‘Twas a time in the 1980s wherein blues fell off the mainstream pop culture map during an era (error) of MTV fueled pomp and circumstance over substance. Akin to the punk invasion a decade previous, two torrid Texas ensembles came on the scene to set the rock and roll record straight once again:  Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Double Trouble, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds!

 

Anchoring the T-Birds at the apex of their commercial success was bassist Preston Hubbard. An swingin’ upright and electric pocket player, Preston honed his craft with Room Full of Blues, and The Alley Cats with Tinsley Ellis– and even turned down an offer to join SRV’s incendiary trio.

 

Aside from his tenure with the T-Birds, Hubbard anchored tracks, slabs, and/or gigs with Bonnie Raitt, The Vaughan Brothers, Duke Robillard, Etta James, Professor Longhair, Carlos Santana, Albert King, Albert Collins, Nick Curran, and The Blues Brothers among others.

 

Sadly Hubbard’s career was derailed by substance abuse, however his legacy lives in his grooves!

 

Preston Hubbard Sound & Vision…

 

Fabulous Thunderbirds:

 

“Tuff Enuff” https://youtu.be/EcXT1clXc04

 

“Wrap It Up” (official video) https://youtu.be/51270i8F3mU

 

“Wrap It Up” by KYBP Adjunct Professor Tony Senatore with testimonial  https://youtu.be/OjoN0Paq_fQ

 

“It Comes to Me Naturally” https://youtu.be/Y5XSzUGcmIk

 

“Stand Back” https://youtu.be/FDp195RuPjA

 

“Powerful Stuff” https://youtu.be/hzQ2Extfvj4

 

The T-Birds with Duke Robillard: https://youtu.be/r-bU7ZPwoUI

 

Bonnie Raitt: “The Road’s My Middle Name” https://youtu.be/cxoIXHiE9Q8

 

Courtesy of Fabulous Thunderbirds Com

Renowned for his iconic status as a singer, songwriter, recording artist, and guitarist, Stephen Stills, akin to his contemporary Ronnie Wood, is an exemplary bassist.

 

Stills simultaneously serves as both a melodic player given to upper register motifs, and a pocket player on various CSN&Y sessions and permutations thereof, and with Joni Mitchell. His work on the debut CSN self-titled slab (1969) stands among the greatest rock bass albums of any era. Stills weapons of choice include Fender and Guild basses. 

 

 Stephen Stills Sound & Vision…

 

Crosby, Stills, Nash:

 

“Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” https://youtu.be/OvGfQCsfzUo

 

“Wooden Ships” https://youtu.be/AdiuqQ7xm30

 

Joni Mitchell:

 

“Night in the City” https://youtu.be/OwDkXIK8msM

 

Tony Senatore Renders “Carey” https://youtu.be/eWMfuSErCOg

 

Crosby Stills Nash & Young:

 

“Carry On” https://youtu.be/lh67x9iDCjg

 

“Teach Your Children” https://youtu.be/dQOaUnSmJr8

 

Courtesy John Carey Net

A wizard, a true star….

 

Versatility be thy name. Bassist, composer, educator, humorist, recording artist, sideman, producer, author, journalist, band-member, collaborator, muti-instrumentalist … John Carey is a fixture on the New York City music scene. His impressive body of work spans theater, assorted varieties of session work; rock, jazz, folk, funk and permutations thereof on stage and on record.

 

Carey’s tome, The Working Bassist, What You Really Need to Know to Survive in New York City (2008), is essential reading for any player seeking to squeeze out a living on our instrument. 

 

Utilizing a variety of instruments in assorted configurations from the trad-4 to extended range, fretless, along with effects aplenty; John’s eclecticism is reflected in his expansive canon.   

 

This cat can play anything with authenticity and expertise. John’s ever-expanding list of projects, releases, gigs, and collaborators would break the internet, so keep tabs on JC by way of JohnCarey.Net and PlanetBassNYC on YouTube.

 

John Carey Sound & Vision…

 

“Hard Vision”  https://youtu.be/htjlZl9qZGY

 

“Son of the House” https://youtu.be/3iGnrL5PZRo

 

“So Bold” https://youtu.be/FYxr_Jzt8k8

 

“California” https://youtu.be/JB4lPlhQJSE

 

“Revelry Now- Someone Like You” https://youtu.be/x-qtGWg2poM

 

Courtesy Margaret LaBombard FB

 

“If a song makes you feel something, you can thank the bass player!”

 

Whilst willingly winnowing her musical aspirations as a high-school student Margaret LaBombard made her F clef bones on trombone long before her interest electric bass tones, of which she intones “we bass players are all connected by the low frequency…”

 

A student of KYBPOF Season One star Mike Visceglia and KYBP confidant John Carey (we’ll get you on film soon, I promise), among others, MLB grooves gracefully with an occasional melodic extension on the trad-4 and extended range 5.

 

Her main gig is anchoring NYC based new-wave-ish popsters Slyboots with KG Noble.  

