Bassists - Page 80

Stew McKinsey is a bassist with an affinity for extended range instruments. It wasn’t long after getting into the 4-string that he was introduced to a 5-string, then a 6-string, and so on. His current arsenal includes a 10-string Conklin Sidewinder. While that may seem extreme, McKinsey is quick to point out his efforts are to be a musician first....

Meet Gaz Williams, a bass player hailing from Bristol UK who has dubbed himself a “true bass junkie”. Of course, we support that completely. Gaz keeps busy with recording, gigging, producing and working as a tech presenter. He once even did a pantomime gig. Gaz is our player in the spotlight for the week of October 16, 2012. Bio: I...

Bassist B.B. Cunningham has died after a shooting at an apartment complex where he was working as a security guard. He was 70 years old. A versatile musician, Cunningham was the lead singer for ’60s group The Hombres and penned their hit “Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)” before becoming a session player in the Memphis area where...

In a recent interview with the BBC, rock legend Jack Bruce revealed that plans for a Cream reunion in 2013 have been halted due to a rift between guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker. The band, which was one of the first rock supergroups, last reunited in 2005 for four sold out shows. “There was supposed to be [a...

Meet Harrison Caruana, a bass player hailing from Hastings in the UK. Like many bassists in our spotlight, Harrison had an awesome parent supporting his love for music – and helping shape it. Harrison is our player in the spotlight for October 9, 2012. Bio: When I was seven my dad taught me the bass line to The Chain, by...

Oteil Burbridge posted an announcement on his Facebook page yesterday that he’s decided to take a break and leaving the Tedeschi Trucks Band tour, currently in progress. It appears that all is well with the band and Oteil, who shared there’s some personal motivation behind the move. “After 25 years of intensive touring, I have come to the very difficult...

Atlanta-based bassist Darren Michaels is helping to expand the role of our instrument. With extended techniques and an open mind, Michaels has been finding new sounds to convey his music in both band and solo contexts, though he dislikes the term “solo bass.” It’s not the technique that drives him, but the connection of music with his listeners that makes...

Victor Wooten has been touring since he was five years old, most notably in his early years as a member of the Wooten Brothers Band. He and his brothers traveled with a variety of opening acts – including Curtis Mayfield in 1969 — and during the seventies and eighties shared the stage with artists like Stephanie Mills, War, Ramsey Lewis,...

Meet Alfredo Guerrieri (Fredo), a bassist from Ohio in a place he calls “Amurica”. Alfredo is a very busy bassist, teacher and sometimes Italian deli dude who could easily work as a comedian if any of the three things falls through. But we’re betting this bassist will continue to do just fine. Fredo is our player in the spotlight for...

Since his first solo album, released in 1996, Victor Wooten has been intimately involved in the recording, producing and mixing of all his albums — part of a growing trend among musicians. From the mid-nineties forward, more and more artists have been getting their hands involved in the recording process. The introduction of the ADAT recorder in 1991 made home...

Meet Mai Jõgi, a bassist leaving in Sweden by way of Estonia who has an impressive resume and counts her experience on bass in days, not years (2,920 days at the time she shared her story with us). Mai is our player in the spotlight for the week of September 25, 2012. Bio: Estonian female bass player Mai Jõgi is...

It’s not often a musician can lay claim to changing the way their instrument is played, but Larry Graham is definitely one of those musicians. His story is the stuff of legends – Graham played guitar in his mother’s band. He also sang and played the bass pedals of an organ to fill the bottom end. The organ broke, so...