Steve Bailey Is Stepping Down as Chair of Berklee’s Bass Department
For nearly fifteen years, if you walked into Berklee College of Music with a bass strapped on your back, Steve Bailey was the gravitational center of your education. Now, the fretless six-string guru is stepping down from his role as the Chair of the Berklee Bass Department.
He spoke about the transition in an interview on Leland Sklar’s YouTube show, reflecting on a year that reshaped his priorities.
“I took a sabbatical last semester, which in academic terms means I get paid to go do something different,” he said. “I went out and made another duet record, and one of the people I did a duet with was Joe Walsh. That led to me playing a lot with Joe last year and playing with Lukas Nelson, and some other fun stuff. That led me to a point where I had a revolutionary concept: ‘How amazing would it be to leave a job while you still love it?’ You know, [so often] we stay in gigs until we’re pushed to the point where we say, ‘I’ve had enough.’ I just realized I’m at an age and a point in my life where I could move on and do more fun stuff, but I still love this job.”
Bailey added that he will still be involved with Berklee in some other fashion, but not running the day-to-day business of the bass department. Aside from releasing his second solo album and touring, he told Sklar he wants to spend more time surfing and traveling.
Bailey’s decision is the latest turn in a career that has long bridged the bandstand and the classroom. He took the reins of the Berklee Bass Department in 2012, following Rich Appleman’s 40+ year tenure. Before that, he had been teaching for 25 years. He has performed or recorded with an astonishing range of artists: Dizzy Gillespie, Michel Camilo, the Rippingtons, Ray Price, Billy Joe Shaver, Ernestine Anderson, Jethro Tull, and many more. He also teamed up with Victor Wooten for the aptly named project Bass Extremes. His latest solo album, Carolina, features duets with Willie Nelson, Mike Stern, Ron Carter, Dennis Chambers, and Ian Anderson, to name a few.
Under his leadership, Bailey shaped the bass curriculum at Berklee and used it to bridge students and the wider bass community. He welcomed guest artists from metal, gospel, jazz, and pop, and during the pandemic, he turned the department into a global classroom with free public webinars featuring many of the world’s top bassists.
Bailey’s last day as Chair of the Berklee Bass Department will be August 31st, 2026. The school has opened a search for his successor, outlining the duties and qualifications necessary for the job. (You can find the requirements here.)
Congratulations to Steve Bailey on his amazing tenure as Berklee’s bass chair!
Watch his whole conversation with Sklar:
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