 

Margaret LaBombard Sound & Vision

 

“If We Could Let Go” https://youtu.be/bET0zLUdsnA

 

“Kicking the Stars” https://youtu.be/Q3lmz8HV6hM

 

“Beautiful Loser” https://youtu.be/IuE4qHp3cKs

 

Courtesy of Slyboots Com

 

A young, impressionable Lothar Meid was initially introduced to the instrument when he heard American rhythm & blues from the U.S. troops stationed in his native German town.

 

Meid took up the bass in his teens, and soon found himself on the bandstand backing The Drifters and other soul, vocal groups when they toured military basses, an experience which eventually led to an impromptu jam with Jimi Hendrix in late 1966.

 

A prog-rock pioneer, multi-instrumentalist and solo recording artist, Lothar worked with Klaus Doldinger on various projects and with KD as the anchor of the German jazz rock collective Passport. Meid commenced a four-year stint in Amon Duul II in 1971. Blending their space / psychedelic / folk rock yearnings with supportive and countermelodic passages, Meid was also a prolific composer with ADll, and occasionally assumed a lead vocal or two.

 

In his later years Meid participated in various reunion shows with Amon Duul II and Passport until he popped his prog clogs in 2015.

 

Lothar Meid Sound & Vision….

 

Amon Dull ll…

 

“Between the Eyes” https://youtu.be/ZkSAsYjL54s

 

“Eye Shaking King” https://youtu.be/1eFLGZ14lek

 

Live 1971 https://youtu.be/3gWd_41sLc4

 

Lothar Meid Solo…

 

“Django” https://youtu.be/hvrEFUqMnMs

 

“Die Helden aus dem Undergrund” https://youtu.be/iQhsCD9jaxs

 

Passport: “Shirokko” https://youtu.be/kFY105dd_y4

 

Amon Duul circa 2009

By Thomas Semioli

A woman’s place is in the groove!

 

She was a bass player who helped erase the gender line in America’s preeminent artform at the height of its popularity. ‘Twas a time in the 20th Century wherein female presence on the jazz bandstand was usually reserved for chirpers and hoofers. Enter Vivien Garry, born in 1920 and working the doghouse as a pro by the mid-1940s. Ms. Garry waxed sides for independent jazz record imprints aplenty, and scored a major label deal with RCA Victor as a bandleader- a rarity for bassists regardless of their biological disposition. 

 

In ’46 vivacious Viv formed the Vivien Garry Trio, and later Quartet with her renown guitarist – husband Arv Garrison.  Among Garry’s collaborators included another barrier breaking woman of note, violinist Ginger Smock. Vivien also anchored ensembles featuring top cats such as Shorty Rogers, Shelly Manne, Jimmy Giuffre,  Ricky Jordan, and Eddy Edell.

 

 Vivien Garry Sound & Vision….

 

“Hopscotch” https://youtu.be/BBVQ2vmPsBU

 

“Operation Mop” https://youtu.be/6BZuEHTefaA

 

“A Woman’s Place is In the Groove” with Ginger Smock https://youtu.be/HCkWdmJMbBE

 

 

He’s the cat who produced the iconic 80s Flock of Seagulls hit “I Ran (So Far Away)!”

 

Bassist Michael John Gilmour Howlett commenced his music career as the bassist for the Aussie pop ensemble The Affair in the late 1960s. In 1973 Mike took over the bass chair in the prog rock collective Gong, wherein he also made significant contributions as a composer. When he split from Gong, he joined what would later become The Police – serving as “lead bassist” with Gordon Sumner working the pocket, Andy Summers, and Stuart Copeland.

 

Howlett has forged  a Grammy Award winning career behind the console, producing such artists as Joan Armatrading, The Alarm, OMD, China Crisis, Thompson Twins, and Sniff ‘n’ The Tears,  and the above referenced FOS, among others.

 

A label owner, former chairman of the Music Producers Guild, and educator (Queensland University of Technology, University of South Wales, among others), Howlett has participated in various Gong reunions over the years and has collaborated extensively with various members of the band.

 

 

Mike Howlett Sound and Vision…

 

Strontium 90 with Sting, Sumner, Copeland:

 

“Visions of the Night” https://youtu.be/hdiokgQ5VbQ

 

“New World Blues” https://youtu.be/xP9ySV44lso

 

“Lady of Delight” https://youtu.be/kx8PBAn0e_o

 

Gong

 

“The Isle of Everywhere” https://youtu.be/VXhb0vsgfZE

 

“Wingful of Eyes” https://youtu.be/ehbowA_pzJE

 

Hoffnugg / Howlett “Vitality” https://youtu.be/sanDGnJgo7A

 

Courtesy Mike Howlett FB

 

The Move, co-founded by bassist Christopher “Ace” Kefford were among the seminal British psychedelic-pop progressive rock ensembles of the late 1960s – early 70s. Appearing only on the band’s self-titled platter, Ace was a charismatic performer who, according to drummer Bev Beven “functioned as the group’s pouting glamour-man.” Akin to Brian Jones and Syd Barrett, Ace was a casualty of the psychedelic era.

