, hiring them for sessions and live work: James Patrick Page and the former John Baldwin.

 

The nickname “Jet” was bestowed upon the fleet of foot Harris when he was a track star at Dudden Hill secondary modern school. Starting off as a clarinetist, Harris built his own upright and commenced to playing local jazz gigs in London. Whilst under the mentorship of Tony Crombie and The Rockets, the bandleader purchased a Framus bass for Harris -which garnered attention aplenty as the instrument generated more volume and definition as compared to the doghouse.

 

As to how Harris became the face of the Fender bass in Ol’ Blighty is somewhat in question. Some sources claim that in ’59 Harris’ Framus instrument was damaged, hence he switched to the Fender Precision. Others report that Cliff Richard purchased a sunburst Fender bass for Harris in 1960 to compliment The Shawdows’ guitarist Hank Marvin’s Stratocaster.

 

Regardless, the sight and sounds of handsome Harris and his Precision bass became the role model of many aspiring players throughout the United Kingdom. 

 

As a solo artist and collaborator with drummer Meehan, Harris waxed such hits as “Besame Mucho” “Diamonds,” and “The Man with the Golden Arm” sometimes utilizing a Fender six-string bass. Page was the rhythm guitarist on “Diamonds” – and both Page and John Paul Jones (Baldwin) were recruited to play in the duo’s touring ensemble.

 

Beset by alcoholism, Jet’s career crashed in the 1960s – though he was considered for the Jeff Beck Group in 1967. By the 1980s he recovered and was working in various repertory ensembles – plying the hits that made him famous. In 1998 Fender cited Harris with a lifetime achievement award.

 

 

 

Jet Harris Sound & Vision

The Shadows’ “The Savage” from The Young Ones https://youtu.be/KgCRhqbPxrI

“Got a Funny Feeling” https://youtu.be/2lzai0-ccis

“Big Bad Bass” https://youtu.be/MQ_agWz-AzU

“Diamonds” https://youtu.be/vHyTN5DQT6E

 “Besame Mucho” https://youtu.be/h3NQhHBSsw4

“The Man with The Golden Arm” https://youtu.be/vBu3zSbvd4I

“The Man from Nowhere” https://youtu.be/gzw6eSm7b98

 

 

He anchors Memphis’ legendary soul collective The Bar-Kays – a gig he’s held for over a half century…

 

James Alexander had the good fortune not be on the plane that took the lives of four of his bandmates and Otis Redding, whom they were backing on that fateful tour in late 1967. He is the sole surviving member of the original Bar-Kays.  

 

As the Stax house-band beginning in 1968, James and the reconstituted Bar-Kays waxed seminal sides under their own name, along with classic platters by Isaac Hayes, Rufus Thomas, and Albert King, to cite a select few.   

 

The consummate pocket player, vocalist, and composer – Alexander was greatly inspired by the performers he first witnessed on Beale Street in the 1950s, namely B.B. King and Bobby “Blue Bland.” Their “Soul Finger” jam for Stax president Jim Stewart became their signature hit, and the rest as they say, is history….

 

James Alexander Sound & Vision

 

With the Bar-Kays…

“Soul Finger” https://youtu.be/BpI1fcJdFrA

“Holy Ghost” https://youtu.be/sJlAop6SyLI

“Let’s Have Some Fun” https://youtu.be/O8vwwjXX6Rg

“Coldblooded” https://youtu.be/q-k4XvwguGU

 

With Isaac Hayes…

“By The Time I Get to Phoenix” https://youtu.be/r_Kb607VNKM

“Theme from Shaft” https://youtu.be/0sx0KeTnTT4

 

 

An incredibly prolific and diverse composer, producer, recording artist, journalist, multi-instrumentalist, poet, band-leader, in-demand collaborator, author (Memoirs of a Geezer: Music, Life, Mayhem -2009), and ex-London Underground employee, the former John Joseph Wardle’s bass artistry is steeped in the rhythms and resonance of dub and world music.  

 

Renowned for his work in Public Image Ltd. among numerous other collectives,  Jah Wobble has helped expand the language of modern music by deconstructing genres as diverse as pop, ambient, punk, experimental, and electronica and permutations thereof and wax engaging slabs in the process!

 

Wobble was inspired to pick up the instrument upon hearing Aston “Family Man” Barrett with Bob Marley in1975. The moniker “Jah Wobble” was conjured by his squat-mate, Sex Pistols’ bassist Sid Vicious, who had trouble pronouncing his roomie’s name whilst under the influence – which they both usually were.

 

Jah Wobble Sound & Vision:

Public Image Ltd.

“Poptones” Live https://youtu.be/b8e2CTB9oeQ

“Public Image” https://youtu.be/ylOCIP54PIQ

 

Jah Wobble & Invaders of the Heart      

“Visions of You” with Sinead O’Connor https://youtu.be/qwGEsCKv-H8

“The Sun Does Rise” with Dolores O’Riordan https://youtu.be/UAzvry448Lk

“Becoming More Like God” with Arnelli Drecker https://youtu.be/rSWJpZXeGvs

 

Jah Misc…

Snake Charmer with Holger Czukay, The Edge “Hold On To Your Dreams” https://youtu.be/WF_SxvpS8-g

“A Very British Coup” with Mark Stewart, Youth, Keith Levine: https://youtu.be/VWebH2xEli0