Heartbeat: Breaking down WAR’s Greatest Bass Line

by Paul Thompson Friday, March 8th, 2024

Morris "B.B." Dickerson

In this episode, I’m digging into the amazing grooves from one of the greatest genre-defying bands of the 70’s: WAR. From the iconic “Low Rider” to “Cisco Kid” to “Slippin’ Into Darkness,” which song contains their GREATEST bass line? (We’ll get to that.)

I’ll also introduce you to the unsung vocalist and original bassist of WAR, Morris “B.B.” Dickerson, and show you why his style was so important to WAR’s sound and success.

Here’s the breakdown for this episode:

00:00: Intro
00:51: Contender #1
01:59: Contender #2
03:13: Morris “B.B.” Dickerson
03:54: Contender #3
04:39: Contender #4
05:49: Winner
06:32: Outro

Paul Thompson has been playing bass professionally for over 30 years, including recording and touring stints with trumpeter Maynard Ferguson and saxophonist Stanley Turrentine. Recent playing credits include Bob Reynolds, John Pizzarelli, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, and Bob James, among others. Currently, he can be seen playing in and around the Pittsburgh, PA area with the THOTH Trio, the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra, and many other musicians in the city's rich Jazz community. An educator of over 25 years, Paul currently teaches Jazz Bass at Duquesne University, West Virginia University, and his alma mater, Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12 Performing Arts School.

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