 

A scrapped 1968 solo album produced by Tony Visconti which eventually surfaced in 2003, scattered recordings by the short-lived Ace Kefford Stand collective featuring drummer Cozy Powell, and a brief stint (and single) with the band Rockstar (1976) have further enhanced his legend.   

 

Ace Kefford Sound & Vision…

 

The Move:

 

“Morning Dew” https://youtu.be/PJz2BOcufu8

 

“Flowers in the Rain” https://youtu.be/cT2exTHx8f0

 

“Fire Brigade” https://youtu.be/UVys3YPRLWk

 

Ace Kefford Solo:

 

“Save the Life of My Child   https://youtu.be/9aWl44pcgeY

 

“Daughter of the Sun” https://youtu.be/1lzRA5B1q_g

 

Courtesy of Kevin Scott Music Com

 

There are bass players who realize their dreams….and there are the cats who anchor the legends.

 

Enter Kevin Scott – who has achieved both goals and more in his remarkable career.

 

Kevin’s musical journey commenced while he was in his teens, as a bassist in his dad’s bluegrass band.  Then this Dothan, Alabama native heard Colonel Bruce Hampton and his life changed. He migrated to Atlanta where Hampton resided, and worked his way into the guitar legend’s band.

 

Touring and recording with Hampton raised Scott’s profile. He found himself on the bandstand with another legend, drummer Bernard Purdie for the ATL Collective’s yearly “James Brown’s Funky Christmas” wherein Scott serves as musical director. And yet more legends – guitarists Jimmy Herring, and Wayne Krantz have enlisted Kevin for recording and touring.

 

Scott established himself as a first call bassist in Atlanta, anchoring such ensembles as; Ruby Velle & The Soulphonics, Russell Gunn and Elektrik Butterfly, Whitney Tai, King Baby, Grant Green Jr., Mindi Abair, Fergie,  FORQ, Wale, Monica, and Big Shanty, among others.

 

A finger / plectrum player, among Kevin’s primary weapons of choice is a weathered vintage Fender Precision. Scott’s funky disposition serves the singer and the song – he’s also a prolific soloist.  Keep up with Kevin Scott at www.KevinScottMusic.com

 

KYBP hat tip to Scott Gordon: Says SG “Kevin Scott is one of the baddest bass dudes out there! He’s my favorite young gun…at 35 he is the most versatile bassist …and a super humble guy to top it off.  Jesse from St Paul and the Broken Bones has taken a few lessons with Kev and even bought most of the gear that Kev uses!” 

 

Check out Kevin Scott’s KnowYourBassPlayer Spotify Playlist….

 

Kevin Scott Sound & Vision… 

 

Bruce Hampton: Live https://youtu.be/_C73ELythTs

 

Wayne Krantz: Under Cover Pop Tour https://youtu.be/ornbl4lqBQ4

 

ATL Collective Live with Nigel Hall https://youtu.be/E_v1R8CciUE

 

Ruby Velle “It’s About That Time” https://youtu.be/oTR_ls5a4MQ

 

Elektrik Butterfly “War Pigs” https://youtu.be/sJI9lgu1sDM

 

Wale “Ambition” (Kevin served as co-writer on this #1 hit) https://youtu.be/O7ZbM7ak8uw

 

 

Photo by Drew Burke – Courtesy of Kevin Scott Music Com!

 

 

Courtesy of St. Paul & The Broken Bones Com

It’s all about the pocket!

 

Born into a musical family in British Columbia, Canada, Jesse Phillips studied music at Loyola University in New Orleans. His original goal was to be a music teacher, however fate intervened…

 

Collaborating with singer Paul Janey, Jesse co-founded an “alternative soul” outfit which they dubbed The Secret Dangers. Switching their moniker to St. Paul & The Broken Bones, the duo waxed an EP before they hit the stage. Enlisting simpatico musicians, SP&TBB cut their first indie album which garnered attention aplenty in the major rock rags including Rolling Stone, and Paste, among others.

 

Their first national TV appearance on CBS This Morning put them on the map commercially. In 2015 the Rolling Stones chose them as their support act on several shows.

 

Drawing influence from the elite Stax, Motown, Muscle Shoals, TSOP players – Phillips is a master of the pocket….outlining the changes with grace notes and harmonic extensions which reach out of the bass cabinets and grab the listener!

 

Phillips’ main weapon of choices are Fender Jazz and Precision, and Reverend basses.

 

 

Jesse Phillips Sound & Vision…

 

Live on CBS This Morning “Flow With It” https://youtu.be/JOtMs1FzWN8

 

“Call Me” https://youtu.be/z7s9A3s8iv8

 

“Apollo” https://youtu.be/mHEPoG11EtE

 

“Grass Is Greener” https://youtu.be/pb8yga8kygU

 

“I’ll Be Your Woman” https://youtu.be/rrFmJik2cVg